Design of a Technical Decision-Making Strategy to Collect Biomass Waste from the Palm Oil Industry as a Renewable Energy Source: Case Study in Colombia

This work presents an effective design of a strategy to manage biomass waste (empty fruit bunch—EFB, kernel shell, and fiber) available from the processing of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) in Colombia as a renewable energy source. This type of study is conducted for the first time in the country, and the proposed strategy is structured in four phases. Firstly, an inventory of available biomass waste was prepared based on information from 45 African palm oil companies of the approximately 70 that exist in the country. It was determined that the country had about 2762 kt of available waste (63.64% EFB, 12.55% kernel shell, and 23.81% fiber) for the year 2023. The estimates were conducted using a model that correlates processing capacity, the biomass generated, and the biomass demanded. The validation was performed using national reports. Subsequently, the minimum number (six) of storage centers in Colombia, where the largest amount of biomass can be stored, was determined. The center of gravity method was used to find the geographical location of each bulk storage center (municipality of Aracataca, Agustín Codazzi, San Martín, Puerto Wilches, Castilla La Nueva, and Cabuyaru). The next step was to determine the transportation costs as a decision criterion to select the best bulk storage center. When the required storage capacity does not exceed 211 kt·year−1, Agustín Codazzi is the best option because it has the lowest transportation cost (USD 1.01·t−1). When the storage capacity requirements exceed 211 kt·year−1 but are less than 423 kt·year−1, then Puerto Wilches and/or Aracataca are the best options (transportation cost of USD 1.7·t−1). In all cases, Cabuyaru has the highest costs (USD 6.56·t−1). Finally, an energy potential of 50,196 × 106 GJ·year−1 for the collected biomass was estimated, which makes this kind of waste an environmental alternative that could replace coal in Colombia.