Biohydrogen production from palm oil mill effluent (POME) in Indonesia: Potential, challenges, and prospects

The following review outlines the potential of POME for renewable feedstock in biohydrogen production in Indonesia. In the process, crude palm oil produces POME in very large quantities with rich organic content, which is promising as an alternative feedstock to fossil fuel-based hydrogen. In the process, crude palm oil produces POME in enormous quantities with rich organic content, which is promising as an alternative feedstock to fossil fuel-based hydrogen. Indonesia expects to increase the production of biohydrogen from POME from approximately 168,437 million liters in 2023 to approximately 252,303 million liters by the end of 2035. Currently, the available biohydrogen production routes offer promising prospects, but yields and process efficiencies continue to pose a challenge. Biohydrogen conversion from POME would significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by reducing 70.1 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually, thereby contributing to Indonesia’s decarbonization process. Future studies should focus on improving pretreatment methods and technology readiness to achieve improved hydrogen yields.