**3.2 Chemical composition of oil palm fronds**

The chemical composition of biomass significantly varies due to their diverse origins and types. Biomass is generally composed of cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, and inert ash. Chemically, fronds strands are rich in holocelluloses (83.5%) and also high in α-cellulose (49.8%) [43]. The extractive oil palm oil fronds are about 4.5%, and the lignin content is about 20.5% [43]. This lignin content shows that it is lower than generally found in commonly hardwood, for eucalyptus of 22%. **Table 1** shows the chemical composition of oil palm fronds.

*Processing and Properties of Oil Palm Fronds Composite Boards from* Elaeis guineensis *DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98222*


**Table 1.**

*Chemical composition of oil palm fronds.*

This is not surprising since oil palm trees are non-woody, and the requirement for structural support is lower compared to woody trees. The functional significance of lignin has long been associated with strength support for plant organs that enables increased growth in height [44, 45]. Its lacking will no longer allow plants to be upright [46]. It should also be noted that the fronds strands, like other non-wood fibres, contain comparatively high ash content. This characteristic might contribute to abnormal strength wear of processing equipment. The monomer composition of polysaccharides shows only glucose, xylose, and other monosaccharides representing less than 6%. Thus, it is in broad similarity with that of hardwoods [47, 48].
