KUALA LUMPUR: Palm-based B100 biodiesel has the potential to be a strategic alternative in strengthening the country’s energy security, especially in weathering the uncertainty of global fuel supply, said FGV Biotechnologies Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer, Roziyatulshima Zamil.
He said B100 biodiesel refers to fuel produced entirely from palm oil without any fossil fuel admixtures, unlike existing blends such as B7, B10 or B20.He explained that the percentage in the biodiesel blend indicates the mixture rate of biodiesel with conventional diesel, for example B10 refers to 10 percent biodiesel and 90 percent conventional diesel.
“Biodiesel is produced through the processing of crude palm oil through a chemical process known as transesterification to produce palm methyl ester that meets fuel specifications,” he said.
Roziyatulshima said this when she was a guest on Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara program titled Biodiesel B100, the Future Energy Alternative.
According to him, the development of biodiesel in Malaysia is supported by the National Biofuel Policy which was introduced since 2006 as well as the Biofuel Act 2007 with the aim of reducing dependence on imported fuel and stabilising palm oil prices.
He said the government’s announcement to increase the biodiesel blend to B15 was a positive step in strengthening the use of local energy resources without involving any additional costs following the crisis in West Asia.
In the context of energy security, Roziyatulshima said the country’s palm oil production, which reaches approximately 20 million tonnes per year, is capable of supporting domestic needs without affecting the supply of other sectors.
“Domestic consumption of food, oleochemicals and biodiesel is only around four million tonnes per year while the rest is exported, so there is no issue of supply shortage,” he said.
He also informed that the country’s biodiesel production capacity is estimated at around 2.65 million tonnes per year, sufficient to support a gradual increase in blends.
Commenting on the economic aspect, he said increasing the blend from B10 to B20 has the potential to save up to RM1.64 billion a year in terms of fuel subsidies, besides reducing the outflow of foreign currency.
Meanwhile, FGV has conducted pilot tests using the B100 using passenger vehicles without any modifications, involving travel of more than 50,000 kilometres over a period of 15 months.
“Test results show that engine performance remains stable and consistent without any major issues, thus proving the usability of the B100 in real conditions,” he said.
From a sustainability perspective, the use of B100 also contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 67 percent, in line with Malaysia’s commitment to the climate change agenda and the target of zero carbon emissions by 2050.
He said the implementation of B100 would be carried out in phases to ensure a balance between energy needs and food supply security, as well as avoiding disruption to the existing supply chain.
“This phased approach is important to allow for data collection and thorough evaluation before expanding to a larger scale,” he said.
— BERNAMA
