Valorization of Palm Biomass Wastes for Biodiesel Production

The intensive and exacerbated use of fossil fuels has alarmed the global industrial system and has led to the adoption of sustainable alternatives aimed at minimizing the serious environmental impacts caused by the exploitation of these resources. One of the primordial scientific topics in recent years is the investigation for potential safe alternative fuels as a path to substitute the current energy exploitation. Appropriately, the use of plant biomass as potential agents in the synthesis of biofuels has been a highly viable and sustainable alternative, mainly from an environmental and economic outlook. Therefore, the palm oil and palm oil-based industries have been identified as prominent sources of bioenergy through the conversion of palm biomass into products with high added value. Consequently, the diversity of palm biomasses has indicated encouraging potentiality for application in a large-scale biofuel production chain, such as mesocarp fibers, trunk, frond, and kernel feedstocks. Accordingly, this study described the main application of palm biomass for biodiesel production. Contextually, the chapter presented valuable information on the main technological strategies applied for biodiesel preparation, such as pyrolysis, transesterification, and enzymatic and supercritical techniques. Additionally, the study comprehended important natural sources widely explored as potential products for biodiesel synthesis, highlighting the current scientific research on oil palm biomass. Moreover, the main characteristics of these biomasses as an encouraging feedstock option for biodiesel preparation were provided. Finally, conclusions and relevant future perspectives on the advancement of the oil palm feedstocks for biodiesel preparation and production were determined.