AEROBIC TREATMENT OF PALM OIL MILL EFFLUENT

Palm Oil processing gives rise to highly pollting !aste"!ater# $no!n as Palm Oil Mill E%%lent
&POME'# !hich is o%ten (iscar(e( in (isposal pon(s# reslting in the leaching o% contaminants
that pollte the gron(!ater an( soil# an( in the release o% methane gas into the atmosphere)
POME is an oily !aste!ater generate( *y palm oil processing mills an( consists o% varios
sspen(e( components) It is com*ine( !ith the !astes %rom sterili+er con(ensate an( cooling
!ater)
POME has a very high Biochemical O,ygen -eman( &BO-' an( Chemical O,ygen -eman(
&CO-'# !hich is .// times more than the mnicipal se!age) POME is a non"to,ic !aste# as no
chemical is a((e( (ring the oil e,traction process# *t !ill pose environmental isses (e to
large o,ygen (epleting capa*ility in a0atic system (e to organic an( ntrient contents) The
high organic matter is (e to the presence o% (i%%erent sgars sch as ara*inose# ,ylose# glcose#
galactose an( mannose) The sspen(e( soli(s in the POME are mainly oil"*earing celllosic
materials %rom the %rits) 1ince the POME is non"to,ic as no chemical is a((e( in the oil
e,traction process# it is a goo( sorce o% ntrients %or microorganisms)
There is an rgent nee( to %in( a compromising !ay that !ill ena*le the *alance *et!een the
environmental protection an( sstaina*le rese o% the ntrient sorces %on( in the POME) The
crrent treatment system# !hich is *ase( mainly on *iological treatments o% anaero*ic an(
aero*ic systems# is 0ite ine%%icient an( this n%ortnately lea(s to the environmental polltion
isses)
One o% the treatments that can *e se( to treat POME is the aero*ic treatment) It is a process
!here POME !as investigate( sing aero*ic o,i(ation *ase( on an activate( sl(ge process)
POME treatment reslte( in removal e%%iciencies o% 23)24 tr*i(ity# 564 CO- an( 3.4 BO-)
The pretreate( e%%lent# !hen s*7ecte( to a mem*rane separation techni0e *ase( on ltra"
%iltration an( reverse osmosis# reslte( in the %ollo!ing removal e%%iciencies8 tr*i(ity .//4#
CO- 29)94 an( BO- 22):4)
To(ay 954 o% POME treatment is *ase( on an anaero*ic an( %acltative pon(ing system# !hich
is %ollo!e( *y another system consisting o% an open tan$ (igester cople( !ith e,ten(e( aeration
in a pon() -e to glo*al !arming# these open types o% (igesters are crrently *eing converte(
into close( (igesters) 1ince methane is a greenhose gas# its release into the environment is
crtaile( an( the %el vale o% the methane is e,tracte( *y sing it as an a,iliary %el in the
*oilers o% palm oil mill)
Biological treatment o% green olive (e*ittering !aste!ater !as investigate( sing aero*ic an(
anaero*ic systems *ase( on com*ine( an( separate reactors) The reslts sho!e( that aero*ic
treatment !as %on( to *e more e%%icient than the anaero*ic# !hereas com*ine( anaero*ic;
aero*ic treatment less aero*ic sl(ge) 1l(ge *l$ing in activate( sl(ge processes reslts (e to
ntrient (e%iciency# especially nitrogen) The o,ygen trans%er rate in an activate( sl(ge process
also (epen(s on the soli(s content) The %ine ***le metho( o% (i%%se( aeration !as %on( to *e
economically e%%ective !ith respect to po!er (ensity an( speci%ic air)
Material an( Metho(s
Reactor set"p
The schematic (iagram o% the activate( sl(ge reactor is sho!n Fig .) The activate( sl(ge
reactor ha( a rectanglar shape !ith the %ollo!ing (imensions8 65/mm length , ://mm !i(th ,
<5/mm li0i( (epth) The aeration !as carrie( ot sing a (i%%se( aeration system)
