Background and Importance :

     Oil palm is a major economic crop in the Southern part of Thailand. In the process for palm oil extraction, app. 25% empty fruit bunch fiber was generated as a by-product. Nowadays, the by-product was used for bio-fertilizer production and as a substrate for mushroom cultivation.

Technology :

     Empty fruit bunch fiber was hydrolyzed to sugars prior to using biotechnological technique to transform sugars to H2 gas.

Advantages / Pros :

1. H2 and CO2 are the gases being produced via this technology
2. Of the total gas produced after termination production process, 75% was H2.
3. Combustion of H2 gas gives high energy.
4. No gas pollution (e.g. CO2) occurs after combustion.