Palm Oil Mill Effluent Samples Research Articles

Improving the pH of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) with Aerator Treatment and Water Dilution

Palm Oil Mill Effluent/POME is a by-product produced from the processing of fresh fruit bunches/FFB into crude palm oil/CPO. Aeration of POME is one of the processing methods that aims to reduce the levels of organic matter and pollutants. This study aims to determine the dynamics of POME pH with aeration treatment and dilution variations in order to speed up the waste treatment time.The method used in this research is to make the treatment of pure POME, POME & water in a ratio of 1:1 & 1:2. The process carried out in the study was to place the solution into a 1 liter bottle and given an air flow using an aerator with a discharge of 0.66 l/min. POME samples were taken every 24 hours for a span of 7 days. The pH was measured using the electrometric method. On day 2, it was found that the pH of the 1:1 treatment POME had reached pH 6, while the 1:2 treatment on day 3 and the pure POME only reached pH 6 on day 5. Aeration is an effective method to neutralize the acidity of POME. The increase in POME pH was fastest in the 1:2, 1:1 and finally pure POME dilutions. All treatments met the pH quality standard on day 5. Aeration can help improve the quality of POME so that it is more environmentally friendly.

Iron Metal Ion Adsorption Capacity on Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Using Montmorillonite Adsorbent

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is the most produced waste among other types of waste, which is around 60% in every 100% processing of fresh fruit bunches containing heavy metals, namely ferrous metal (Fe). Montmorillonite (MMT) is one of the best adsorbents used to reduce the concentration of Fe in POME. In addition, this mineral (MMT) also has a high cation fertilization capacity so that the space between layers of MMT is able to accommodate large amounts of cations and make MMT a unique material. In this review, the assurance of the mass variety of the MMT as adsorbent and the variety of the contact time on the adsorption capacity of Fe metal in POME was resolved utilizing a Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) and surface morphology analysis of MMT before and after adsorption using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Based on the results of AAS analysis, the greater the mass of the adsorbent, the higher the amount of Fe adsorbed from the POME. Moreover, the longer the contact time between MMT and Fe, the higher the amount of Fe in the palm oil mill effluent adsorbed on the adsorbent surface. The best adsorption conditions occurred at an adsorbent mass of 8.5 g MMT in 50 mL adsorbate and a contact time of 5 hours with an adsorption capacity of 0.0383 mg/g. The results of the SEM showed the presence of empty spaces in the MMT before adsorption, in which after adsorption white granules occupies the empty spaces evenly on the surface of the MMT. The granules indicate the presence of Fe metals in the POME samples which are adsorbed on the MMT surface.

Characterization and morphological study of microbes in treated palm oil mill effluents

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is wastewater generated by palm oil milling. Due to its extremely polluting qualities, it must be treated before being discharged into the water course. This study was aimed to evaluate the bacterial growth of raw and treated POME as well as identifying indigenous microorganisms by determining the morphological characteristics of bacteria that were found in the POME. The bacterial growth was identified by bacterial enumeration of colony forming units (CFU). Besides, the morphological identification of bacteria was determined by using gram staining. The results show the best bacterial growth curve is from serial dilution factor of 10-6 with a total of 2.24 x 10-6 CFU/mL in raw POME and optimum growth on day seven. While for the treated POME, the total is 1.97 x 10-6 CFU/mL and recorded the optimum growth on day ten of incubation. The growth curve indicates the number of colonies in raw POME is higher than treated POME. It concluded that treated POME still has the bacteria although it has been treated. Apart from that, from the morphological identification by gram staining, the bacteria were Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus. From a gram staining, this research obtained all gram positive in purple colour from the POME samples. Two of them in treated POME were in Bacillus shape while the other two from raw and treated POME were in coccus shape, respectively.

Evaluation of Toxicity Effect of Palm Oil Mill Effluent Final Discharge by using Daphnia magna

Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) final discharge has a risk to the ecosystem due to various harmful contaminants including organic and inorganic materials. In this study, biological monitoring method was used to evaluate the toxicity effects of POME final discharge using Daphnia magna. The physical and chemical nature of toxicants present in the effluent were characterized through acute Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET), and Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) tests. The Toxicity Unit (TU) and median lethal concentration (LC50) of the POME sample were 11.09 and 9.02% (v/v) respectively. From TIE test, the toxicants present in the effluent can be characterized as filterable and oxidisable through filtration and aeration treatment. The presence of cationic metals, chlorine and disinfection by-products were also determined by the toxicity reduction of the effluent after treatment using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and sodium thiosulphate. From TIE test, the filtration treatment at pH 10 of the POME final discharge was the most effective method in reducing the toxicity of the effluent with a value of TU, 1.16 and LC50, 86.34% (v/v). It is recommended that biological tests using Daphnia magna can be made as potential methods to indicate the effects of POME final discharge to the aquatic ecosystem.

