• What We Do
• Steel Plants
  • Ironmaking
  • Steelmaking
• Waste to Energy
  • Waste to Energy Plants
  • Resource Recycling
  • Soil/Groundwater Remediation
• Energy Solutions
  • On-site Energy Service / Co-generation
  • Biomass Power Generation
  • Geothermal Steam Production Facility
  • Energy-Saving CO₂ Absorption Process (ESCAP™)
• Oil and Gas
  • Oil and Gas Exploration Facilities
  • Marine Engineering and Construction
• Building Construction and Steel Structures
  • Building Construction
  • High-Tech Steel Structures
  • Response Control and Seismic Isolation Devices
  • Bridge Products
• Pipelines
  • Onshore Pipelines
  • Water Works
  • Energy Plants
• Business Creation
  • Palm Trunk
  • Biomass-to-ethanol Conversion Equipment
  • Submarine Resources Development
  • Large-scale Open Water Aquaculture System
  • Modified Coal Manufacturing Technology for Electricity Generation

NIPPON STEEL ENGINEERING CO., LTD. manufactures biofuels such as pellets and ethanol from the trunks of old oil palm trees, a previously untapped resource. We do this through a process built around our custom-developed sap extractor.

Oil palm is grown primarily in Malaysia and Indonesia, and is used to produce palm oil—the most heavily utilized vegetable oil in the world. The trunks of old oil palm trees are systematically felled approximately 25 years after planting, resulting in over 30 million tons of waste wood annually. However, due to their high moisture content and fragile composition, the reality is that the vast majority of these felled trunks are left to decompose within the plantation site. NIPPON STEEL ENGINEERING CO., LTD. has focused attention on developing technology to manufacture biofuels such as pellets and ethanol from these oil palm trunks. This technology features the following characteristics: (1) We are able to reduce moisture content by up to approximately 30% using our custom-developed sap extractor. As a result, drying costs are substantially reduced; (2) Pellets of stable quality with over 4,000 kcal/kg are manufactured; (3) Biofuels such as ethanol can be produced from liquid obtained during the sap extraction process. We are contributing to conservation of the local environment and reduction of greenhouse gases through this technology.