Aqua Ecotech Sdn Bhd has launched a revolutionary ‘green tech’ system AquaEco-SRORS, the world’s first proven and commercially viable palm oil raw sludge filtration system.
AquaEco-SRORS system will transform the palm oil industry by allowing millers to address long-standing palm oil waste sludge challenges that have been a major industry problem and costly affair for decades.
Director Andrew Liew says, “AquaEco-SRORS enables the recovery of up to 80% of the oil in the raw palm oil sludge. This translates to an improvement of about 0.5% in Oil Extraction Rate (OER), reduction of bio-gas emission by 70%*.
Environmentally, it is a huge significance to palm oil millers as this green technology drastically reduces the high Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) in waste water.
The recovered oil or 0.5% OER, also translates to an incremental revenue of about RM3.8mil* per annum for the oil mil.
Currently the average OER of the Malaysia’s palm oil stands at 20.65%. With AquaEco-SRORS, the entire industry’s production would increase to 21.15 % (with existing palm oil fruit produce). This increase is in line with PEMANDU’s EPP4* that targets to increase the country’s palm oil industry OER rate to 23% by Year 2020.
*The EPP4 objective is to increase OER from palm oil fruits to 23% by Year 2020 in order to contribute RM13.7 BILLION in GNI by the same year. EPP4 is championed by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (‘MPOB’).
How it Works
In a normal Palm Oil mill, the oil extraction process discharges 65% of raw waste sludge that has high levels of BOD and COD, releasing high amounts of biogas into the atmosphere. This toxic waste enters into the land’s many waterways.
AquaEco-SRORS system solves the issue of this toxic wastewater by intercepting it with this revolutionary filtration system, transforming it so that it now reduces biogas emission by a significant 70%.
Being environmentally friendly AquaEco-SRORS provides an immediate solution for millers to meet stringent regulatory requirements, gain extra points for their Round Table Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to garner the necessary compliance license to export palm oil to Europe.
The Malaysian Department of Environment, DOE, also aims to reduce the BOD discharge into water by 50% in the near future. At present, the allowed BOD in Peninsular Malaysia stands at 50-100ppm, 50ppm in Sarawak and a higher standard of 20ppm has been established in Sabah. The DOE also has strict guidelines in place; and those found guilty of violating these guidelines have been fined or jailed, with the convicted mill sometimes being shut down for months.
There are currently about 450 palm oil mills operating across the country; and this green technology offers an immediate solution adhere to international palm oil regulatory requirements – a challenge which local palm oil millers have been grappling with for years.
Over the past year, AquaEco has worked closely with MPOB on the technology. AquaEco has already installed the system in two Malaysian palm oil mills -in Sandakan, Sabah and in Bota, Perak. Following their success, the company is currently in talks with a few more mills to install the system.
