Utilization of date biomass waste and date seed as bio-fuels source

摘要

Date or date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a flowering plant species with edible sweet fruit. The date species widely grow in the tropical and subtropical territories in the worldwide. The date palm is one of the most cultivated palms around the world. The date fruits are composed of carbohydrates, dietary fibers, protein, lipids, some vitamins, and mineral matter. Carbohydrates (73-85% by weight) in date fruits can be converted to sugars by hydrolysis process, and the sugars are converted to bioethanol with anaerobic fermentation by the action of micro-organisms. The theoretical productivity of bioethanol was found as 261.5 kg per ton dates palm. The cost of sugar production from dates palm is less expensive than the cost of other sugar sources. The vegetable oil contents of different date seeds were obtained within the percentage range of 5-13. Biodiesel can be obtained from date seed oil. The pyrolytic products obtained from the seeds contain volatile materials, fixed carbon, moisture content, and ash content of 75-83%, 5-10%, 4-5%, and 8-10%, respectively.