=)=) 1ample preservation
The POME !as preserve( at a temperatre less than : .C# *t a*ove the %ree+ing point in or(er
to prevent the !aste!ater %rom n(ergoing *io(egra(ation (e to micro*ial action)
The activate( sl(ge process is !i(ely se( *y large cities an( commnities !here large
volmes o% !aste!ater mst *e highly treate( economically) Activate( sl(ge process plants are
goo( choices too %or isolate( %acilities# sch as hospitals or hotels# clster sitations#
s*(ivisions# an( small commnities)
The process
A *asic activate( sl(ge process consists o% several interrelate( components8
> An aeration tan$ !here the *iological reactions occr
> An aeration sorce that provi(es o,ygen an( mi,ing
> A tan$# $no!n as the clari%ier# !here the soli(s settle an( are separate( %rom treate( !aste!ater
> A means o% collecting the soli(s either to retrn them to the aeration tan$# &retrn activate(
sl(ge ?RA1@'# or to remove them %rom the process &!aste activate( sl(ge ?AA1@')
Aero*ic *acteria thrive as they travel throgh the aeration tan$) They mltiply rapi(ly !ith
s%%icient %oo( an( o,ygen) By the time the !aste reaches the en( o% the tan$ &*et!een %or to
eight hors'# the *acteria has se( most o% the organic matter to pro(ce ne! cells) The
organisms settle to the *ottom o% the clari%ier tan$# separating %rom the clearer !ater) This sl(ge
is pmpe( *ac$ to the aeration tan$ !here it is mi,e( !ith the incoming !aste!ater or remove(
%rom the system as e,cess# a process calle( !asting) The relatively clear li0i( a*ove the sl(ge#
the spernatant# is sent on %or %rther treatment as re0ire()
Sludge characteristics
By analy+ing the (i%%erent characteristics o% the activate( sl(ge or the sl(ge 0ality# plant
operators are a*le to monitor ho! e%%ective the treatment plantBs process is) E%%icient operation is
ensre( *y $eeping accrate# p"to"(ate recor(sC rotinely evalating operating an( la*oratory
(ataC an( tro*leshooting# to solve pro*lems *e%ore they *ecome serios) A !i(e range o%
la*oratory an( visal an( physical test metho(s are recommen(e() Principally# these incl(e %loc
an( settlea*ility per%ormance sing a 7ar test# microscopic i(enti%ication o% the pre(ominant types
o% *acteria# an( analysis o% varios chemical parameters) The treatment environment (irectly
a%%ects microorganisms) Changes in %oo(# (issolve( o,ygen# temperatre# pD# total (issolve(
soli(s# sl(ge age# presence o% to,ins# an( other %actors create a (ynamic environment %or the
treatment organisms) The operator can change the environment &the process' to encorage or
(iscorage the gro!th o% speci%ic microorganisms)
Conclsion
Aero*ic o,i(ation o% anaero*ically (igeste( an( (ilte( ra! POME !as investigate( sing an
activate( sl(ge reactor) The e%%ectiveness o% aero*ic o,i(ation !as also compare( *et!een
anaero*ically (igeste( an( (ilte( ra! POME having correspon(ing CO- vales) It reslte( in
removal o% CO- mch e%%ienciently)
Re%erences
A)L) Ahma(# 1) Ismail# 1) Bhatia# Ultra%iltration *ehavior in the treatment o% agro"in(stry
e%%lent8 pilot scale st(ies# Chem) Eng) 1ci) 6/ &=//5' 5<95;5<2:)
A*(l Lati%# A)# 1+yla!ati# I)# Norli+a# I)# 1*hash# B)# =//<*) Aater recycling %rom palm oil
mill e%%lent sing mem*rane technology) -esalination .53# 93;25)
Ma# A)N)# .222*) Treatment o% palm oil mill e%%lent) In8 Ermit# 1ingh# et al) &E(s)'# Oil Palm
an( the Environment) A Malaysian Perspective) MOPEC# Fala Lmpr# pp) ..<;.=5)