Co-fermentation involving <i>Lysinibacillus</i> sp. and <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> for simultaneous palm oil waste treatment and renewable biomass fuel production

Abstract

&lt;abstract&gt; &lt;p&gt;Biomass fuel is one of the renewable energy sources that can be produced by valorization of palm oil mill effluent (POME) and empty fruit bunch (EFB). POME and EFB are available abundantly in Malaysia and only small portion is utilized to produce other value-added products. The objective of this study is to: (1) utilize the wastes from agro-industrial sector especially palm oil wastes and bio-valorize into value-added product of biomass fuel with high CEV, and simultaneously (2) reduce the waste accumulated in the palm oil factory. In this study, co-fermentation of bacteria (&lt;italic&gt;Lysinibacillus&lt;/italic&gt; sp.) and fungus (&lt;italic&gt;Aspergillus flavus&lt;/italic&gt;) at 37 °C, 180 rpm for 5 days, followed by overnight oven-dry at 85 °C was conducted utilizing a mixture of POME and EFB with the ratio of 7:3 at laboratory scale. Three fermentation medium conditions were performed, namely: (1) Group 1: autoclaved POME and EFB without addition of any microorganisms, (2) Group 2: autoclaved POME and EFB with the addition of &lt;italic&gt;Lysinibacillus&lt;/italic&gt; sp. LC 556247 and &lt;italic&gt;Aspergillus flavus&lt;/italic&gt;, and (3) Group 3: POME and EFB as it is (non-sterile). Among all condition, Group 2 with co-fermentation evinced the highest calorific energy value (CEV) of 26.71 MJ/kg, highest biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal efficiency of 61.11%, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency at 48.47%, and total suspended solid (TSS) reduction of 37.12%. Overall, this study successfully utilized abundant POME and EFB waste and turn into value added product of renewable biomass fuel with high CEV percentage and simultaneously able to reduce abundant liquid waste.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/abstract&gt;

Biomass Fuel Production through Fermentation of Lysinibacillus sp. LC 556247 in Various Ratios of Palm Oil Mill Effluent and Empty Fruit Bunch

“…LC 556247 took place due to the fact that this strain is indigenous to POME. According to previous studies [21,22], the addition of indigenous microorganisms may contribute to the increasing population size of microorganisms functioning in the degradation of organic matter [36,37]. Lysinibacillus sp.…”

“…LC 556247 took place due to the fact that this strain is indigenous to POME. According to previous studies [21,22], the COD is an analytical approach used to measure the amount of oxygen required for organic matter in water samples to oxidize [40]. COD represents the degree of organic pollution in water bodies [41].…”

“…and Aspergillus flavus with a CEV of 26.71%. Bakar et al successfully utilized the remaining POME and biovalorized it into other value-added products of biomass fuel [21,22]. Nevertheless, if the CEV is considered low, extensive research is necessary to further increase the CEV.…”

“…The average CEV for POME and EFB is 16.99 MJ/kg and 18.88 MJ/kg, respectively [29]. Utilizing microbes for biomass fuel production from agricultural waste by exploiting metabolic pathways sustainably and economically might be an ideal approach as microbes can increase the CEV [21,22,30,31]. Currently, there are limited studies on the aerobic treatment of palm oil mill waste, particularly for the production of sustainable biomass fuel with high CEV.…”

Pelletization Temperature and Pressure Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Khaya senegalensis Biomass Energy Pellets

“…Dedicated energy crops (DEC) have been extensively utilized in developed countries as a renewable energy feedstock resource for green energy generation. Many exciting results have been reported, indicating its potential as green energy feedstock [1,2]. It is noticed that the research to date has focused on producing biomass fuels from wastes, such as agricultural wastes, municipal solid wastes, food processing waste, and yard waste which include tree trimmings.…”