Technoeconomic evaluation of protein-rich animal feed and ethanol production from palm kernel cake

Indonesia and Malaysia are net importers of animal feed products to meet the demand of their domestic livestock industries. These countries are also the largest producers and exporters of palm kernel cake (PKC), an animal feed waste by-product from the palm industry that is used primarily as a ruminant feed. Prior work demonstrated that the bioethanol process can convert the gluco-mannan fiber in PKC into ethanol and a high-protein animal feed. We used Microsoft Excel to develop a bioethanol process model for PKC by adapting the well developed corn ethanol process used in the USA. The PKC biorefinery model, using PKC's composition and specialized enzymes to produce fermentable glucose and mannose, projects that 1 kg of PKC can produce 0.58 kg of high-protein animal feed and 0.20 kg of ethanol, with some residual palm kernel oil. The model estimated an increase in crude protein content from 17% in the PKC to 27% in the high-protein animal feed. A comprehensive technoeconomic assessment using the results of the process model indicates that a PKC bioethanol factory converting 100 000 Mg year(-1) of PKC would cost USD 55 million and generate a 23% project internal rate of return (IRR). (c) 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Automated summary

Indonesia and Malaysia are net importers of animal feed products and also the largest producers and exporters of palm kernel cake (PKC). Research shows that the bioethanol process can convert the gluco-mannan fiber in PKC into ethanol and high-protein animal feed. According to the model, 1 kg of PKC can produce 0.58 kg of high-protein animal feed and 0.20 kg of ethanol.