Fermentation of Palm Oil Mill Effluent in the Presence of Lysinibacillus sp. LC 556247 to Produce Alternative Biomass Fuel

A bacterial strain, identified as Lysinibacillus sp. LC 556247 POME, was isolated from palm oil mill effluent (POME). The present article highlights the potential utilization of POME as a sole fermentation medium by Lysinibacillus sp. LC 556247 to produce biomass fuel via aerobic fermentation. The fermentation was performed in a shake flask with a working volume of 300 mL, agitated at 180 rpm, incubated at 35 ± 2 °C for various fermentation hours, ranging from 1, 2, 3, 4, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h, and was followed by a drying process. Elucidation of the POME characteristics, calorific energy values (CEV), moisture content (MC), oil and grease content, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO), total suspended solids (TSS), pH, total nitrogen, and the colony-forming unit (CFU) were performed. The results demonstrate that the highest CEV, of 21.25 ± 0.19 MJ/kg, was obtained at 48 h fermentation. High amounts of extractable oil and nitrogen content were retrieved at the highest CEV reading of the fermented and dried POME samples, which were 17.95 ± 0.02% and 12.80 ± 0.08%, respectively. The maximum removal efficiencies for the COD (50.83%), the BOD (71.73%), and the TSS (42.99%) were achieved at 120 h of fermentation, with an operating pH ranging from 4.49–4.54. The XRF analysis reveals that the fermented and dried products consisted of elements that had a high amount of carbon and potassium, and a significantly low amount of silica, which is sufficient for the effective burning of biomass fuel in the boiler.

Characterization of a Potential Isozyme Laccase from Trametes polyzona MPS1-3 and its Contribution to Palm Oil Mill Effluent Treatment.

The high phenolic content of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) constitutes an environmental concern. In this study, laccase producing microorganisms were isolated from POME samples collected in Côte d'Ivoire for their possible use in POME treatment. Strain showing the highest laccase activity was identified by ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region sequencing as Trametes polyzona. A maximum laccase production (156.3 U/mL) was obtained after 10days of incubation under shaking condition, at 37°C, pH 4, with starch (1%), tryptone (0.3%) and 10mM of guaiacol. The partially purified laccase of 31kDa exhibited maximum activity at 50°C and pH 4.5 with a Km for guaiacol and Vmax of 0.7mM and 0.04mM/min, respectively. Metals, SDS and EDTA did not inhibit his activity. Used as biotreatment agent, T. polyzona MPS1-3 reduced COD, total suspended solids, total solids and total phenolics by 16.03%, 70.15%, 38.9%, 50.84%, respectively, for sterilized POME and by 13.09%, 58.07%, 36.53%, 42.05% for unsterilized POME. These results showed the promising application of T. polyzona for bioremediation of phenolics compounds in wastewater and it potentially useful in several other biotechnological applications.

Kinetics and performance study of ultrasonic-assisted membrane anaerobic system using Monod Model for Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) treatment

The discharge of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) to river or sewage has caused serious environmental problems for the past several decades. This has prompted many researchers to find alternative technologies such as the use of an ultrasonic-assisted membrane anaerobic system, also known as UMAS. However, further use of UMAS in treating POME tends to create blockage on the membrane surface, which is commonly known as membrane fouling. In this study, kinetic parameters of POME samples which contributed to the fouling were investigated, namely; the biomass growth rate, μ max and substrate utilization rate, K s . Two different sources of POME samples were taken from namely; a final discharge pond at Felda Sungai Tengi, Selangor and decanter processing units at Felda Jengka, Pahang. The POME samples were treated by UMAS in a 26-Litre laboratory reactor which operated 5 ​h per day for a HRT of 7 days so as to observe their performance in terms of percentage COD removal and CH 4 production. Performance results revealed that maximum COD removal efficiencies were 82.75% and 94.43% for the final discharge pond and decanter processing unit samples respectively. All these data were collected and curve fitting methods were then used to construct appropriate profiles for μ max and K s following a Monod model. It was found that the high OLR sample (decanter) apparently yielded better efficiency of POME treatment (i.e. calculated μ max of 0.327 day −1 , K s of 0.361 ​g COD/g VSS. d, and volume of CH 4 gas produced at 25 ​m 3 ) compared to that of low OLR sample from ponds (i.e. calculated μ max of 0.237 day −1 , K s of 0.1674 ​g COD/VSS. d, and volume of CH 4 gas produced at 9 ​m 3 ). In conclusion, it shows that UMAS is a promising treatment to treat POME in which its calculated kinetic coefficients of μ max and K s are similar to the theoretical values when Monod Model is employed in this study. • COD removal efficiencies were achieved at 82.75% and 94.43% for the pond and decanter samples, respectively. • Calculated values for µ max were 0.237 day -1 and 0.327 day -1 for the pond and decanter samples, respectively. • Calculated K s value for the decanter sample was at 0.361 g COD/g VSS. d. • Calculated K s value for the pond sample was at 0.167 g COD/ g VSS. d. • At 7 days HRT, CH 4 gas produced was higher (25 m 3 ) from the decanter samplecompared to 9 m 3 only from the pond sample.

