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One of Many Solutions But Most Effective: From Palm Waste to Insect Feed

By: Jessica Medina

Photo by CEPhoto, Uwe Aranas

More than half of the agricultural waste is made up of the oil palm industry. The method in which empty fruit bunches (EFB), and oil palm fronds and trunks are disposed of is a major environmental problem because it creates air pollution. If this palm waste were to be recycled in a form of substrates for insects, then it would advance environmental sustainability by decreasing air pollution and benefiting the environment overall.

The main aspect of this research was creating insect feed from oil palm waste in a low-energy, recyclable, and low-cost process. For this reason, the best method was pre-processing EFB utilizing ionic liquid before anaerobic digestion within 4-5 days at a pH 6 level and a 2:1 digestate: EFB ratio. This method was efficient because it was the most nutritious substrate for insect farming, produced more biogas, and was generally environmentally friendly.Thus, what makes the article interesting was the eco-friendly materials used, such as the ionic liquid that could be recovered and recycled, which improved the mass-energy balance of oil palm mills. 

    A trade-off would be that reverting EBM to the land could have its negative impacts, such as eutrophication. Eutrophication is when the environment becomes enriched with nutrients, and it causes algal blooms, dead zones where no organisms could survive within the area, and further future problems within the food chain itself. Therefore, further research in utilizing breakdown technologies, such as gasification for power generation, is to be done. 



References

Dickinson, E., Harrison, M., Parker, M., Dickinson, M., Donarski, J., Charlton, A., Nolan, R., Rafat, A., Gschwend, F., Hallet, J., Wakefield, M., and Wilson, J. 2019. From waste to food: Optimising the breakdown of oil palm waste to provide substrate for insects farmed as animal feed. PLOS ONE. 14:1-22.

 
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Comments

  1. Sharon AmorosSeptember 14, 2020 at 11:45 PM

    It is devastating to acknowledge and see that because of the production of palm oil requiring intensive deforestation has led to a gradual loss of flora and fauna in the areas where land is cleared for the cultivation of palm oil. But if there a way to utilize the grand disastrous effects it leaves to help earth, then I'm all for it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. M MendezOctober 25, 2020 at 3:32 PM

    This is such a great way to use organic waste. Palm oil production has increased drastically and it's being used in cosmetics and as a food preservative. Palm waste material is also being used as a biofuel in Europe. If any step in the palm oil production could move towards environmental sustainability, this is progress. However, the deforestation and thus, habitat destruction is devastating. Thanks for this clear summary of the benefits and cost.

    ReplyDelete

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