Page 114 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

100 K. T. Lee and C. Ofori-Boateng

PLANNING

NURSERY
Seeds Fertilizer
ESTABLISHMENT

Diesel SITE PREPARATION Wastes and emissions

Seedlings
Fertilizer
Pesticides FIELD ESTABLISHMENT Emissions
Water AND MAINTENANCE Wastes
Diesel
Labour
HARVESTING AND
HANDLING Wastes

OIL
FFB Transportation PALM
MILL

Fig. 2 Process flow diagram for oil palm cultivation

sterilization (the first stage of milling), FFB must be transported as soon as pos-
sible after harvesting and the distance from plantation to milling site must be close.
Most oil mills are located near the plantation site to minimize the transportation
distance and cost.

2.1.1 Environmental Interactions and Emissions from Palm Plantation
The cultivation and pretreatment of 1 tonne FFB emit approximately 285 kg of
CO 2 eq. (Stichnothe and Schuchardt 2011). Oil palm cultivation has been reported
as a major cause of substantial and irreversible damage to the natural environment
(Schmidt 2007). Global warming potential (GWP) and eutrophication potential can
be reduced by treating the palm oil mill effluents or co-composting the residues. In
2008, not less than 44 million tonnes of POME were generated in Malaysia which
were and are still dumped in ponds releasing 5.5–9.0 kg of methane into the
atmosphere for every tonne of FFB produced (Reijnders and Huijbregts 2008;Wu
et al. 2010; Yacob et al. 2005).
Fertilizers applied to oil palm trees may be lost through volatilization and
transformation to nitrous oxide (N 2 O). Fertilizers may also contribute to nitrate
and phosphate leakages to groundwater, hence causing water pollution. Paraquat
(gramoxone) which is sprayed on the oil palm trees to kill herbs and weeds may