Industrial Application and Global Trends in Palm Oil Biomass Valorization: A Review of Policies, Standards, and Market Opportunities

This research is motivated by the increasing global production of oil palm, which generates a large amount of biomass waste with both economic potential and environmental risks. The study aims to map industrial applications, regulatory frameworks, market opportunities, and sustainability implications of palm biomass valorization. The method used is a PRISMA-based Systematic Literature Review of 30 Scopus-indexed articles from the period 2019–2025. The results show that biomass utilization is dominated by bioenergy and biofuels, while bioplastics and biochemicals are emerging sectors with high scalability potential. Compliance with standards such as ISPO, MSPO, and RSPO has been proven to enhance market access and efficiency. Additionally, the integration of a circular economy can reduce emissions and improve resource efficiency. The implication is that policy harmonization, strengthening of standards, and the development of integrated biorefineries are needed to support sustainable palm oil industry governance.