The oil palm - a very environmental friendly crop

摘要

The impact of oil palm cultivation and palm oil extraction on the environment is reviewed. Soil C content in plantations increases with time, and the palm trees are C sinks. Compared with other major oil seed crops, such as soyabeans, sunflowers andrape, oil palm is the least demanding on fossil energy and the need for chemical inputs. Processing palm oil requires less fuel energy than with other crops, and on solvents are not needed for oil extraction. Palm oil processing also produces less pollutants. It is suggested that oil palm cultivation and palm oil processing are environmentally friendly practices.