The 8th International Conference on Water Resource and Environment (WRE 2022)

Abstract: Palm oil mill effluent (POME) contains high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N), causing a big threat to the environment if being treated improperly. The treatment methods of this liquid waste into water resources are considered conventional that uses ponding system such as anaerobic, facultative, and aerobic ponds. This in turn has got the full attention of researchers improve the treatment efficiencies by adapting a biofilm treatment process in treating POME. This study aimed to treat POME using moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) which is one of the technology-based biofilm processes. The first objective of this study was to identify the operating parameters that affecting a laboratory-scale MBBR namely type of media, hydraulic retention time and media filling fraction before the optimization on the POME treatment. The performance of the pilot-scale MBBR was determined by manipulating COD loading and air flow rate using two different operating modes; batch and continuous. Based on the results obtained in first objective shows that the laboratory MBBR performed well at hydraulic retention time and media filling fraction of 69.4 hours and 29%, respectively, with 53.3% COD and 91.8% NH3-N removal. A pilot-scale MBBR performed well in continuous mode with removal of COD and NH3-N are 92.1% and 97.1% respectively. As conclusion, MBBR has a great potential to be used for POME treatment with average COD removal more 80% in continuous mode and can be used as a pretreatment prior to membrane filtration.

Biography: Hassimi Abu Hasan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Currently, he is a head of Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO) at Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, UKM. He graduated from UKM with a Bachelor of Biochemical Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering). He was a Program Coordinator for Master of Engineering (Environment) from August 2015 – January 2021. He was a Young Water Representative for the Small Water and Wastewater System (SWWS) Specialized Group, International Water Association from November 2017 – October 2020. He was awarded UKM Excellent Young Academician 2018, UKM Excellent Young Researcher 2017. His research focus on waste treatment and resource recovery using biofilm, phytoremediation, and phycoremediation technology. He innovated a new biofilm supporting media to hold microbial cells for the biofilm formation. This technology is proven to treat wastewater up to more effectively compared to the common activated sludge. His expertise in waste treatment has recognized by PUBLON, Clarivate Analytics as “Top 1% Reviewer in Biology/Biochemistry” and “Top 1% Reviewers Environment/Ecology”. He was also awarded “Top Reviewer Award 2017 and 2018 in Top 1% journal - Bioresource Technology”.