Palm kernel expeller (PKE)

The inner palm kernel is where the Palm Kernel Expeller comes from. The inner nut, the kernel, is sent to the expeller factories where it is expelled twice to produce a  higher quality oil, palmolein. The kernels are centrifugally cracked in a drum machine  and milled. The residue left after oil extraction from palm kernels is Palm Kernel Expeller (PKE). Palm Kernal Expeller is a good animal feed.It can also be used as a biofuel in certain cases.

Palm Kernel Expeller  is a  brown powder, mostly with  1-5 mm size of the particles.

Moisture of the product is  on the level of 9-10%. Ash content is  3,7-4%. Chlorine is  0,15%. Sulphur 0,28% . Net calorific value is 16,8-17 GJ per mt.

PKE is a good biomass: ash is rather low, it does not have strong smell, net calorific value is  rather high. Big quantities of Palm Kernel Expeller has been  sold  to UK power stations where it was  used mostly for co firing with coal. Being an animal feed PKE may be too expensive as a biofuel. Also the use  of animal feed product as a biofuel is questionable, because it can be regarded as contradictory with global food programs.