Monday, October 13, 2008

Information regarding POME




The process of extracting CPO from fresh fruit bunches (FFB) requires a significant amount of water to sterilize the FFB and cleanse the pressed CPO.


About 1.5 tonnes of water are required to process each tonne of FFB. More than 50% of this ends up as waste water, commonly referred to as palm oil effluent (POME).

POME consists of 95-96% water, 0.6-0.7% oil and 4-5% total solids. Due to the high content of biodegradable organic matter, it is a potential source of pollutants.

In Malaysia, POME and other environment wastes are regulated by the Environmental Quality Order 1977 and Environmental Quality Regulations 1977, under the Environmental Quality Act 1974.

The most common POME treatment system in Malaysia is biological treatment via a combination of anaerobic, facultative and aerobic open-pond system.

The biogas produced by anaerobic digestion contains 60-70% methane gas, 30-40% carbon dioxide, and a trace of hydrogen sulphide.

Source : Bell group