Methane gas production from palm oil wastewater—An anaerobic methanogenic degradation process in continuous stirrer suspended closed anaerobic reactor

Recent Developments in Biological Processing Technology for Palm Oil Mill Effluent Treatment-A Review

Simple Summary

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) requires treatment prior to discharge to the environment. Biological processing technology is highly preferable due to its advantages of environmentally friendliness, cost effectiveness, and practicality. These methods utilized various designs and modifications of bioreactors fostering effective fermentation technology in the presence of fungi, bacteria, microalgae, and a consortium of microorganisms. This review highlights the recent biological processing technology for POME treatment as a resource utilization.

Abstract

POME is the most voluminous waste generated from palm oil milling activities. The discharge of POME into the environment without any treatment processing could inflict an undesirable hazard to humans and the environment due to its high amount of toxins, organic, and inorganic materials. The treatment of POME prior to discharge into the environment is utmost required to protect the liability for human health and the environment. Biological treatments are preferable due to eco-friendly attributes that are technically and economically feasible. The goal of this review article is to highlight the current state of development in the biological processing technologies for POME treatment. These biological processing technologies are conducted in the presence of fungi, bacteria, microalgae, and a consortium of microorganisms. Numerous microbes are listed to identify the most efficient strain by monitoring the BOD, COD, working volume of the reactor, and treatment time. The most effective processing technology for POME treatment uses an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor with the COD value of 99%, hydraulic retention time of 7.2 days, and a working volume of 4.7 litres. Biological processing technologies are mooted as an efficient and sustainable management practice of POME waste.

Optimization of operating parameters of novel composite adsorbent for organic pollutants removal from POME using response surface methodology

The present work aimed to develop a novel composite material made up of activated cow bone powder (CBP) as a starting material for reducing chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia-nitrogen (NH₃N) from palm oil mill effluent (POME). The optimization of the reduction efficiency was investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). Six independent variables used in the optimization experiments include pH (4-10), speed (0.27-9.66 rcf), contact time (2-24 h), particle size (1-4.35 mm), dilution factor (100-500) and adsorbent dosage (65-125 g/L). The chemical functional groups were determined using Fourier transform irradiation (FTIR). The elemental composition were detected using SEM-EDX, while thermal decomposition was investigated using thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) in order to determine the effects of carbonization temperature on the adsorbent. The results revealed that the optimal reduction of COD and NH₃N from raw POME was observed at pH 10, 50 rpm, within 2 h and 3 mm of particle size as well as at dilution factor of 500 and 125 g L^-1 of adsorbent dosage, the observed and predicted reduction were 89.60 vs. 85.01 and 75.61 vs. 74.04%, respectively for COD and NH₃N. The main functional groups in the adsorbent were OH, NH, CO, CC, COC, COH, and CH. The SEM-EDX analysis revealed that the CBP-composite has a smooth surface with high contents of carbon. The activated CBP has very stable temperature profile with no significant weight loss (9.85%). In conclusion, the CBP-composite investigated here has characteristics high potential for the remediation of COD and NH₃N from raw POME.

Start-Up Operation and Hydraulic Retention Time Selectivity for Palm Oil Mill Wastewater at Mesophilic Temperature in Anaerobic Suspended Growth Closed Bioreactor

The start-up operation and hydraulic retention time (HRT) selectivity of anaerobic degradation for palm oil mill effluent (POME) wastewater was carried out in an anaerobic bioreactor. HRT between 35 and 5 days were investigated. The start-up process for the anaerobic degradation of POME wastewater was found to be completed after 40 days of operation. This study also recommended that the anaerobic degradation of POME wastewater should be operated at the HRT between 35 and 10 days without acid risk. The performance of anaerobic bioreactor could reach 90.55% - 87.55% chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction, 0.06 - 0.40 ratio between volatile fatty acid (VFA) and alkalinity (Alk), -368.2 mV to-445.80 mV of oxygen reduction potential (ORP) and 9.08 - 37.2 liters of biogas production, respectively.

Suspended growth kinetic analysis on biogas generation from newly isolated anaerobic bacterial communities for palm oil mill effluent at mesophilic temperature

The anaerobic degradation of palm oil mill effluent (POME) was carried out under mesophilic temperature in an anaerobic suspended growth closed bioreactor (ASGCB).