Oil palm Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB) are waste products from oil extraction and are considered "secondary timber." Oil palms grow rapidly, have a short production cycle, and are renewable. With a single planting, benefits can be reaped annually, enabling sustainable utilization. They serve as an excellent alternative and supplement to wood pulp.

Malaysia is the country with the richest resources of this kind in the world, ranking first globally in terms of oil palm species, cultivated area, stock, and annual production. Alone, Malaysia produces 30 million tons of waste EFB annually. Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and other countries collectively generate an additional 50 million tons of such waste each year, much of which is burned or landfilled, emitting significant amounts of carbon dioxide.

Oil palm EFB contains 56% moisture, 2.8% residual oil, 17.7% lignin, 86.3% palm cellulose, 27.2% fines fiber, 9.3% hot water extractives, and 29.6% 1% sodium hydroxide extractives.

Utilizing oil palm EFB as a renewable resource enables circular utilization and low-carbon pulp production without discharging waste liquid or residue. EFB itself contains impurities such as oil, residual fruit pits, fruit shell fragments, mud, and hard black stalks. The current method involves directly shredding EFB, making it difficult to remove these impurities during pulp production. In practice, EFB can first be dry-screened to remove 85% of impurities with minimal energy consumption and without water, transforming EFB into a clean pulp "concentrate." Then, it can be pressed, torn, shredded, and dried in a disc dryer to reduce its moisture content to around 30% or less. Dried EFB can be used to produce biomass solid fuel, which can power boilers at a cost 70% lower than usual. The steam generated can be used to run the disc dryer. The combustion ash is rich in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and other nutrients, making it a high-quality organic fertilizer. All ash residue can be used as fertilizer in oil palm plantations, achieving cleaner waste utilization, extending the lifecycle of end and intermediate products, and realizing multi-level utilization of waste and waste derivatives.

Palm oil processing generates various types of waste, which can have an environmental impact. However, through scientific and reasonable treatment methods, these wastes can be converted into useful resources, continuously reducing environmental pollution. We must recognize the importance of environmental protection, adhere to green development, and contribute to future sustainable development.