Production of Xylitol from Oil Palm Empty Friuts Bunch: A Case Study on Bioefinery Concept

The concept of biorefinery offers the utilization of biomass, in particular agricultural waste, to be converted into energy, chemicals, materials, and food. In 2013 Indonesia produced about 27.4 thousand tons of crude palm oil (CPO) which corresponds to approximately 30 thousand tons of oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB), the biomass waste from palm oil industries. The huge availability of EFB in Indonesia may serve as a good starting point to implement the concept of biorefinery. EFB mainly comprises of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The cellulosic components of EFB have been thoroughly studied, i.e. for the production of bioethanol. The hemicellulosic component of EFB, which is a polymeric substance that comprises mainly of xylose, has been barely explored. This paper reviewed the potential utilization of hemicellulosic component of EFB to be converted to xylitol, the 5-carbon-sugar-alcohol which is low calorie, low Glycemic Index, and anti-cariogenic. The pretreatment and hydrolysis of EFB and the following fermentation of EFB hydrolysate to xylitol will be discussed further