Microalgae Cultivation in Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Treatment and Biofuel Production

Sze Shin Low, Kien Xiang Bong, Muhammad Mubashir, Chin Kui Cheng, Man Kee Lam, Jun Wei Lim, Yeek Chia Ho, Keat Teong Lee, Heli Siti Halimatul Munawaroh and Pau Loke Show
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Sze Shin Low: Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia
Kien Xiang Bong: Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia
Muhammad Mubashir: Department of Petroleum Engineering, School of Engineering, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia
Chin Kui Cheng: Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates
Man Kee Lam: HICoE-Centre for Biofuel and Biochemical Research, Institute of Self-Sustainable Building, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
Jun Wei Lim: HICoE-Centre for Biofuel and Biochemical Research, Institute of Self-Sustainable Building, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
Yeek Chia Ho: Centre of Urban Resource Sustainability, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Self-Sustainable Building, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Malaysia
Keat Teong Lee: Engineering Campus, School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal 14300, Malaysia
Heli Siti Halimatul Munawaroh: Chemistry Program, Department of Chemistry Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Bandung-Indonesia, Jawa Barat 40154, Indonesia
Pau Loke Show: Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is the wastewater produced during the palm oil sterilization process, which contains substantial amounts of nutrients and phosphorous that are harmful to the environment. High BOD and COD of POME are as high as 100,000 mg/L, which endanger the environment. Effective pre-treatment of POME is required before disposal. As microalgae have the ability of biosorption on nutrients and phosphorous to perform photosynthesis, they can be utilized as a sustainable POME treatment operation, which contributes to effective biofuel production. Microalgae species C. pyrenoidosa has shown to achieve 68% lipid production along with 71% nutrient reduction in POME. In this study, a brief discussion about the impacts of POME that will affect the environment is presented. Additionally, the potential of microalgae in treating POME is evaluated along with its benefits. Furthermore, the condition of microalgae growth in the POME is also assessed to study the suitable condition for microalgae to be cultivated in. Moreover, experimental studies on characteristics and performance of microalgae are being evaluated for their feasibility. One of the profitable applications of POME treatment using microalgae is biofuel production, which will be discussed in this review. However, with the advantages brought from cultivating microalgae in POME, there are also some concerns, as microalgae will cause pollution if they are not handled well, as discussed in the last section of this paper.

Keywords: palm oil mill effluent (POME); microalgae; green approach; effluent treatment; biofuel production (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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