1.

6 PALM OIL MILL

EFFLUENT (POME)
CHAPTER 1
 Introduction

• The palm oil industry has been expanding rapidly in the last
three decades in Malaysia, with the planted area increasing by
more than 11 fold from 291,000 ha in 1970 to 3,313,000 ha in
1999.
• Concomitantly, the number of palm oil mills has also grown
from 122 in 1977 to 334 in 1999, having a total processing
capacity of 69 million tonnes fresh fruit bunches (FFB) per
year.
• Currently, Malaysia produces about 57 million tonnes of FFB
annually, from which 10.6 million tonnes of crude palm oil and
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 Introduction…
• 1.3 million tonnes of palm kernel oil are extracted.
• In 1999, Malaysia exported 8.9 million tonnes of palm oil, and is
currently ranked as the largest producer of palm oil in the world,
accounting for 52% of the total world production.
• These figures put into perspective the importance of the palm oil
industry in the overall industrial development of Malaysia

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 Introduction…

• The process to extract oil from the FFB requires voluminous

amount of water, mainly for sterilizing the fruits and for oil
clarification, resulting in the discharge of about 2.5 m3 of
effluent per tonne of crude oil processed.
• Thus in 1999, a total of about 26.5 million m3 of effluent was
generated from the Malaysian palm oil industry.
• Fresh palm oil mill effluent, or POME as it is popularly known,
is an acidic brownish colloidal suspension characterized by high
contents of organics and solids, and is discharged at a
temperature of 80-90°C (Table 1).
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 FFB

STERILISATION Steriliser Condensate

STRIPPING
Empty Bunches

DIGESTION

Fibre

PRESSING

Nuts

CLARIFICATION

Sludge Palm Oil NUT

CRACKING

Oil
Recycle CENTRIFUGATION PURIFICATION SHELL/KERNEL
SEPARATION WASTEWATER

DRYING

KERNEL SHELL
Oil WASTEWATER

STORAGE
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 Introduction…

• It has been estimated that POME contributes to about 30% of

the total biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) load exerted on
the Malaysian aquatic environment .
• As one of the major sources of pollution, POME was among
the first waste types to be singled out for statutory control.
• Table (1) also shows the regulatory discharge standards
currently in force

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 Collection pond/tank

• This area basically to collect any oil escaped from process area
and collect and put at one side as oil low quality. Most of this
tank were build using concrete and open loop steam piping for
heating purpose. The oil was skimmed due to density
difference.

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 Ponding system
• The raw effluent is treated using a ponding system comprising of
three phases:
• anaerobic,
• facultative,
• algae processes.

• Although the system takes a longer retention time of 90 days, it is:

• less sensitive to environment changes,
• Stable, Efficient
• could guarantee excellent pollutant biodegradation efficiency of
above 95%. 9
 Anaerobic pond

• This pond basically by practices consists in series of two to four

ponds depends on mill effluent flowrate.
• Anaerobic process involves breakdown of almost kinds of
organic matters by rigorous action of wide range of
microorganism such as methano-bacteriales, methano-
breivibacter and others in the absence of oxygen or any high
oxidation chemicals.

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 Anaerobic pond….

• This process can be classified into three stages:

• Hydrolysis: protein, carbohydrates or lipids converted into
amino acid, sugar or fatty acid by action of extra cellular
from hydrolytic microorganisms
• Acidogenesis: Hydrolysed products form in 1st stage are
fermented, forming simpler organics compound,
preodiminantly volatile fatty acids(VFA)
• Methanogenisis. VFA converted into methane and CO2
during this process.

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 Advantages of Anaerobic Digestion
System
• The two phase system allows greater control of digester
environmental conditions.
• Long solid retention times allow better biodegradation
efficiencies.
• Additional settling of liquor ensures minimum loading to the
aerobic process.
• There is capability to cope with full effluent load, regardless of
fluctuation.

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 Disadvantages
of Anaerobic Pond
• Long hydraulic retention time of 45–60 days
• Solids accumulation that disactivate the activated sludge
• Large land requirement

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 Aerobic Pond

• The principle of aerobic process for POME is that in pond a

community by microorganism is constantly supplied with
organic matter(pollutants)and oxygen.
• The microorganism consume the matter and transforms by
means of aerobic metabolism, partly new microbial biomass
and partly into CO2, waters and minerals

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 Aerobic pond…

• The flow of the feedwater brings about constant, wash out of

microorganism from the 1st pond to the settler.
• Here, the microorganisms which grow in flocs and have
acquired a density to decant, are retained and then removed
with the underflow.
• Part of this sludge is the recycled to provide biomass to treat
the new influent. The surplus amount is discarded.

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19
 POME Sludge Management

• Composting Technology:
Using microbial such as aerobic microorganism decompose the
substrate(sludge) broken down compounds to gas methane, humic
acid and etc
• VermicompistingTechnology
Composting using earthworm to convert organic materials to
humus like material known as vermicompost.

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Zero Discharge Treatment Technology

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Biogas Treatment Plant

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