During crushing of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) to produce CPO, large quantities of steam and hot water are used to separate the palm fruit from the FFB. Such hot water is let out into open ponds, and this is known as Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME). POME is non-toxic waste, as no chemical is added during the oil extraction process. This POME is skimmed from the surface, cleaned to reduce Moisture & Impurities and sold as POME or Sludge Palm OIL (SPO) or Palm Acid Oil (PAO). In recent years, POME is also gaining prominence as a feedstock for biodiesel production, especially in the European Union. The use of POME as a feedstock in biodiesel plants requires that the plant has an esterification unit in the back-end to prepare the feedstock and to breakdown the FFA. POME is an International Sustainability & Carbon Certification body (ISCC) certified product and is eligible for double counting.
