Elemental and crystallinity determination of Torrefied oil palm empty fruit bunch biochar

In this study, oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) that considered as one of oil palm mill waste was utilized by performing torrefaction process into torrefied OPEFB biochar. Response surface methodology (RSM) coupled with Box-Behnken model was applied to optimized torrefied OPEFB biochar with three different parameters that is the particle size(µm), holding temperature(°C) and residence time(min) with the energy content (MJ/kg) as the response. The optimum conditions for the maximum energy content in torrefied OPEFB biochar was at 500µm particle size, 300°C holding temperature at 90min of torrefaction by yielding 19.1211MJ/kg of energy content. Then the experiment validity were verified by conducting an experiment of suggested optimum condition with parameters of particle size 750µm, 297.09°C holding temperature and 88.6min of residence time the response of calorific value in torrefied OPEFB biochar was 19.1657 MJ/kg with only 4.08% of deviation where the experiment is valid. Physical appearance and proximate analysis were conducted to support the characterization of torrefied OPEFB biochar by CHNS analyser and XRD.