In Malaysia, wood pellet producer Rainbow Pellet Sdn Bhd has successfully started up the world’s first commercial-scale Steam-Ex pellet plant for empty fruit bunches (EFBs) at its site in Kuala Lipis. Using technology supplied by Austrian technology major Andritz AG (ANDRITZ), this achievement marks a major milestone in the industrial-scale processing of low-value oil palm residues into high-quality advanced solid biofuels with coal-like properties.
Rainbow Pellet is a Malaysian company focused on biomass pellet production and forest plantations, and is committed to advancing innovative processing technologies that enable sustainable and efficient resource utilization.
Empty fruit bunches (EFBs) are a residual biomass stream with significant energy potential.
Their conversion into advanced solid biofuels suitable for direct coal replacement opens a new pathway for converting abundant agricultural residues into commercially viable renewable fuels, creating value from a resource that would otherwise be underutilized or used in lower-value applications.
The Steam-Ex line features ANDRITZ pretreatment equipment utilizing steam explosion technology. ANDRITZ also supplied automation and provided integration and start-up services to support reliable and efficient operation.
This first-of-its-kind Steam-Ex pellet line represents a decisive step for our company and for the commercial-scale utilization of empty fruit bunches. ANDRITZ’s support was essential in bringing this innovative concept into operation and laying the foundation for future expansion of this technology, said Paul Wong, Executive Director at Rainbow Pellet.
The technology is designed to process challenging biomass feedstocks and support the production of high-quality pellets for industrial energy applications.
This milestone highlights the potential of Steam-Ex technology to unlock the value of underutilized biomass residues and provides a solid foundation for future investments, commented Maximilian Lehr, Technology Manager at ANDRITZ.
With a clear emphasis on industrial-scale solutions, Rainbow Pellet aims to play a leading role in the regional bioenergy and bio-based materials market.
