Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to identify oil palm plantation area and estimate
the amount of oil palm by-products, which consist of by-products from field activities
(oil palm trunks and fronds) and from palm mills (shells, empty fruit bunches, fibres
and palm oil mill effluent). In addition, technology patterns for oil palm by-products
utilization in Thailand and other countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia are also
identified. Then appropriate technology for oil palm by-products utilization is
evaluated in term of commercial viability, environmental impact and public
perception by 3 experts in economics, environment and social studies respectively.
In 2005, the oil palm plantation area in Krabi Province was about 96,000
hectares, which includes 39,000 hectares of less than 20 years of age and 56,000
hectares of more than 20 years of age. The estimation of oil palm by-products was
about 5.7 million tons, which included oil palm trunks (4.7 million tons), felled fronds
(900,000 tons), pruned fronds (24,000 tons), empty fruit bunches (36,000 tons), fibres
(21,000 tons) and shells (9,000 tons). The technologies introduced for oil palm
by-products utilization include mushroom cultivation technology, which is the most
suitable, animal feeding, activated carbon and particleboard technologies, which are
very suitable, and pulp and paper and vitamin E extraction technologies, which are
moderately suitable.
In conclusion, appropriate technologies for each kind of oil palm by-products
utilization in Krabi Province are; 1) mushroom technology for empty fruit bunches
utilization; 2) animal feeding technology for palm oil mill effluent utilization;
3) activated carbon technology for shells utilization; 4) particleboard technology
fronds, empty fruit bunches, trunks and fibres utilization; 5) pulp and paper
technology for trunks, fronds and empty fruit bunches utilization; and 6) vitamin e
extraction technology for leaflet utilization respectively. In the future they should be
developed and extended in Thailand’s industries, since this could convert oil palm
by-products into value added materials and decrease waste from agriculture and
manufacturing.