Zero-Waste Mills: Meeting Sustainability Challenges 

It is critical that the palm oil business incorporate sustainability into its operations as one of the most important industrial sectors, particularly in the Indonesian economy. Musim Mas has a vertically integrated production process, and we are constantly looking for new ways to responsibly supply global demand for palm oil. We successfully operate 100% zero-waste mills at our 15 mills with plantations by effectively reusing, recovering, and recycling all resources throughout production.

Zero-Waste Mills – By-Products of the Production of Palm Oil

At our palm oil factories, we adhere to the “Zero Waste” principle. This implies that waste products are recycled back into the process, transformed into a harmless substance that can be used again, or transformed into a substance used somewhere else. It’s important for us to comprehend what this implies and why it can be challenging to achieve at times. 
 
Four main by-products are created during the crushing and processing of palm fruits to create crude palm oil and palm kernel oil: 
 
• Container solids 
• emptied fruit bunches, fibres, and shells Boiler ash 
• MEthane and POME

Methane is one of these that can be particularly problematic in terms of sustainability. Methane has an 80 times greater 20-year warming potential compared to carbon dioxide. 
 
At Musim Mas, reducing methane emissions has been a key component of our plan to uphold our dedication to environmentally friendly palm oil production. However, we go above and above by recycling and reusing the other by-products, making our mills completely waste-free.

What We Do: Mills that Produce Exactly No Waste

We have researched developments pertaining to solid, liquid, and gaseous waste at our mills during the past ten years. Let’s investigate further how our mills recycle waste from the production of palm oil.

Solid waste: Boiler ash and Decanter Solids

We are left with empty fruit bunches, kernel shells, and fibre after crushing fresh fruit bunches. These are conveniently usable as fuel for the mills’ power and heating systems. 
 
Decanter solids and boiler ash, which are leftovers from the decanter process, are other types of solid waste at our mills. 
 
Boiler ash is a more challenging waste to handle. Musim Mas has been able to apply the boiler ash back to the soil after years of research and process execution.

Reasons to Use Zero-Waste Mills

It is impossible to overstate the advantages of our zero-waste mills. We’re pleased to say that in 2019, we produced 745,009 MT of palm kernel fibre and shells, which resulted in the production of more than 5 million gigajoules of energy. Musim Mas prevented the discharge of more than 0.5 million MT of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2020 by trapping methane. 
 
Our sustainability policy’s fundamental tenet is the pursuit of Zero-Waste Mills. Musim Mas is pleased to announce important accomplishments and mills with completely waste-free plantations. Along with our vertically integrated production, we aspire to continue to be a leader in the sustainable production of palm oil and its myriad derivatives.