UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

Faculty of Civil Engineering

Universiti Teknology MARA
40450 Shah Alam

SEMESTER : SEP – Jan 2019

NAME : IZZAH NURASYIQIN BINTI MD ISA (2017816494)

LECTURER : DR. ZADARIANA JAMIL

RESEARCH TITLE : STUDY OF PALM OIL MILL EFFLUENT (POME) AS AN

ENERGY SOURCE BY USING ANAEROBIC SYSTEM :
METHANE TO ELECTRICITY

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (ECC563)

ASSIGNMENT 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Learning Outcomes:
By completing this assignment, students should be able to locate and review critically research articles
based on the selected research topic. (CO2, PO3)
CO2: Critically prepare the literature review and design experimental procedure to solve research
problem.
PO3: Design solutions for complex civil engineering problems and design systems, components or
processes that meet specified needs with appropriate consideration for public health and safety, cultural,
societal, and environmental considerations.

CONTENT SUB-TOTAL MARK

COMPLETENESS

EVIDENCE

SYNTHESIS

WRITING STYLE

TOTAL MARKS
 Chapter 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter provides the past literature and review from a relevant study on palm oil mill
effluent (POME) and the closed anaerobic system as treatment process of POME to
approach the production of methane gasses.

2.2 IMPACT OF POME TOWARD ENVIRONMENT.

POME is 100 times more polluted than the municipal sewage which has a high
biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The effluent
also contain higher concentration of organic nitrogen, phosphorus and different
supplement substance (Hadiyanto MC, 2013). POME is a non-harmful waste; however, it
will pose environmental issue because of vast oxygen draining capacity to oceanic
framework because of natural and supplement substance. It is also known to be a good
source of nutrients, Kamyab H, (2014) reported that nature of POME may as well depends
on the discharge limit of the factory, climate and condition of the palm oil processing.
(Ahmad. S. et al, 2011) noted that raw or partially treated POME has an organic matter
which is due in part to the presence of unrecovered palm oil. This highly polluting
wastewater according Ahmad et al. (2003), can cause pollution of water–ways due to
oxygen level in rivers leads to anaerobic conditions and the release of noxious gases,
particularly hydrogen sulphide. Thus, the natural ecology of the rivers is destroyed (Khalid
& Mustafa,W.A.W, 1992).

To date; there are 411 local palm oil millers with the potential to be Independent
Power Producers (IPPs) of sustainable green energy through utilization of methane from
POME. Based on these potentials, it has long been suggested that Sabah could look at its
palm oil mills as a source for electricity to overcome the power shortage supply especially
in its east coast. Regrettable, more than 90% of the palm oil mills in Malaysia have been
wasting this essential resource by its emission into the atmosphere, there by polluting our
environment and contributing to global warming. However, complete lack of technology
by palm oil mills to harness this biogas was the major reason for this unacceptable
phenomenal in the oil industry (Lau Seng & Yahaya S. Madaki, 2013).

2.3 PALM OIL MILL EFFLUENT (POME) AS AN ENERGY SOURCE

Ponding system was the most conventional method for treating POME (Khalid &
Mustafa,W.A.W, 1992). Then, there was an introduction of close aerobic and anaerobic
digestion tank or treatment in the management of POME to meet up with the discharge
limits allowed. According to Perez (2001), anaerobic process is a suitable treatment method
due to the organic characteristics of POME.

However, all the methods that are employed by mills for digestion of POME always
produce or generate biogas as a by-product. But amount of biogas generated largely
depends on the particular method used. In open tank digestion system, (Yacob S, 2005)
reported that every tonne of treated POME, an average of 5.5kg of methane (or
approximately 36% of biogas) is emitted from open digesting tanks. According to Ng et
al. (2011), it is estimated that 1 tonne of fresh fruit bunch (FFB) processed will generate
0.67 tonne of POME, and each tonne of POME is able to produce 28m3 of methane. While
information from Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) (2011), claim that 0.65m3 POME is
generated from every processed ton of FFB, and also based on study made by them on
potential electricity generation which 38.7E+06 m3 of POME produced 59.80E+06 of FFB
process annually can generated methane gas up to 7.07E+09 kWh. Based on a conversion
efficiency of 38% (gas engine), the potential annual electrical power generation would be
2.69E+09 kWh.

Organics, a company involved in project design to recover energy from POME also
published that a typical mill rated at 40 tonne per hour FFB can produce between 1 and 2
Mega Watt (MW) of electricity from the biogas that can be generated in an anaerobic
digester. (htpp://www. Organics.com, n.d.). Biogas, a by-product of anaerobic degradation
of POME consist of about 65% methane, 35% carbon dioxide, and trace of hydrogen
 sulphate. Ahmad. S. et al, (2011), reported that based on a study on Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM), potential in the waste sectors (for energy source), it was found that
the most potential is where anaerobic degradation takes place within the municipal
landfills and POME ponds.

