A palm with multiple uses and high productive potential
Known by several names in Latin America, the Acrocomia palm is a plant providing multiple uses for humans and known for its robustness, resistance to diseases and its adaptability to many natural conditions. Furthermore, it is highly resistant to fire and can withstand grazing and other agronomical activities.For these reasons and its superior yield potential, Acrocomia has been identified as a very promising raw material for solid and liquid biofuels.
Unlike other species that are currently investigated for energy purposes, Acrocomia is traditionally used on a local level in multiple ways (fruits for food, feed and fuel, leaves for feed, wood as construction material, etc.).
Domestic use
Acrocomia has always been seen, in the regions where it exists naturally, as a useful palm, being that its parts are utilized in many different ways according to each region. It has been particularly used as a source of food and animal feed, traditionally in rural areas.
This is already enough to justify its domestication and exploitation.
Industrial use
The most useful part of the plant is its fruits. Given its singular composition, it lends itself to different industrial sub products, without generating any unusable residue.
Fruit composition
Hint: The nomenclature is adopted from the ISTA (International Seed Testing Agency), although it differs in South America.
The Acrocomia fruits have been processed in Paraguay for decades. Thanks to this, significant local experience exists. The following table lists the current and potential use:
| Product | Current and potential uses |
| Pericarp or Shell | Fuel for ovens and boilers, biological fertilizer |
| Oil of Mesocarp (Pulpoil) | Soap, chemical industries. biodiesel |
| Mesocarp/Pulp pellets | Feed |
| Exocarp (Kernel shell) | Fuels for ovens and boilers, high heating power coal, raw material for active coal |
| Seedoil (Kernel oil) | Fine soaps, cosmetical and chemical industries, food, biodiesel |
| Endocarp pellets | Feed |
Potential Yield
Acrocomia fruits , similar to the oil-palm (Elaeis guineensis) contain two types of oils, kernel oil in the kernel and pulp oil in the fiber of the shell. Hence it is not surprising that the oil yield is significantly higher compared to other oil crops cultivated in the subtropics.
Several studies show that in well-managed plantations, oil yields are between 2 and 5 t/ha and more is possible. The maximum productivity of the species is still to be discovered. Based on conservative estimates, for Acrocomia, the graphic on the right compares the productivity and obtained sub products of Acrocomia with other oil crops (to expand the image click on it).
Energy yield
Comparing the raw energy per hectare of the same crops with Acrocomia, (besides the produced oils), highlights the possible exploitation of the kernel shell or exocarp, based on its carbon content, for fuel, charcoal or active carbon.(click on the image to expand it).
The thermal (and electrical) energy demand for the processing of Acrocomia fruits can be completely covered just by the outer shell, i.e. no additional (fossil) energy is required for processing. There are also additional commercially viable sub products resulting from this process.