Phenol Removal from Palm Oil Mill Effluent Using Galactomyces reessii Termite-Associated Yeast

Abstract

The global situation in the decrease of fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources is now of signifi cant concern. Interest in renewable energy is increasing from this situation. The oil palm (Elaeis guineen L.) is known as a sustainable energy source for biodiesel production. It is more versatile than other oil crops and provides a higher yield for less energy input [9]. Highly colored palm oil mill effl uent (POME) generates approximately 60% of global crude palm oil [10]. Today the oil palm is an important economic crop in southern Thailand, and in 2016 oil palm plantations covered an area of 720,000 ha. A recent report by the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) indicated that Thai agriculturists produced 9 million tons per year of fresh fruit bunches (FFB), with 0.19 tons of POME released from every ton of FFB. Consequently, around 1.026 million tons of darkcolored POME was produced annually. Raw POME is a highly polluting wastewater containing 95-96% colloidal suspensions, 4-5% total solids, and 0.6-0.7% palm oil. The oxidation of phenolic compounds such as lignin and anaerobically degraded products result in the dark Pol. J. Environ. Stud. Vol. 27, No. 1 (2018), 39-44 AbstractLignin-modifying enzymes have long been used in palm oil mill effl uent (POME) treatment to remove the dark brown colour resulting from phenolic contamination. This study investigated a cost-effective industrial application method for optimizing phenol removal from POME using the termite-associated yeast Galactomyces reessii obtained from the subterranean termite under laboratory conditions. The yeast was cultured in POME, and the activity of the ligninolytic enzymes (laccase and manganese peroxidase) was monitored by spectrophotometry. Optimal conditions were achieved using a Box-Behnken experimental design. Results demonstrated that G. reessii reduced the phenolic compounds in POME by 88.69% with growth in 100% (v/v) POME using 30% (w/v) consortia and 5% (w/v) calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) at room temperature 30 1C for seven days. G. reessii showed high performance for phenolic removal and decolourization of POME and other industrial wastewaters.

Managing Paper and Pulp Industry By-Product Waste Utilizing Sludge as a Bio-Fertilizer

“…The plants provided primary bio-solids and showed 0.44% more N as compared to secondary bio-solid plants. Ca concentration in primary bio-solid plants was 7.96% more than the secondary plant [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37].…”

Adsorption kinetics of colour removal from palm oil mill effluent using wastewater sludge carbon in column studies

“…POME is brown in colour and it contains high soluble organic loads that is devastating to nature [2]. Existence of colour in POME effluent hinders the photosynthetic process and has a toxic impact [3], many techniques and methods have been applied to remove the colour, but the cost of these physical and chemical methods is high [4]. Hence, the need for low cost treatment methods are of major concern [5].…”

Enhancing Electricity Generation Using a Laccase-Based Microbial Fuel Cell with Yeast Galactomyces reessii on the Cathode

“…The present study explores the possibility of cultivating the laccase-secreting fungus Galactomycess reessii on the cathode of the two-chamber MFC. G. reessii is generally associated with termites [11] and secretes enzymes such as laccase (multi-copper oxidase) that can degrade extracellular wood matrix (E.C. 1.10.3.2).…”