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Sains Malaysiana 55(9)(2026): 1476-1486
http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2026-5509-06
Peningkatan Pencuraian Efluen Kilang Kelapa Sawit (POME) Berasid dan Penghasilan Biogas melalui Pengayaan Kultur Pemula
(Improved Acidified Palm
Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Digestion and Biogas Production through Starter
Culture Enrichment)
NAQIBAH BALQIS BINTI BADRULZAMAN1, NAZLINA HAIZA BINTI MOHD
YASIN1,*, NUR HAZLIN HAZRIN-CHONG1 & PEER MOHAMED ABDUL2
1Jabatan Sains Biologi dan Bioteknologi, Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi,
Selangor, Malaysia
2Jabatan Kejuruteraan Kimia dan Proses, Fakulti Kejuruteraan dan Alam Bina, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi,
Selangor, Malaysia
Received: 11 June 2025/Accepted: 24 August 2026
*Corresponding
author; email: nazlinayasin@ukm.edu.my
Abstrak
Efluen kilang kelapa sawit (POME) adalah antara penyumbang terbesar kepada pencemaran alam sekitar kerana Malaysia merupakan antara pengeksport minyak sawit terbesar di dunia. Sistem kolam terbuka untuk rawatan POME merupakan sistem konvensional yang menyumbang kepada pelepasan gas rumah hijau yang tidak terkawal, selain memerlukan masa rawatan yang panjang. Oleh itu, kajian ini bertujuan untuk membangunkan kultur pemula melalui proses pencernaan anaerobik (AD) dengan menggunakan POME berasid bagi memendekkan masa rawatan dan meningkatkan penghasilan biogas dan gas metana. Dalam kajian ini, pengayaan kultur dengan sistem suapan berkala POME berasid dilakukan dengan masa penempatan hidraulik (HRT) selama 30 hari sehingga mencapai kestabilan penghasilan biogas dan
gas metana. Hasil kajian menunjukkan berlakunya peningkatan dalam penghasilan biogas dan gas metana antara hari ke-28 hingga 72 semasa proses pengayaan kultur pemula bagi penyediaan kultur metanogenik. Peningkatan gas metana berkait dengan pengurangan kepekatan asid asetik yang menandakan terdapatnya peningkatan aktiviti metanogen dan kestabilan sistem AD. Kesimpulannya, melalui pengayaan kultur metanogen, kandungan biogas dan gas metana meningkat dalam tempoh HRT yang singkat sekali gus mengurangkan pengumpulan asid lemak meruap yang membawa kepada perencatan proses AD.
Kata kunci: Kultur pemula; metanogen; pencernaan anaerobik; POME
Abstract
Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is one of
the largest contributors to environmental pollution, as Malaysia is one of the world’s largest exporters of palm oil. Open pond systems for POME treatment are
conventional systems that contribute to uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions
with longer retention times. Therefore, this study aims to develop
starter cultures through anaerobic digestion (AD) using acidified POME to
shorten the treatment time and enhance biogas and methane yield. In this study, the enriched culture
was fed with the acidic POME with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 30 days
until the production of biogas and methane gas stabilised. The results indicate that biogas and methane production increased from
day 28 to day 72 during the starter culture enrichment process for the
preparation of a methanogenic culture. The increase in methane gas is corresponded to the
decrease of acetic acid concentration, indicating the methanogens activity and
AD system stabilisation. In conclusion, enriching the methanogen
culture led to increased biogas and methane production under a short HRT period
while reducing the accumulation of volatile fatty acids, which can otherwise
inhibit the AD process.
Keywords: Anaerobic
digestion; methanogen; POME; start-up culture
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