Read about the developments that the WIPO GREEN team and local partners have worked on during the first three months of the Acceleration Project 2021 in Indonesia including the first four new green technology needs up to 7.5 metric tons of water are required and more than 50 percent of this water ends up as POME The wastewater has very high organic content and is typically stored in large open ponds also called lagoons This can cause significant emissions of the highly potent greenhouse gas methane and can damage flora and fauna when released into local river systems the high organic content also means that there is great potential for biogas production and other environmental friendly types of recycling In collaboration with an environmental NGO, Winrock International WIPO GREEN is working to match the palm oil mills’ need for green solutions to POME management and use with existing technology solutions Anaerobic digester effluent separation technology A biogas power plant with an installed capacity of 2 MW gets POME supply from a mill with a capacity of 35 tons per hour The mill is interested in separating sludge/cake from effluent water to use the cake as a fertilizer and the effluent for land application or for further treatment The cake quality should be analyzed further to determine its mineral contents so a potential re-use of the final effluent would be of interest Reducing GHG emission from existing POME treatment using open lagoons with the average daily fresh fruit bunches processed at 700–900 tons The mill is looking for a joint venture scheme (build–own–operate–transfer) for a methane capture project or other technologies for the POME treatment The methane capture is a preferable solution The mill does not have its own plantation and does not have additional demand for electricity assuming that the investor has strong buyers Empty Fruit Bunch treatment the mill produces around 140–180 tons of empty fruit bunch (EFB) daily This solid waste is a burden in the palm oil mill It creates an environment for pests and diseases and emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere The mill is looking for a technology to transform the waste into organic fertilizer and promote sustainable farming The treatment of the EFB could be combined with POME treatment e.g Technology to reduce hydrogen sulfide content A biogas power plant with capacity of 2 MW receives POME from a mill with a capacity of 35 tons per hour or method that can reduce the level of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) that will enter the engine/generator from 500 ppm to below 200 ppm If you have or know of corresponding solutions, contact the seekers through the database or contact the WIPO GREEN team a list of technological solutions will be compiled alongside an analysis of their practical and economic feasibility with the ultimate goal of moving towards a more sustainable palm oil industry in the South-East Asian region The R&D section of the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil Standard (ISPO) under the Ministry of Agriculture demonstrates how by-products form agriculture can be transformed into biochar and activated carbon through a simple pyrolysis process Liquid smoke is also produced as a by-product and can be used as a pesticide and for other purposes The technology can also be applied to empty fruit bunches which is a major organic waste product from the palm oil mills WIPO GREEN Acceleration Projects are focused on a particular geographical area or technological domain The goal is to generate relevant knowledge about the green tech landscape in a particular sphere and to create a gateway to a range of local and international commercial networks providers and seekers of green technologies make connections that can lead to green tech deployment or transfer Acceleration Project example: Green Innovation in Latin America WIPO GREEN is a global marketplace for sustainable technology, supporting global efforts to address climate change. Through its online database and regional activities, WIPO GREEN connects green tech seekers and providers in order to catalyze green innovation and accelerate green tech transfer and diffusion. Subscribe to the monthly WIPO GREEN newsletter.