Oil palm cultivation requires sufficient irrigation as it is a fast-growing crop with high productivity and biomass production. Palm oil is a highly productive crop, offering a far greater yield at a lower production cost than other vegetable oils. Global production and demand for palm oil are increasing rapidly, with plantations expanding across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. However, this expansion comes at the expense of tropical forests, which are critical habitats for many endangered species and vital for some human communities.

The three main by-products from extracting oil from palm kernels are Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB), Palm Kernel Shell (PKS), and Mesocarp Fibre (MF). These by-products are pressed, and the resulting solids are used as fuel in boilers to generate steam.

Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is the voluminous liquid waste resulting from the sterilization and clarification processes in oil palm milling. POME is characterized by high solids, low pH, and oil & grease content, with elevated levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). These factors pose significant environmental risks due to their adverse effects on many forms of life.

We offer POME treatment solutions that include pre-treatment, primary settling, and Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) to remove oil and grease, a biodigester for biogas extraction, pre-aeration, aeration (ASP), secondary settling, and filtration and polishing units to meet pollution control board norms. Additionally, we provide recycling systems such as ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) units to recycle treated water for process use.

Viable solutions for generated biogas include direct use as boiler fuel or, after H₂S scrubbing, power generation through gas engines. Alternatively, biogas can be upgraded to produce compressed biogas (CBG). We also offer solutions for EFB-based biogas plants to recover energy or produce CBG using the innovative Thöni Paddle Agitator CSTR Technology. This system includes an H₂S scrubber, a membrane-based CO₂ scrubber, and a CBG handling system. A screw press dewaters treated EFB slurry to obtain solid and liquid organic manure. The EFB-to-CBG system generates continuous revenue for our customers.