Integration of copperas and calcium hydroxide as a chemical coagulant and coagulant aid for efficient treatment of palm oil mill effluent

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is highly polluted wastewater that is to the environment if discharged directly to water source without proper treatment. Thus, a highly efficient treatment with reasonable cost is needed. This study reports the coagulation treatment of POME using integrated copperas and calcium hydroxide. The properties of copperas were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Coagulation was conducted using jar test experiments for various coagulant formulations and dosages (1000–5000 mg/L), initial pH (4–10), stirring speed (100–300 rpm), and sedimentation time (30–180 min). The characterisation results show that copperas has a compact gel network structure with strong O–H stretching and monoclinic crystal structure. The effectiveness of integrated copperas and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) with the formulation of 80:20 removed 77.6%, 73.4%, and 57.0% of turbidity, colour, and chemical oxygen demand (COD), respectively. Furthermore, the integration of copperas and Ca(OH)2 produced heavier flocs (ferric hydroxide), which improved gravity settling. The coagulation equilibrium analysis shows that the Langmuir model best described the anaerobic POME sample as the process exhibited monolayer adsorption. The results of this study show that copperas with the aid of Ca(OH)2 demonstrated high potential in the removal of those parameters from POME with acceptable final pH for discharge. The utilisation of this by-product as a coagulant in effluent treatment can unlock the potential of copperas for wider applications, improve its marketability, and reduce gypsum waste generation from the TiO2 industry.

Effect of Gravel-Sand Substrate on Sub-Surface Flow Constructed Wetland for Palm Oil Mill Effluent Treatment

Constructed wetland as one of technique in phytoremediation, combined and utilized green plants, soil and microorganism in reducing the pollutants in wastewater. Plant selection and types of a substrate are among the factors that contribute to the greater performance of pollutant removal. Gravel and sand are the commonly substrate used in sub-surface constructed wetland because they have acceptability with the hydraulic condition and capable to increase the removal of pollutants in wastewater treatment. In this study, the gravel and sand combination were used to increase pollutant removal. Three (3) sets of experiments were set up as treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME) which is POME only (PO) as control and, POME with gravel (PG), and POME with gravel-sand (PGS) bed. The POME samples were recirculated through the sub-surface flow constructed wetland for 30 days of treatment. The PGS systems contributes higher performance rather than single gravel or sand with 66% COD, 97% suspended solid, 98% turbidity, 98% ammonia-nitrogen and 99% TN removal and 74% of TP removal. Therefore, the use of gravel-sand substrate is very promising for sub-surface flow constructed wetland treatment systems for POME.

Water quality assessment and a study of current palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment by ponding system method

Palm oil is one of the main drivers of Malaysian economy that becomes major contributor to the Malaysian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the agriculture sector. The demand for palm oil-based product is expected to increase proportionally to the growing population, thus palm oil plantations have been growing rapidly to meet the global demand. Hence, to ensure sustainable management of palm oil production, avoid a significant effect to environmental pollution, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) have been established to minimize environmental issues related to the palm oil industry in Malaysia. This paper provides the physicochemical characteristics and treatment techniques currently available for treating palm oil mill effluent (POME) nowadays. In addition, the correspondence between biological oxygen demand (BOD) and suspended solid (SS) of raw POME samples with the rainfall distribution pattern were also evaluated. The sampling took place at the cooling pond of a palm oil mill throughout 2019 and had been analyzed using water quality standard methods. The results indicated that the total monthly rainfall significantly influenced the concentration of BOD and SS parameters, of which in dry season (February) the highest BOD (36,200 mg/L) and lowest SS (10,522 mg/L) were recorded.

