Analysis and Energy Optimization for Biomethanol Production Using Palm Oil Biomass Residues

Palm oil extraction generates a great amount of biomass residues; i.e. kernel pieces, fiber and fruit bunches. The last is the major quantity, but it has limited usage as an energetic source due to physical-chemical characteristics and high humidity. Biodiesel production requires methanol, which is mainly produced form natural gas in very large industrial plants, oscillating between 700×103 to 1400 x103 tons per year. This paper presents an economical and technical analysis for production of biometanol from oil palm biomass residues, considering the requirements for the year 2019 in Colombia, which are expected to be 92.5 x103 tons. Different technological approximations are considered and the different parts for the selected process are dimensioned, due to the small size of the plant required. The process simulation is carried out using ASPENPLUS™, giving a global efficiency around 48%, and a yield of 43% for the biomass used. The production simulation allows comparing with the international price for methanol, and the cutting point is U$ 152/Ton. This value is compared with the international price of crude oil and it was found that it is only superior when the oil price is under U$ 20. Due to the tendency for oil prices to increase, it is feasible, at least form the economical point of view, to develop a small scale biometanol plant.