School of Biological Sciences

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Browsing School of Biological Sciences by Author "Ginikanwa, R. C."

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    Environmental impact of palm oil mill effluent and its management through biotechnological approaches
    (U. P., 2020) Okereke, J. N.; Ginikanwa, R. C.
    Globally, palm oil production is on the increase and the pollution caused by waste materials from the palm oil mills has become a major environmental concern. However, not much has been said about the negative effects of such a huge industry. This report reviews the environmental impacts of palm oil mill effluents generated from oil palm processing and how they can be efficiently managed through biotechnological tools. The processing of oil palm generates three (3) major waste streams including gaseous (pollutant gases), liquid (palm oil mill effluent, POME) and solid (palm press fibre, chaff, palm kernel shell and empty fruit bunch) wastes. POME has been the most problematic environmentally, among all the others. It contains high pollution indicators such as oil and grease; it also impacts on the soil and water properties. Discharging POME into the soil tampers withits pH, which is one of the major factors affecting nutrient availability to plants. POME also changes the soil appearance and properties in terms of vegetation, odour, colour and constitution, making the soil to lose its vegetative cover. This leads to water logging of the pores and subsequent death of vegetation, leaving the environment bare. During the rainy season, POME serves a breeding habitat for mosquitoes and produces offensive odours. When discharged into rivers, streams or surrounding lakes, the water turns brown, smelly and slimy, aquatic organisms get killed, and local people are denied the availability of water for domestic uses and fishing. The discharge of POME on the soil and surrounding lands can also contaminate the aquatic ecosystem during runoff, leading to acidification and eutrophication. The paper concludes by suggesting options for effective management such as the use of POME for microalgae cultivation, the use of pre-treated POME as fertilizer; focusing on phytoremediation, bioremediation and mycoremediation of POME-contaminated soil and water as options for the rehabilitation of POME-contaminated soils and water bodies.