Advantages &

Disadvantages
Advantages
Low biological solids yield

No use of fossil fuels for treatment saving about 1 kWh/kg

COD

Tolerant of heavy loadings

Very little (if non) use of chemicals

Due to low cell yield low amounts of nitrogen and

macronutrients
Disadvantages
Methanogenic archaea are slow growing microbes

Can produce odors

pH must be controlled along with monitoring of volatile fatty acids

Does not do well with dilute wastes

Does not remove ammonia-nitrogen

Temperature must be maintained year round in target zone - for

most mesophilic digesters it is 35 - 40oC.
Applications in Malaysia
POME treatment
Direct discharge of POME into the environment is not
encouraged due to the high values of COD and BOD

Anaerobic digestion has been employed by most palm oil

mills as their primary treatment of POME

More than 85% of palm oil mills in Malaysia have adopted

the ponding system for POME treatment

High-rate anaerobic bioreactors have also been applied in

laboratory-scaled POME treatment

Kim Loong Power Sdn. Bhd. and United Plantations Bhd.

Paper mills
Waste water from paper mills contain high amount of
COD

COD reduction reaches more than 80%

It helps reduces time spent in aeration basins for 90%

cleaning rate
References
"Anaerobic Waste Water Treatment Process Vocless
Pulping Waste Waters".Voclesspulping.com. N.p., 2017.
Web. 1 May 2017.
Raskin, Lutgarde. "Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors For
Sustainable Wastewater Treatment".Water Intelligence
Online11 (2012): n. pag. Web.
Poh, P.E., and M.F. Chong. "Development Of Anaerobic
Digestion Methods For Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)
Treatment".Bioresource Technology100.1 (2009): 1-9.
Web.