Integration of thermal pretreatment and dewatering in the anaerobic co-digestion of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) for enhanced treatment performance in terms of biogas production and treated effluent quality

The thesis investigates an innovative proposed treatment process for Palm Oil Mill effluent (POME) which can enhance the biogas production and treated effluent quality. The proposed process consists of eliminating the cooling ponds in the existing process and integrating a thermal pretreatment technology coupled with a dewatering device. This alteration infers a means of control on the digesters' load and improves the anaerobic digestion performance of POME making the biogas production consistent. This thesis evaluates an energy analysis case study which compares the proposed treatment process to other existing technologies. Overall, this thesis presents a more sustainable POME treatment process.