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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Riverside, California » National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #375314
Research Project: Conservation, Management and Distribution of Citrus and Date Genetic Resources and Associated Information

Location: National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus

Title: Bioenergy value of seed waste from the Mexican date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) industry

Author
item GARCIA-GONZALEZ, CONRADO - Universidad Autonoma De Baja California
item SALOMÓN-TORRES, RICARDO - Universidad De Sonora
item MONTERO-ALPÍREZ, GISELA - Universidad Autonoma De Baja California
item VALDEZ-SALAS, BENJAMIN - Universidad Autonoma De Baja California
item CORONADO-ORTEGA, MARCOS ALBERTO - Universidad Autonoma De Baja California
item CURIEL-ALVAREZ, M - Universidad Autonoma De Baja California
item AYALA-BAUTISTA, J - Universidad Autonoma De Baja California
item Krueger, Robert
item PÉREZ-SÁNCHEZ, ARMANDO - Universidad Autonoma De Baja California
item TORRES-RAMOS, RICARDO - Universidad Autonoma De Baja California
item SAMANIEGO-SANDOVAL, L - Universidad De Sonora

Submitted to: Biotechnologie, Agronomie, Société et Envrionnement
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/9/2022
Publication Date: 12/2/2022
Citation: Garcia-Gonzalez, C., Salomón-Torres, R., Montero-Alpírez, G., Valdez-Salas, B., Coronado-Ortega, M., Curiel-Alvarez, M., Ayala-Bautista, J., Krueger, R., Pérez-Sánchez, A., Torres-Ramos, R., Samaniego-Sandoval, L. 2022. Bioenergy value of seed waste from the Mexican date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) industry. Biotechnologie, Agronomie, Société et Envrionnement. 26(4):241-251. https://doi.org/10.25518/1780-4507.20026.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25518/1780-4507.20026

Interpretive Summary: The Mexican date industry is increasing in size and production. Seeds of date have to this time been treated as waste in Mexico and disposed in landfills. This project investigated the energy value of raw date seed (RDS) and processed date seed (PDS) from which date seed oil had been extracted. RDS can be used as a natural biomass pellet for combustion . Energy can also be obtained from PDS by using the oil for biodiesel production and the solid fraction for combustion. RDS can produce slightly more energy, but the production of biodiesel from PDS may be desirable. Given the amount of seeds produced by the Mexican date industry, generation of energy from date seeds is substantial and may be a desirable way to dispose of date seeds in Mexico.

Technical Abstract: Date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seed waste, from the date industry in Mexico, is an attractive source of biomass for bioenergy, due to its renewability, availability, and not being otherwise usable. In the present work, the thermal energy recovery of raw date seed (RDS) and processed date seed (PDS), through oil extraction was calculated and determine the amount of biofuel that could potentially be used. The physicochemical composition and thermal behavior of RDS and PDS was determined to evaluate their usefulness for thermal energy production. Proximate and thermogravimetric analyses, Scanning Electron Microscope imaging, and different fuel properties such as Higher Heating Value (HHV), bulk, and energetic density and Fuel Value Index (FVI), were determined. Furthermore, the potential energy production from seed waste of the Mexican date industry was estimated. The RDS presented better HHV 19.33 MJ/kg and energetic density as positive aspects 14.42 MJ/m3, however, PDS has lower moisture 5.12% and ash content 5.89%. The FVI of PDS is more favorable than RDS, 363.81 and 208.43 respectively. The potential energy production from date seeds produced in Mexico in 2018 was calculated RDS 10.17 TJ, PDS 8.04 and Biodiesel 2.01TJ and with a tendency to increase every year.