Description

Wet, empty bunches are partly dried in the sun and later used as fuel. Another economic use for the empty bunches is to return them to the plantation as a mulch to enhance moisture retention and organic matter in the soil.

The palm kernel shell is also used as a source of fuel for the boilers. Unfortunately the shell contains silicates that form a scale in the boilers if too much shell is fed to the furnace, thus limiting the amount of shell that can be utilised in the boilers. Residual shell is disposed of as gravel for plantation roads maintenance. Blacksmiths also buy the shells to use as fuel material in their casting and forging operations. Palm nut shell is also used in the preparation of pozzolana, a cement substitute material that has been developed by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

The fibre recovered from the nut/fibre separation stage is a good combustible material and finds ready use as fuel to boil the fruit. (Fig. *2) The fibre constitutes the bulk of material used to fire the large boilers used to generate superheated steam to drive turbines for electrical power generation in large-scale plants.

Boiler ash is recycled as fertilizer and factory floor cleaning agent. The potash in the ashes reacts with the oil to form a weak potash soap that is washed away with water.

Small-scale mills also use the fibre and bunch waste as fuel material. Most small-scale mills do not undertake the shelling of recovered palm nuts. The nuts are sold to palm kernel processors.