• Does palm oil milling process require solvent extraction?
  • However, solvent extraction is not applicable in palm oil extraction process. Therefore, thermomechanical method is applied, which demands 60 % of water usage that ends up as wastewater (POME). One of the toughest challenges in the palm oil milling industry is the treatment of POME.
  • How much water is used in palm oil extraction?
  • As reported by Ahmed et al. (2015), a huge amount of water is used in the crude palm oil extraction process, with approximately 1.5 m3 of water being used to process one tonne of fresh fruit bunch, and half of the water exits as wastewater, known as POME.
  • How can a palm oil mill benefit from a zero liquid discharge system?
  • AL provides a zero liquid discharge system for recycling isolated clear POME water, which could assist mills in meeting increasingly rigorous environmental regulations. Additionally, a good portion of palm oil could be recovered from POME, which increases the mill’s profitability.
  • How is crude palm oil extracted?
  • The first step in extraction of crude palm oil is sterilization, where the FFB is subjected to heat treatment. The FFB is sterilized using pressurized steam at the pressure of 3 ¡Á 10 5 Pa and the temperature of 140 ¡ãC for 60¨C90 min (Pratap et al., 2010).
  • Why is the direct discharge of palm oil a problem?
  • The direct discharge of POME in the environment is a matter of concern for both toxicological and esthetical reasons. The majority of the palm oil mills use the addition of water during the extraction process of crude palm oil (CPO) from the fresh fruit bunch (FFB).
  • What are the major oil palm processing by-products?
  • Major oil palm processing by-products, namely, POME and solid biomass, are utilised as feedstock to produce renewable energy and organic fertilisers. They are also used to recover water. These resources are critical for the oil palm industry. Integrated zero-waste oil palm processing strategy (Teow & Takriff, 2021)