Table 1: Power and heat potential from CDM projects waste sectors (Ahmad. S. et
al, 2011)

Total technical Feasible total

Waste Sectors Methane recovery
power potential installed capacity
(Mt/yr) potential (Mt/yr)
(MW) (MW)
MSW landfill 176,000 173 45
POME 245,000 330 160
Swine farming 35,500 46 23
Other industries
8000 35 7
(wastewater)
Sewage Negligible Negligible Negligible

The potential sizes of recovery and its relative power and heat potential for feasible
projects are presented in Table 1. Therefore, POME is another potential energy source
from which the methane gas or biogas released during anaerobic digestion can be collected
for power generation (Wendy et al. 2012).

2.4 POME TREATMENT

2.4.1 Ponding System/ Open digester tank
Ponding or open lagoon system for treating POME have been in existence for a very
long time. The pond system have been applied in Malaysia for POME treatment since 1982
and they are classified as waste stabilization pond (Onyia et al.2001). Parveen F.R. et al.,
(2010), reported that more than 85% of palm oil mill exclusively use ponding system due
to their low cost and simple operational system. However, using ponding system typically
consume lot of space of land area because it is basically divided into few part of process
which are de-oiling pond tank, acidification ponds, anaerobic ponds and facultative pond
or aerobic ponds.
Open digester tank are used for POME treatment that have limited space available for
ponding system. Although relatively cheap to install, these system often fail to meet
discharge requirements (due to lack of operational control, long retention time, silting and
short circuiting issues). Moreover, the biogas produced during the anaerobic decomposition
of POME in open pond systems is not recovered for utilization. The produced gas dissipates
into the atmosphere where it causes adverse environment effects (due to the fact that CH4 is
a twenty times stronger greenhouse gas then CO2 (Chin May Ji, 2013). Investigation by
Yacob S, (2005), he proved that the anaerobic system emitted higher amount of methane
compare to the open digester tank with an average methane composition of 54.4%.

2.4.2 Closed Anaerobic System

A biochemical process by which organic matter is decomposed by bacteria in the
absence of oxygen, producing methane and other by product. Anaerobic digestions widely
used to treat waste as it require low energy, high organic removal rate, low sludge
production and production of methane as valuable product. (Poh & Chong, 2009).
Biogas capture from POME can be carried out using a number of various technologies
ranging in cost and complexity. The closed-tank anaerobic digester system with
continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR), the methane fermentation system employing
special microorganisms and the reversible flow anaerobic baffled reactor (RABR) system
are among the technologies offered by technology providers. (Malaysian Palm Oil Board,
2015).
Biogas production largely depends on the method deployed for biomass conversion
and capture of the biogas, and can, therefore, approximately range from 5.8 to 12.75 kg of
CH4 per cubic meter of POME. Application of enclosed anaerobic digestion will
significantly increase the quality of the effluent/ discharge stream as well as the biogas
composition, as mentioned in table below.

Table 2 : Performance comparison between open and closed digester system

Parameters Closed digester system

Open digester system
COD removal efficiency 97
81
(%)
HRT (days) 10
20
Methane utilization Recoverable
Released to atmosphere
 Methane yield (kg CH4/kg 0.2
0.11
COD removed)
Methane content (%) 55
36
Solid discharge (g/L) 8
20
*This table has been reproduced from (Alawi Sulaiman, 2007)

A closed anaerobic system is capable of producing and collecting consistently high

quality of methane rich biogas from POME. Typical raw biogas composition will be: 50-
60 % CH4, 40-50 % CO2, saturated with water and with trace amounts of contaminants
(H2S, NH3, volatiles, etc.).

AUTHOR TITLE SOURCE FINDING REMARKS

Yacob S, et. Baseline study of : Pg 1575– In open tank All finding
al. (2005) Methane Emission 1581 digestion system, on value of
from open reported that every methane is
digesting tanks of tonne of treated different
palm oil mill POME, an average because
effluent treatment of 5.5kg of methane different use
(or approximately type of
36% of biogas) is process
emitted from open
digesting tanks
Ng F.Y, et A renewable future Estimated that 1
al. (2011) driven with tonne of fresh fruit
Malaysian palm bunch (FFB)
oil-based green processed will
technology generate 0.67 tonne
of POME, and each
tonne of POME is
able to produce
28m3 of methane.
Malaysian Overview of the www.mpob.go Potential annual The electrical
Palm Oil Malaysian oil palm v.my electrical power generating
Board industry generation would from
(MPOB) be 2.69E+09 kWh methane or
(2011) biogas
Organics htpp://www. Typical mill rated
Organics.com at 40 tonne per hour
FFB can produce
between 1 and 2
Mega Watt (MW)
of electricity from
the biogas that can
be generated in an
anaerobic digester
Poh P.E and Development of Bioresource The degrading
Chong M.F anaerobic digestion Technology, process of POME
(2009) methods for palm Volume 100, consists of four
oil mill effluent Issue 1: pg 1-9 stages.
(POME) treatment.
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