Torrefaction of oil palm fronds (leaves and stems) were carried out in combustion gas of wood pellets at 473 K for 30 min. For comparison, torrefaction of the same samples were carried out in nitrogen gas. The solid products were characterized by elementary and proximate analyses and calorific value measurement. Combustion gas resulted in higher carbon content and higher calorific value than nitrogen gas for both the stems and leaves. This trend may be attributed to the oxidative effect of combustion gas since it contained several percent of oxygen. Meanwhile, leaves showed higher carbon content and calorific value than stems before and after torrefaction regardless of atmosphere during torrefaction.
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