Palm kernel shells (PKS) is a biomass fuel that is increasingly being co-fired by several European power producers and cement producers.
PKS is a waste by-product of the palm oil industry; it is relevant abundant, it is classified as renewable waste-material, they are easy to ship, don't need to be densified and can be readily co-fired with coal in grate fired -and fluidized bed boilers as well as cement kilns in order to diversify your fuel mix.
Co-firing renewable biomass yields added value for power producers, because the fuel significantly reduces carbon emissions - this added value can be expressed in many forms: green electricity certificates, carbon credits, etc.
But, palm kernel shells are no longer merely interesting for its capacity to reduce carbon emissions, PKS has become a feasible alternative to coal on purely commercial grounds.
The demand for palm kernel shells (PKS) has gradually been growing the last several years, mainly stemming from Southeast Asia and increasingly from Europe for alternative and renewable power generating.