08/06/2026 (Tech Xplore) - A waste-to-energy system designed for palm oil mills could turn agricultural waste into electricity, industrial fuels and carbon-storing materials while generating commercially viable returns, according to an Industry Note in the International Journal of Agriculture Innovation, Technology and Globalisation.

The authors examined Factory in Factory (FiF) systems, in which an integrated biomass treatment system built around two linked technologies can be used to convert organic waste into usable energy and salable byproducts. The work argues that the approach could help industries reduce greenhouse gas emissions while addressing mounting pressure on landfill capacity and waste disposal.

The system is aimed particularly at palm kernel cake (PKC), a waste residue from palm oil production that is generated in vast quantities at mills across Malaysia. The material is already concentrated at these industrial sites, so using FiF means transportation and collection costs are avoided almost entirely.

At the center of the process is pyrolysis molecularization extraction technology (PMET), which uses pyrolysis, the thermal decomposition of organic material without oxygen. This approach can process about 300 kilograms (about 660 pounds) of biomass per hour. The process generates combustible gas, carbon-rich biochar and a liquid bio-oil known as green tar.

Biochar, a charcoal-like substance, can be used either to sequester carbon for long periods or as a soil improver and for pollution treatment. The bio-oil could be used as industrial fuel or as a feedstock for chemical, pharmaceutical and biomedical products as an alternative to fossil products from the petrochemical industry.

The authors explain that a second component, the Gas Generator Assemble Cabinet (GGAC), can use pyrolysis-generated gas in electricity production. Such units can generate around 130 megawatts of electricity per month. This would allow mills either to offset their own power use or sell electricity to the national grid.

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