Oil palm plantations produce large amounts
of by-products, particularly POME (treated) and EFB at the rate of 0.1 and 0.2
tonnes respectively for every tonnes of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) processed. In
2003, a total of 2,106,956 tonnes of FFB were processed, resulting in 211,000
tonnes of treated POME and 421,000 tonnes of EFB being produced. These
by-products are good sources of plant. Nutrients and they are recycled into the
fields as organic fertilizers.
Palm
Oil Mill Effluent
Palm oil mill effluent (POME) contains
organic matter and plant nutrients which are excellent substitutes for
inorganic fertilizer. In view of its proven value, majority of POME produced by
palm oil mills is fully recycled as manure.
The effluent fractions that are most
suitable for land applications are the digester bottom solids and the aerobic
pond solids. Several methods of land application of POME are available. These
include application through flat beds/long beds, furrow irrigation, sprinkler
and tractor-tanker system.
Raw POME is high in BOD and acidic with pH
of around 4.0. After treatment, the pH is raised to around 8 and BOD is
lowered. In terms of nutrient value, anaerobic sludge of treated POME contains
high plant nutrients. Application of anaerobic sludge in the oil palm fields is
carried out using the tractor-tanker system at the rate of 360 and 500
liters/palm/year for coastal and inland soils respectively. In terms of
fertilizer value, this application is equivalent to 1.96 kg urea, 1.83 kg
Christmas Island Rock Phosphate (CIRP), 1.45 kg Muriate of Potash (MOP), 2.3 kg
kieserite for coastal and 2.99 kg urea, 2.80 kg CIRP, 2.22 kg MOP, 3.5
kieserite for inland soils.
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