Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Processing for Organic Fertilizer: Process Flow

 1. Raw Material Pre-treatment

The oil palm empty fruit bunches are crushed into small pieces of 3–5 cm to reduce fiber density.  Simultaneously, nitrogen-rich materials such as livestock manure and kitchen waste are mixed in at a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of 25:1–30:1. The moisture content of the mixture is then adjusted to 55%–60%, ideally to a consistency where it forms a ball when squeezed by hand but crumbles easily when dropped.

2. Composting and Fermentation

Equipment such as a double-helix composting turning machine can be used for fermentation. The mixed materials are piled into heaps 1.5–2 meters high and 2–3 meters wide. Aeration pipes can be installed or the piles can be turned regularly to maintain an aerobic environment. The pile temperature is monitored to ensure it reaches 55℃–65℃ and is maintained for 3–5 days to complete sterilization and egg killing. If the temperature exceeds 70℃, the piles should be turned to lower the temperature and prevent the inactivation of beneficial microorganisms. The entire fermentation cycle takes approximately 20–30 days, with 3–4 turnings during this period to promote uniform decomposition.

3. Post-processing

The fermented material is dark brown, loose, and odorless. At this stage, impurities can be removed by screening.  Depending on requirements, the material can then be fed into an organic fertilizer disc granulation produciotn line to produce granular organic fertilizer. Finally, it is dried, cooled, and packaged using a drum organic fertilizer dryer to obtain the finished organic fertilizer.