Microalgae Cultivation in Palm Oil Mill Effluent
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sustainability Review Microalgae Cultivation in Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Treatment and Biofuel Production Sze Shin Low 1, Kien Xiang Bong 1, Muhammad Mubashir 2, Chin Kui Cheng 3, Man Kee Lam 4,5, Jun Wei Lim 4,6 , Yeek Chia Ho 7 , Keat Teong Lee 8, Heli Siti Halimatul Munawaroh 9 and Pau Loke Show 1,* 1 Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia; [email protected] (S.S.L.); [email protected] (K.X.B.) 2 Department of Petroleum Engineering, School of Engineering, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia; [email protected] 3 Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates; [email protected] 4 HICoE-Centre for Biofuel and Biochemical Research, Institute of Self-Sustainable Building, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia; [email protected] (M.K.L.); [email protected] (J.W.L.) 5 Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia 6 Department of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia 7 Centre of Urban Resource Sustainability, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Self-Sustainable Building, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Malaysia; [email protected] 8 Engineering Campus, School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Citation: Low, S.S.; Bong, K.X.; Nibong Tebal 14300, Malaysia; [email protected] 9 Mubashir, M.; Cheng, C.K.; Lam, Chemistry Program, Department of Chemistry Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia M.K.; Lim, J.W.; Ho, Y.C.; Lee, K.T.; Bandung-Indonesia, Jawa Barat 40154, Indonesia; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Munawaroh, H.S.H.; Show, P.L. Microalgae Cultivation in Palm Oil Abstract: Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is the wastewater produced during the palm oil sterilization Mill Effluent (POME) Treatment and process, which contains substantial amounts of nutrients and phosphorous that are harmful to the Biofuel Production. Sustainability environment. High BOD and COD of POME are as high as 100,000 mg/L, which endanger the 2021, 13, 3247. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063247 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 Academic Editor: Andrea Pezzuolo 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 Received: 22 February 2021 reduction in POME. In this study, a brief discussion about the impacts of POME that will affect the Accepted: 12 March 2021 environment is presented. Additionally, the potential of microalgae in treating POME is evaluated Published: 16 March 2021 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 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral on characteristics and performance of microalgae are being evaluated for their feasibility. One of with regard to jurisdictional claims in the profitable applications of POME treatment using microalgae is biofuel production, which will published maps and institutional affil- be discussed in this review. However, with the advantages brought from cultivating microalgae in iations. 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; bio- Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. fuel production Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons 1. Introduction Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ The global palm oil market demand stood at 71.48 million tons in 2019, and the growth 4.0/). rate is estimated to be 2.3% from 2020 to 2027 [1]. Palm oil is able to decrease cholesterol Sustainability 2021, 13, 3247. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063247 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2021, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 17 Sustainability 2021, 13, 3247 1. Introduction 2 of 17 The global palm oil market demand stood at 71.48 million tons in 2019, and the growth rate is estimated to be 2.3% from 2020 to 2027 [1]. Palm oil is able to decrease cholesterol level, boost brain health, reduce oxidative stress, slow the progression of level, boost brain health, reduce oxidative stress, slow the progression of health disease, healthincrease disease, vitamin increase A status, vitamin and improve A status, skin and and improve hair health skin [and2]. The hair demand health [2]. for palmThe de oil‐ mandis increasing for palm constantly oil is increasing because ofconstantly the increasing because rate of of the consumer increasing awareness rate of consumer regarding awarenesshealthy products. regarding Palm healthy oil has products. been reported Palm oil to behas used been in reported 50% of all to consumers be used in product 50% of allsold consumers daily. With product the high sold demanddaily. With for the palm high oil, demand the amount for palm of biomass oil, the amount produced of bio will‐ masscontinuously produced increase. will continuously Palm oil mill increase. effluent Palm (POME) oil ismill one effluent of the primary (POME) biomasses is one of thatthe primaryare produced biomasses in the that palm are oil produced mill in the in formthe palm of wastewater oil mill in the produced form of from wastewater sterilization, pro‐ ducedextraction, from and sterilization, clarification extraction, processes inand a palmclarification oil mill. processes The wastewaters in a palm that oil are mill. produced The wastewaterscontain 90% that of water, are produced 0.6–0.7% ofcontain residual 90% oil, of 2–4%water, of 0.6–0.7% suspended of residual solids, and oil, 4–5% 2–4% soil of suspendedparticles [3 solids,]. A normal and 4–5% palm soil oil millparticles plant [3]. schematic A normal diagram palm oil with mill biomass plant schematic palm oil dia mill‐ grameffluent with is asbiomass shown palm in Figure oil mill1. effluent is as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Schematic diagram of POME treatment. Figure 1. Schematic diagram of POME treatment. In a commercial industry for palm oil processing, every ton of fresh fruit and palm oil willIn a produce commercial 0.5 and industry 2.5 ton for of palm effluent, oil processing, respectively every [4]. ton Due of to fresh the acidic fruit and nature palm of oilthe will contaminant produce 0.5 and and very 2.5 highton of level effluent, of biological respectively oxygen [4]. demandDue to the (BOD), acidic POME nature cannot of the contaminantbe disposed withoutand very specific high level treatment of biological due to theoxygen pollution demand threat (BOD), to the POME environment cannot [be5]. disposedTreating POMEwithout before specific disposal treatment is one due of to the the concerns pollution and threat necessities to the environment for every palm [5]. Treatingoil manufacturer. POME before POME disposal treatment is one is aof standard the concerns requirement and necessities that needs for every to be followedpalm oil manufacturer.in order to persist POME in treatment the manufacturing is a standard industry. requirement Most of that the needs POME to treatments be followed lead in orderto biological to persist handling in the manufacturing due to its high industry. lipids, nitrogenousMost of the POME compound, treatments and proteinlead to bio and‐ logicalminerals handling content due [6]. to Thereits high are lipids, three nitrogenous main methods compound, that are and commonly protein and preferred minerals by contentthe palm [6]. oil There manufacturer, are three main which methods are anaerobic that are digestion, commonly feedstock preferred for by biodiesel, the palm and oil manufacturer,composting method. which Someare anaerobic of the manufacturers digestion, feedstock convert thefor POMEbiodiesel, produced and composting from their method.plant into Some biodiesel of the by manufacturers dark fermentation convert process, the whereasPOME produced some use treatedfrom their POME plant on landinto biodieselapplication by ofdark compost fermentation production process, to act whereas as fertilizer some of use the treated palm oilPOME trees on [7 ].land However, appli‐ cationmost of of the compost manufacturers production prefer to act anaerobic as fertilizer digestion, of the as palm it is oil cost trees friendly [7]. However, and can reduce most ofthe the BOD manufacturers and chemical prefer oxygen anaerobic demand digestion, (COD) [8 ].as Additionally, it is cost friendly the biogas and can produced reduce the can BODbe utilized and chemical as electricity oxygen generation demand to(COD) be supplied [8]. Additionally, back to the the palm biogas oil mill. produced can be utilizedPOME as electricity treatment generation using microalgae to be supplied to produce back biofuel to the palm appears oil tomill. be a highly compet- itivePOME tool in treatment