Preliminary Feasibility Study Of The Capture Of Methane In An Ecuadorian Palm Oil Mill Effluent Treatment For The Generation Of Energy

Abstract

The Palm Oil Industry is one of the leading agricultural industries in Ecuador, with a planted area of 280,000 has and a national production of 500,000 tons of Palm Oil, around 50% of the national production is exported (PROECUADOR, 2014). As the industry of palm oil has expanded, so has its environmental impact, with the deforestation, methane emissions and other impacts caused by the cultivation of Oil Palm and its processing (Raquel, 2005). National and International entities have highlithed the industry’s impact on biodiversity and climate change (Gobi & Vadivelu, 2013). The process of extracting oil from the fresh fruit bunches result in large generation of palm oil mill effluent (POME), a highly polluting wastewater (Raquel, 2005). Due to the environmental concerns regarding palm oil production, POME has been identified as a potential source of renewable energy from the generation of biogas in the wastewater treatment system (Hosseini & Wahid, 2013). The environmental concern around Palm Oil has led to the creation of certifications that guarantee the sustainability throughout the production process of Palm Oil, an example of this is the RSPO which is leading the environmental awarness of this industry (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, 2015). This paper aims to discuss the presence of methanogenic activity in the POME treatment system and the possible use of this substance as a source of energy. Moreover, it aims to analyze the technologies available for this purpose. Finally, an economic analysis is performed to determine the financial feasibility of the generation of electricity using methane.