EFB Compost

Empty Fruit Bunch Composting is a Sustainable Practise in the Oil Palm Plantation

^aJesper Murmute ak Renang, ^bRicheal Anchom anak Ajon, ^cMuhammad Fadzli B. Yahya

^aUniversiti Teknologi MARA Sarawak, Malaysia, jespermurmute@yahoo.com, 0145861272

^bUniversiti Teknologi MARA Sarawak, Malaysia, anchom92@gmail.com, 0178041526

^cUniversiti Teknologi MARA Sarawak, Malaysia, freedom_fly92@yahoo.com, 0145085199

The Malaysian oil palm industry is one of the most highly organized sectors of any national agriculture system of the world. Today, though, the focus has shifted to how well agriculture also meets universally accepted standards of sustainability. The oil palm has had a natural head start in fulfilling sustainability indicators due to its plant physiology of high productivity and efficient carbon assimilation [1]. The growing challenge for agriculture is to find ways to increase crop yields and improve nutrient use efficiency while stabilizing nutrients, replacing those removed in harvested crop, recycling those in the crop residues and ultimately retaining them in the soil organic matter. Nutrient balance management is the most significant good agriculture practice that has evolved to be site-specific and cost-effective in palm oil production. The practice of nutrient balance management is, at the same time, accompanied by protection of the soil, water and air resources. This would result in not only protection from surface runoff and leaching but also in the reduction of gaseous emissions [2].

In oil palm plantation, two major issues relate to sustainability. Firstly, chemical fertilizers increase crop production their overuse has hardened the soil, decreased fertility, strengthened pesticides, polluted air and water, and released greenhouse gases, thereby bringing hazards to human health and environment as well.  It has already been proved how chemical fertilizers pose serious challenges to the balanced and sustainable growth.  Accordingly, scientists and researchers are seen arguing in favor of organic fertilizer as the best solution to avoid soil pollution and many other threats to environment and life caused by overuse of chemical fertilizers. Continuous use of these chemical fertilizers depletes essential soil nutrients and minerals that are naturally found in fertile soil.  Secondly, it related to the  abundance of oil palm by-products in the country, if sustainable management of these by products is not properly dealt, they may lead to environmental pollution.

Thus, why composting is a sustainable practice in the oil plantation? According to [3], composting is the most suitable option amongst the wastes management strategies with economic and environmental profits since this process reduces the bulk volume of organic materials, eliminates the risk of spreading of pathogens, weed seeds or parasites associated with direct land application of manure and leads to final stabilized products, which can improve and sustain soil fertility. Composting of the empty fruit bunch (EFB) with the palm oil mill effluent (POME) could simultaneously treat the solid and liquid waste from palm oil mill [3].  It is reported that the oil palm industry is one of the best sources of agricultural wastes that can be used as organic fertilizers [4] in which these wastes have a high content of organic matter and mineral elements and used to restore soil fertility [5]. The recycling of organic residues in soil can mitigate environmental hazards resulting from intensive agriculture [6].  Composting is a microbial technology that is frequently used to stabilize various types of industrial wastes such as sludge from pulp and paper mill, sugar, oleochemical, pig rearing, olive milling etc. According to [7] composting can reduce the mixture volume by 40– 50%, effectively destroying the pathogens by the metabolic heat generated in the thermophilic phase, degrade a big number of hazardous organic pollutants and provide a final product that can be used as a soil amendment or fertilizer. [8] stated that the end product is rich in humus and plant nutrients.

Universiti Teknologi MARA Sarawak conducted research studies on EFB compost produced from new technology which has shorter period of fermentation in turning oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) into organic fertilizers by using quality germinated bacteria to greatly shorten the fermentation period to 22-25 days from the normally much longer period. The result from research identified that the compost to contain all the elements of nutrients required by the plant. The compost not only contains nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus three major elements, but also contain Boron, Zinc, Molybdenum and other trace elements.  The compost not only can provide complete nutrition for use, but the compost can stimulate growth and reproductive of microorganisms in the soil system which then enrich the nutrients in the soil by accelerating the decomposition of the organic matters therein. The compost also improves texture of soils that are loose and fertile and become easier to farm and more conducive to the growth of the roots of oil palm. The long term application of chemical fertilizer would seal the roots of oil palm with organic fertilizer which will effectively dissolve in organic layer, restore and enhance the absorptive capability of oil palm roots. Last but not least, the compost will increase defense system against drought. The fertilizer retains water in soils and provides a good defense mechanism against drought during dry seasons for the growth of the roots of palms.

In a conclusion, Malaysia as an agricultural base country has a lot of agricultural residues left over. As the world palm oil demand is increasing, the generation of waste is also increasing. If they are discharged untreated, they may cause serious problem and deteriorates the environment in contact. EFB is one of the most available agricultural residues generated from palm oil industry. Thus environmental management through waste management should be given main emphasis. There is a need of appropriate waste minimization or recycling technology which should be easy to operate and cost effective. As palm oil mill effluent is non-toxic and considered as a good source of organic nutrients land application of POME can be a suitable waste management option. Use of composting as well as vermicomposting technology is also an efficient waste management option. From this study, it can be concluded that EFB can be used as alternative substrate for production of eco-friendly. Therefore, environmental management should place the greatest emphasis in waste minimization at source or recycling. Composting provides a viable alternative method for managing organic wastes.

REFERENCES

[1]   Yusof Basiron. 2007. Malaysian Palm Oil Council, Selangor

[2]   K.W. Chan. 2005. Best-Developed Practices and Sustainable Development Of The Oil Palm Industry (2005).

[3]  Kavitha, B., P. Jothimani and G. Rajannan 2013. International Journal of Science, Environment and Technology, Vol. 2, No 5, 2013, 930 – 937

[4] N.O. Aisueni & U. Omoti. 1999.  Soil Science Society of Nigeria Conference, Benin, 21-25: 48-499

[5]   Khan et al. 2009. Chemosphere, 41: 197–207

[6]   C. Ordonez, M Tejada, C. Benitez, & J.L. Gonzalez. 2006. Bioresour Technol 97:522-528

[7]   Epstein, E. 1997. Technomic Publ. Co. Inc., Basel, Switzerland.

[8]   S.A. Abbasi & E.V. Ramasamy. 1999. Proceedings of eight national symposium on environment IGCAR, Kalpakkam, India, 220–22.