Renewable and sustainable bioenergy production from microalgal co cultivation with palm oil mill effluent (POME) A review
Sustainable and cost effective ways to produce renewable energy from biomass have generated considerable interest. Palm oil industries generates huge amount of waste. From one tonne of processed fresh fruit bunches (FFB) different types of wastes are generated which includes empty fruit bunch (EFB) (23% mesocarp fiber (12% shell (5% and palm oil mill effluent (POME) (60% POME has a high chemical and biochemical oxygen demand and mineral content such as nitrogen and phosphorous which can cause severe pollution to the environment. This can be a great nutrient for algal cultivation whilst remediating effluent and generating biomethane through anaerobic digestion. Algae capable of producing lipids and hydrocarbons with their photosynthetic abilities are among potential candidates for bioenergy generation. The harvested microalgal biomass can be used to produce bioethanol through fermentation. An integrated wastewater treatment and renewable bioenergy production would be an added benefit to the oil palm industry.