What do you know about Palm Oil?

Question

Anyone have any good references on the ecological effects of oil palm plantations?

Answer 1

There are two different oils:

palm oil is obtained from flesh of of palm fruit

palm kernel oil from the seeds.

Palm oil is the second-most widely produced edible vegetable oil after soybean oil.

Both are high in saturated fatty acids, palm oil mainly contains palmitic and oleic fatty acid,

palm kernel oil mainly lauric acid.

Palm oil contains

betacarotenes (present in higher amounts than in regular palm oil)

co-enzyme Q10 (ubiquinone)

squalene

Vitamin A

Vitamin E

Palm oil can be used to create biodiesel.

For more details see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oil

Ecilogical effects of increasing palm plantation:

Land and water contamination, loss of land and resources to local inhabitant and loss of biodiversity is some of the perceived environmental impacts brought about by the oil palm plantation cultivation and management.

Large quantities of fertilizer are required. This has a detrimental impact on the environment specifically soil and vegetation.

Pesticides & herbicide are extensively used for weed and pest suppression

Loss of biodiversity by clearing natural forests for palm plantation.

Infuence on environment by deforestation and ecosystem services.

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