Sains Malaysiana 47(7)(2018): 1455–1464

http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2018-4707-13

Integrated Palm Oil Mill Effluent Treatment and CO₂ Sequestration by Microalgae

(Rawatan Bersepadu Efluen Kilang Kelapa Sawit dan Pemerangkapan CO₂ oleh Mikroalga

NUR ANIRA SYAFIQAH HAZMAN¹, NAZLINA HAIZA MOHD YASIN²*, MOHD SOBRI TAKRIFF^3,4, HASSIMI ABU HASAN¹, KAMRUL FAKIR KAMARUDIN¹ & NOOR IRMA NAZASHIDA MOHD HAKIMI⁵

¹Chemical Engineering Programme, Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

²School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

³UKM-YSD Chair on Sustainable Development, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

⁴IDEA Center, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

⁵Sime Darby Research Sdn Bhd, R&D Centre - Carey Island, Lot 2664, Jalan Pulau Carey, 42960 Pulau Carey, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Received: 14 September 2017/Accepted: 8 March 2018

ABSTRACT

Malaysian economy relies on palm oil industries as a driver for rural development. However, palm oil mill effluent (POME) that is generated from palm oil processing stages causes major environmental challenges. Before being released to the environment, POME treatment is crucial to comply with standard discharge limit. Microalgae have demonstrated excellent potential for phycoremediating POME and capturing CO2. In this study, local microalgae isolate such as Chlamydomonas sp. UKM 6 and Chlorella spp. UKM 8 were used for POME treatment in 21 days with different inoculum sizes (5%, 10% and 15%). In addition, an integrated treatment process was performed by taking the treated POME supernatant for cultivation of Chorella spp. UKM 2, Chorella sorokiniana UKM 3 and Chlorella vulgaris for CO₂ sequestration study. Different CO₂ concentrations (5%, 10% and 15%) were used and the experiments were carried out in 10 days under continuous illumination. The results showed that among two species involves in POME treatment, Chlamydomonas sp. UKM 6 showed a great potential to remove pollutant such as COD (56%), nitrogen (65%) and phosphorus (34%). The biomass after POME treatment and CO₂ biofixation content high lipid (90 mg lipid/g biomass) which can be the potential source for biodiesel production. In CO₂ sequestration study, C. sorokininana UKM 3 able to takes up to 15% CO₂ with CO₂ uptake rate of 273 mgL^-1d^-1. In this study, the integrated system of POME treatment and CO₂ sequestration were feasible using microalgae.

Keywords: Chorella spp.; Chlamydomonas sp.; CO₂ capture; effluent treatment; microalgae

ABSTRAK

Ekonomi Malaysia bergantung kepada industri kelapa sawit untuk pembangunan kawasan luar bandar. Walau bagaimanapun, efluen kilang kelapa sawit (POME) yang terhasil pada peringkat pemprosesan minyak kelapa sawit menyebabkan masalah besar kepada alam sekitar. Sebelum dilepaskan ke alam sekitar, rawatan POME sangat penting untuk mematuhi had pelepasan piawai yang telah ditetapkan. Mikroalga telah menunjukkan potensi yang amat baik bagi tujuan bioremediasi POME dan pemerangkapan CO2. Dalam kajian ini, pencilan mikroalga tempatan iaitu Chlamydomonas sp. UKM 6 and Chlorella spp. UKM 8 telah digunakan untuk merawat POME dalam jangka masa 21 hari menggunakan saiz enap cemar yang berbeza (5%, 10% dan 15%). Di samping itu, proses rawatan bersepadu dijalankan dengan mengambil supernatan POME yang telah dirawat untuk inokulasi Chorella spp. UKM 2, Chorella sorokiniana UKM 3 dan Chorella vulgaris bagi kajian pemerangkapan CO₂. Kepekatan CO₂ yang berlainan (5%, 10% dan 15%) telah digunakan dan uji kaji telah dijalankan selama 10 hari di bawah pencahayaan yang berterusan. Keputusan kajian menunjukkan bahawa, antara dua spesies yang digunakan untuk rawatan POME, Chlamydomonas sp. UKM 6 menunjukkan potensi yang besar untuk menurunkan kadar COD (56%), nitrogen (65%) dan fosforus (34%). Biojisim selepas rawatan POME dan pemerangkapan CO₂ menunjukkan nilai lipid yang tinggi (90 mg lipid/g biomas) yang berpotensi menjadi sumber penghasilan biodiesel. Dalam kajian pemerangkapan karbon, C. sorokiniana UKM 3 boleh memerangkap sehingga 15% CO₂ dengan kadar pemerangkapan CO₂ sebanyak 273 mgL^-1d^-1. Justeru, proses integrasi antara rawatan POME dan pemerangkapan karbon boleh dijalankan menggunakan mikroalga.

Kata kunci: Chorella spp.; Chlamydomonas sp.; mikroalga; pemerangkapan CO₂; rawatan efluen

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*Corresponding author; email: nazlinayasin@ukm.edu.my