Review on biogas from palm oil mill effluent (POME): Challenges and opportunities in Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a remarkably contaminating effluent that generated from three principle processes such as the sterilization, condensation, and hydrocyclone of palm oil in mills. The high biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and acidic pH of POME create an environmental issue if it is discharged into the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem without treatment. However, by proper handling POME is also considered as a potential substrate for a renewable energy source. Biogas consisting mostly of methane and carbon dioxide has been produced using anaerobic digestion of POME. The process of biogas production involves the indigenous microbial community through hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis. This study will elaborate on the potential of POME as a renewable energy source as well as the challenges and opportunities to develop biogas from POME in Indonesia. By proper handling and technology, from around (31 to 41) × 10 6 t of palm oil products in Indonesia from the year 2015 to 2017 it is theoretically calculated that 150.93 MW, 173.37 MW, and 203.92 MW of power plant capacity can be generated, respectively.