Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is the viscous, high-strength organic wastewater generated during palm oil milling, containing recoverable oil and abundant organics. Green Star Bio, as an independent broker (Broker), matches supply and demand for the collection, pre-treatment and resource recovery of POME — connecting palm oil mills with downstream oil-recovery, biogas and organic-fertilizer operators.
In main producing regions such as Southeast Asia, POME's stable output and concentrated distribution make it a strong feedstock source that complements UCO. We match buyers with pre-treated POME oil (for biodiesel/HVO feedstock) and POME derivatives, and can provide ISCC traceability documentation where the supply chain supports it.
When we broker this product, our desk monitors the parameters below to match grade to your process, destination and sustainability needs.
| Recovered POME oil content | Confirmed per lot |
|---|---|
| COD / BOD | Typical high-strength range |
| pH | Acidic to neutral |
| Main origin | Indonesia / Malaysia |
| Delivery form | Raw / pre-treated |
| Certification | ISCC optional |
Values shown are typical reference ranges. Contract specifications for each lot are confirmed before shipment and may vary by origin and grade.
A biogas developer needs POME feedstock from mills with consistent volume and agreed collection terms.
A palm mill with POME output looks for off-takers converting effluent into biogas or fertilizer.
Palm oil mill effluent is the wastewater stream from palm oil extraction. The oil recovered from it — POME oil — is a distinct product from crude palm oil, with different quality and a different regulatory treatment.
POME oil is recovered by skimming and separation, then usually filtered and dewatered. It carries higher free fatty acids and impurities than CPO, and its value depends on the buyer's pretreatment capability. It is not a substitute for CPO in food applications.
| Free fatty acid | Variable, often higher than UCO; confirm per mill |
|---|---|
| Moisture & impurities | Reduced by settling, filtration and dewatering |
| Phosphorus / metals | Screened for HVO and SAF feedstock |
| Storage | Heated tanks recommended; avoid long unheated storage |
POME quality varies by mill, season and recovery practice. Always sample the actual parcel; a mill-level average is not a specification.
POME oil enters the same pretreatment and hydroprocessing route as other waste oils. The economic case depends on the mill's recovery rate, the distance to port and the certification status of the chain. For buyers, the practical questions are phosphorus, metals and the consistency of supply across the wet and dry seasons.
We work with mills and aggregators in Indonesia and Malaysia, and confirm the specification per parcel rather than per region.
Tell us your grade, volume and destination. We confirm specifications per shipment and arrange the documentation your sustainability programme requires.
Palm oil mill effluent is the liquid waste stream from palm oil milling: water, residual oil, suspended solids and organic matter. Every tonne of crude palm oil leaves several tonnes of effluent, and the residual oil in that effluent — typically recovered by skimming, centrifugation or dissolved air flotation — has become a significant second feedstock stream for biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Recovered POME oil is attractive to converters because it is a waste-derived feedstock under both ISCC and the European Renewable Energy Directive, and it prices below both UCO and virgin palm oil. It is also a methane-avoidance story: leaving effluent to degrade in open ponds releases biogas, and regulated methane capture is increasingly part of the mill's licence to operate.
The handling is less forgiving than UCO. Recovered POME oil carries more moisture and solids, and its free fatty acid content is often high, so most buyers either pretreat at source or blend it into a wider feedstock slate rather than running it neat.
POME is the whole effluent stream from the mill. POME oil, or recovered POME oil, is the residual oil that has been separated out of that effluent. Trade and pricing are on the recovered oil; the remaining effluent goes to treatment, usually with methane capture.
Buyers normally specify free fatty acid, moisture and insoluble impurities, and sulphur. FFA is typically higher than in UCO, often in the 5–15% range depending on how quickly the oil was recovered and how it was stored, which is why pretreatment or blending is common.
Almost entirely from Indonesia and Malaysia, the two countries that account for the overwhelming majority of global palm oil milling. Smaller volumes come from Thailand, Colombia, Nigeria and parts of Central America.
Yes, in principle, via the same HEFA pathway used for UCO, subject to the feedstock being permitted under the relevant sustainability scheme and to the refinery's pretreatment capability. In practice high FFA makes it more common in renewable diesel and biodiesel than in jet fuel.
Palm oil mill effluent degrading in open ponds releases methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. Capturing that biogas and either flaring or using it for energy is increasingly required by regulators and by mill sustainability commitments.