Green Technology Approach for Reinforcement of Calcium Chloride Cured Sodium Alginate Films by Isolated Bacteria from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)

The suitability of bacteria application as fillers to reinforce calcium chloride cured sodium alginate film was investigated through the determination of the physical, morphological and mechanical properties of composite films. There were six species of bacteria isolated from palm oil mill effluent sample. The bacteria sample selected for filler reinforcement has a sub-micron diameter of 0.83 ± 0.13 µm. The growth curve of selected bacteria revealed that four days of broth culture produced the maximum bacteria mass. The composite films were produced with reinforcement of 0.1 g, 0.2 g, 0.3 g and 0.4 g of bacteria respectively. Overall, the increment of bacteria mass resulted in the production of yellowish composite films with improved morphological, physical and mechanical properties. The results revealed that the composite films reinforced with 0.3 g and 0.4 g of bacteria appeared to have less curling on the surface of the film. The water absorption properties of the films were initially 140.74% and remained constant at an approximate of 200% after the reinforcement. The tensile strength properties showed a total increment of approximately 22.70% (from 36.10 ± 1.94 MPa to 44.29 ± 0.60 MPa). Based on the results, bacteria fillers were not able to enhance the elongation properties because only about 0.6% of overall increment was observed which was considered insignificant. It was concluded that the bacteria biomass has the potential to be used as fillers to reinforce calcium chloride cured sodium alginate film.

Liquid Waste of Palm Oil Plantations as Liquid Fertilizer

The purpose of this study was to test the potential for sewage treatment plants Milt Palm Oil Waste (POME) as a raw material Liquid Fertilizer. Palm Oil Mill Effluent samples taken of Oil Palm Plantation PT. Minanga Ogan, South Surnatra method of analysis used for BOD Winkler method, a method Kjehdahl Nitrogen, Phosphorus appears spectrophotometermethod, K by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer methods and MLSS (Mixed Liquor Suspended Solid) by using the gravimetric method. The results of this study indicate an anaerobic 20,1471 BOD, 25 mg/L, N 1021.22mg/L, P 328.19mg/L, K 541.03 mg/L, and MLSS 136 mg/L BOD anaerobic ponds 2,18,421, 16 mg/L, N 876.35 mg/L, P 279.24 mg/L, K 473.59 mg/L, and MLSS 154 mg/L BOD Anaerobic an 11428,213 mg/L, N 662.61 mg/L, P 238.32 mg/L, K 348.26 mg/L, and 163 MLSS anaerobic ponds mg/L BOD 4522.81 4 mg/L, N 443.26 mg/L, P 102.22 mg/L, K 327.76 mg/L, and MLSS 198 mg/L. According to Minister of environment of the Republic of Indonesia Number 29 Year 2003 on Use of Palm Oil Technical Guidelines, the Board of Directors 3000–5000 mg/L does not pollute the environment but still have enough nutritional value for plants. It can be concluded that the anaerobic pond 4 can be directly used to, liquid fertilizer. While anaerobic pond 2 and 3 should be treated as liquid fertilizer raw materials as BOD of anaerobic Both pools are quite high.

Cellulose-hydroxyapatite carbon electrode composite for trace plumbum ions detection in aqueous and palm oil mill effluent: Interference, optimization and validation studies

Environmental monitoring is important to determine the extent of eco-system pollution and degradation so that effective remedial strategies can be formulated. In this study, an environmentally friendly and cost-effective sensor made up of novel carbon electrode modified with cellulose and hydroxyapatite was developed for the detection of trace lead ions in aqueous system and palm oil mill effluent. Zinc, cadmium, and copper with lead were simultaneously detected using this method. The electrode exhibited high tolerance towards twelve common metal ions and three model surface active substances - sodium dodecyl sulfate, Triton X-100, and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. Under optimum conditions, the sensor detected lead ions in palm oil mill effluent in the concentration range of 10–50 μg/L with 0.11 ± 0.37 μg/L limit of detection and 0.37 ± 0.37 μg/L limit of quantification. The validation using tap water, blood serum and palm oil mill effluent samples and compared with Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, suggested excellent sensitivity of the sensor to detect lead ions in simple and complex matrices. The cellulose produced based on “green” techniques from agro-lignocellulosic wastes, in combination with hydroxyapatite, were proven effective as components in the carbon electrode composite. It has great potential in both clinical and environmental use.

