Oil Palm Bulletin No. 42 (May 2001) p24-38

Monitoring the long term effects of land application of palm oil mill effluent to oil palm on water quality

HAMDAN Abu Bakar , MOHD TAYEB Dolmat , ZIN ZAWAWI Zakaria , AHMAD TARMIZI Mohamad , KHALID Harun
The benefits of irrigating digested palm oil mill effluent (POME) in oil palm plantations have been reported by several researchers. POME, which contains water and high nutrient, can improve yield and is suitable for palm growth. However, it needs proper and efficient management to ensure clean and safe water sources. The paper reports the effects of applying digested-POME in an oil palm plantation on the water quality in the surrounding area.
MPOB had conducted a long term monitoring work over 13 years to study the effects of irrigating digested-POME in an oil palm plantation as a source of nutrients on the water quality. The results from site monitoring using stream water and tube well showed that proper application of POME at a controlled rate did not pollute the water sources. Applying digested-POME at the rate of 6.0 cm rain equivalent per year (r.e.y) into the field every three to four months was suitable and recommended. Irrigating too high a volume, i.e. over 2.5 cm r.e.y per application should not be practiced to avoid anaerobic conditions. Accumulation of heavy metals such as Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in the water sources appeared to be negligible. This study also indicated that the strong soil retention of heavy metals and uptake of mineral nutrients b the palms naturally could control water pollution effectively.


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