Ng D., Ng W., Chong M., Lim D., 2015, Waste Recovery and Regeneration (REGEN) System for Palm Oil Industry, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 45, 1315-1320.
Palm oil mill generates large amount of palm-based biomasses after crude palm oil and crude palm kernel oil extraction from palm fresh fruit bunches. These biomasses are projected to increase up to 110 dry Mt by 2020. With the increasing volume of global palm oil production, palm-based biomass utilisation is gaining significant attention as there are huge opportunities and potentials that the biomass can be converted into bioenergy and value-added products. However, palm biomass is currently underutilised. In addition, most of the palm oil mills are facing challenges in meeting the discharge standards of palm oil mill effluent imposed by local authorities. Despite various treatment systems/ technologies have been developed and implemented in the palm oil mills over the past decades, there is none a single system which eliminates all the solid and liquid wastes in the palm oil mill. In this work, a novel Waste Recovery and Regeneration (REGEN) System is introduced. REGEN System is an integrated system which comprises of various technologies to convert all the solid and liquid biomasses in the palm oil mill into valuable products. The system generates sufficient biogas and power to support the operation of the entire system. It is energy self-sustained and it produces additional power to support the palm oil mill or sold as by-product. The treated liquid waste or palm oil mill effluent (POME) meets the discharge standard steadily and it is further treated for reuse and recycle in the palm oil mill. By adapting such system in the palm oil mill, all the wastes or biomasses from palm oil mill is converted into high value products and bio-energy. The proposed system is projected to attract billion dollar of business opportunity and transform palm oil industry into a sustainable industry.
