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The combination ofbaffled air flotation and a membrane system for the treatment of palm oil milleffluent (POME) was studied. The POME was obtained from a palm oil factory inPTPN I Tanjong Seumantoh, Aceh, Indonesia. Operation variables and conditions,such as the hydraulic retention time and air flow rates, were varied to findthe optimum process. The air flotation process is able to reduce theconcentration of suspended solids and fats/ oils contained in the wastewater,which increases the performance of the membrane by reducing clogging. Theresults showed that this method was promising for POME treatment. The optimumorganic removal efficiency of the air flotation pretreatment was obtained atHRT = 5 days and at an air flow rate of 11 L/min. The effluent was subsequentlypassed through an anaerobic membrane system to achieve the highest removalefficiency treatment. The removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD),total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS),mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS), and fats/oils after passingthrough the membrane system were 97%, 93.9%, 99.8%, 94.5%, 96.2%, and 99.9%,respectively. The results also showed that the pH could be neutralized to 6.18,while a dissolved oxygen (DO) level of 1.60 mg/L could be achieved. A highquality of effluent was obtained, which met the standards for POME effluent. |
