RICHI MACHINERY EFB Pellet Production Line Commissioned in Malaysia

RICHI MACHINERY has successfully commissioned a 5-ton-per-hour Empty Fruit Bunch EFB pellet production line in Johor, Malaysia, transforming palm oil mill residues into renewable energy pellets for industrial users.

Market Background

Malaysia's palm oil industry generates more than 20 million tons of empty fruit bunches annually—the fibrous residue left after fruit bunches are stripped for processing. Traditionally, EFB has been returned to plantations as mulch or left to decompose in piles, where it releases methane and occupies land that could otherwise be productive.

Pelletizing converts this material into uniform fuel with calorific value suitable for co-firing in coal plants or dedicated biomass combustion. For palm oil mills, it transforms a disposal cost into a revenue stream while addressing sustainability requirements from downstream buyers.

Raw Material Characteristics

EFB differs from wood and other agricultural residues in several ways. It arrives from the mill with moisture content often exceeding 65 percent—far above levels suitable for combustion or pelletizing. The fibers are long, tough, and resistant to size reduction. And the material contains residual oil that can affect handling and combustion characteristics.

These factors drive the process design: aggressive drying to remove moisture, heavy-duty size reduction to handle fibrous structure, and pellet mill configurations that tolerate the material's unique properties.

Line Design and Technical Features

The EFB pellet line includes:

• Pre-chopping system with specialized knives for fiber cutting
• Hammer mill for consistent particle size
• Rotary dryer sized for high moisture load with thermal efficiency optimized for palm oil mill waste heat
• MZLH series pellet mill with wear-resistant components and increased roller pressure
• Counterflow cooler for pellet stabilization
• Screening system for fines removal
• Automatic bagging and palletizing for finished product

Die compression ratios and moisture targets are optimized to produce pellets with density above 600 kg per cubic meter and moisture below 10 percent—specifications required for transport stability and combustion performance.

Installation and Commissioning

Mechanical assembly was completed in December 2025 at the customer's site in Johor. Electrical integration and automation programming continued through January, with trial production commencing in February.

Initial runs confirmed stable output at 5 tons per hour across a range of EFB feedstock conditions—from freshly processed material to dried stockpiles. Pellet durability exceeded 95 percent, meeting the customer's requirements for export shipments.

Environmental and Economic Impact

The biomass pellet project addresses two parallel objectives: waste reduction through diversion of EFB from uncontrolled decomposition, and renewable energy generation through substitution of fossil fuels. For the palm oil industry, which faces export market pressure to demonstrate sustainability credentials, such projects contribute to certification requirements and stakeholder acceptance.

For the customer, the line creates a new business line from existing waste streams, diversifying revenue beyond crude palm oil and kernel products.