High performance electrocoagulation process in treating palm oil mill effluent using high current intensity application

Abstract Electrocoagulation process using high current intensity to treat palm oil mill effluent (POME) was investigated in this study. Various operating parameters such as electrolysis time, inter-electrode distance and initial pH were carried out to determine the efficient process condition on the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD) and suspended solids (SS). The highest treatment was achieved at 50 min with the removal efficiencies for COD, BOD and SS obtained as 85%, 83%, and 84%, respectively. More than 50 min treatment showed the fluctuated trends of removal efficiencies which can be considered insignificant. The application of higher current resulted in higher removals of organics while the gas bubbles also assisted in removing the pollutant particles by floatation. In an inter-electrode distance study, the removal efficiency decreased when inter-electrode distance was either higher or lower than 10 mm due to the increase of solution resistance and the decrease of anode active surface area. In initial pH study, it was found that high removal efficiencies were achieved in slightly acidic POME sample rather than in neutral or basic condition. An electrocoagulation process by using the optimum operating parameters was able to remove COD, BOD and SS up to 95%, 94% and 96% respectively. The experimental results confirm that application of high current intensity in electrocoagulation provided high treatment efficiency at a reduced reaction time.

Investigation on the Influence of Bio-catalytic Enzyme Produced from Fruit and Vegetable Waste on Palm Oil Mill Effluent

Pre-consumer waste from supermarkets, such as vegetables and fruits dreg are always discarded as solid waste and disposed to landfill. Implementing waste recovery method as a form of waste management strategy will reduce the amount of waste disposed. One of the ways to achieve this goal is through fermentation of the pre-consumer supermarket waste to produce a solution known as garbage enzyme. This study has been conducted to produce and characterize biocatalytic garbage enzyme and to evaluate its influence on palm oil mill effluent as a pre-treatment process before further biological process takes place. Garbage enzyme was produced by three-month long fermentation of a mixture of molasses, pre-consumer supermarket residues, and water in the ratio of 1:3:10. Subsequently, the characterization of enzyme was conducted based on pH, total solids (TS), total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and enzyme activities. The influence of produced enzyme was evaluated on oil & grease (O&G), TSS and COD of palm oil mill effluent (POME). Different levels of dilution of garbage enzyme to POME samples (5%, 10%, 15%) were explored as pre-treatment (duration of six days) and the results showed that the garbage enzyme contained bio-catalytic enzyme such as amylase, protease, and lipase. The pre-treatment showed removal of 90% of O&G in 15% dilution of garbage enzyme. Meanwhile, reduction of TSS and COD in dilution of 10% garbage enzyme were measured at 50% and 25% respectively. The findings of this study are important to analyse the effectiveness of pre-treatment for further improvement of anaerobic treatment process of POME, especially during hydrolysis stage.

Reduction of Organic Load and Biodegradation of Palm Oil Mill Effluent by Aerobic Indigenous Mixed Microbial Consortium Isolated from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)

This study was designed to determine the potential of indigenous mixed microbial consortium isolated from palm oil mill effluent (POME) in reducing organic load and biodegradation of POME. Isolation and identification of indigenous microorganisms was subjected to standard microbiological methods and sequencing of the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes of the microbial strains suggests that they were identified as Micrococcus luteus101PB, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia102PB, Bacillus cereus103PB, Providencia vermicola104PB, Klebsiella pneumoniae105PB, Bacillus subtilis106PB, Aspergillus fumigatus107PF, Aspergillus nomius108PF, Aspergillus niger109PF, and Meyerozyma guilliermondii110PF. Results revealed that total percent reduction efficiency by the aerobic mixed microbial consortium for all bacteria–fungi combination (ABFC) gave a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) reduction efficiency of about 90.23%, chemical oxygen demand (COD) 91.06%, and total suspended solids (TSS) 92.23% and bacteria–fungi stepwise (BFSW) recorded BOD reduction efficiency of 85.28%, COD 84.45%, and TSS 86.18% in 1000 mL of POME. The HPLC chromatogram results revealed increase in glucose level due to breakdown of cellulose which represents the cellulosic materials in POME by mixed microbial consortium signifying biodegradation of cellulose as a clean-up process for the tested POME sample. Therefore, the indigenous microbial strains are promising organisms for industrial applications. These microbes have direct applications in industrial process such as bioremediation and biodegradation of wastewaters.

Enhancement of Biodegradation of Palm Oil Mill Effluents by local Isolated Fungi

This study was designed to investigate the fungi associated with palm oil mill effluent (POME) in Gulur village of Tumkur. Biodegradation of palm oil mill effluents was conducted to measure the discarded POME based on physicochemical quality. The fungi that were isolated are Aspergillusniger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. ochraceus, Rhizopussp, Peniciliumsp and Trichodermavirde. The autoclaved and unautoclaved raw POME samples were incubated for 7 days and the activities of the fungi were observed each for 12 hours. The supernatants of the digested POME were investigated for the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), color (ADMI), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) at the end of each digestion cycle. The results showed that the unautoclaved raw POME sample degraded better than the inoculated POME sample and this suggests that the microorganisms that are indigenous in the POME are more effective than the introduced micro-organisms. This result, however, indicates the prospect of isolating indigenous microorganisms in the POME for effective biodegradation of POME. Moreover, the effective treatment of POME yields useful products such as reduction of BOD, COD, and color.

Degradation of Phenolic Compounds in Palm Oil Mill Effluent by Silica‐Immobilized Bacteria in Internal Loop Airlift Bioreactors

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is usually treated using biological systems. However, phenolic compounds remain in the treated POME. This study aimed to remove phenolic compounds from POME using silica‐immobilized Methylobacterium sp. NP3 and Acinetobacter sp. PK1. Treated POME samples were collected from the final stabilization ponds of two palm oil mills in Thailand. In batch experiments, the silica‐immobilized bacteria effectively degraded 100–500 mg/L phenolic compounds (e.g., caffeic acid, ferulic acid, 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid, catechol, and 3‐methylcatechol) in synthetic wastewater and completely removed up to 1000 mg/L amended phenol from both treated POME samples. When 25 g/L silica‐immobilized bacteria were used in an internal loop airlift bioreactor with a hydraulic retention time of 5 h, 83 and 60% of the initial 26.7 and 112 mg/L phenolic compounds in the treated POME samples were removed. The bioreactor was operated continuously for 1200 h, and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the bacteria remained trapped inside the silica matrix. This bioreactor could be used for post‐treatment of POME.

Application of Palm Kernel Shell Activated Carbon for the Removal of Pollutant and Color in Palm Oil Mill Effluent Treatment

Introduction: Application of palm kernel shell activated carbon (PKSAC) in reducing the pollutant in palm oil mill effluent (POME) was studied as the alternative treatment system. Aim: The objective of this study was to determine the optimum PKSAC dosage and treatment time for its capability to treat the effluent. Methods: The study was carried out in batch and continuous systems. For batch system, activated carbon dosage ranging from 1% to 15% (w/v) was added into 200 mL of POME and agitated at 160 rpm for 24-120 h treatment time. As for continuous system, POME samples were fed into 2000 mL fixed-bed glass column and run continuously for 8 h/cycle. Results: For the batch study, results showed that the PKSAC works with maximum removal of pollutant at very high dosage up to 15% (w/v) in 72 h treatment time. Meanwhile, for fixed-bed treatment, POME was fed to the column with flow rate of 15 mL/min. The initial chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color of samples were in the range of 450-910 mg/L and 3500-6500 Pt/Co, respectively, and after the treatment, the maximum COD and color removal were 75% and 76%, respectively. The PKSAC became saturated after 8 treatment cycle. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the palm-based activated carbon was able to remove the organic pollutant and color of POME in both batch and continuous adsorption treatments. Being the raw material available in the palm oil mill, the PKS can be converted into activated carbon and used as sustainable practice to treat POME.

Particle Size Measurement in Waste Water Influent and Effluent Using Particle Size Analyzer and Quantitative Image Analysis Technique

Wastewater originated from domestic or industry use need to be treated before discharge it to the environment. Particle size is one of the parameter that determine efficient operation of wastewater treatment plant. The present work conducts a comparative study of non-imaging and imaging based particle size analysis tools to analyze the limitations and advantages of using such equipment. The study utilizes particle size analyzer (PSA) as non-imaging tool and light microscope as imaging tool to determine particle sizes in various waste water samples. For this analysis domestic wastewater influent and effluent are analyzed with both techniques. In addition, palm oil mill effluent (POME) has also been analyzed after Fenton process to compare the particle size using these tools. PSA shows most of the particles in the influent and effluent are in the size range of 100 to 700 μm, while microscopy shows additional information of aggregates structure in POME sample showing promising possibility of identifying complex structure of aggregates present in the sample.