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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Economy & Trade

Expert Urges Environment Ministry to Re-evaluate Palm Oil Waste Standards

From Republika · (7h ago) Indonesian Critical tone

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • A researcher is urging the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to reconsider proposed stricter wastewater standards for palm oil mills.
  • The proposed standards, which aim for a Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) below 100 mg/l, are criticized for not being based on soil ecology or sustainable agronomy.
  • The researcher argues that the wastewater, if treated to lower BOD, could be a valuable organic fertilizer for plantations, and focusing solely on BOD is a flawed approach.

A critical assessment is being raised by Dr. Gunawan Djajakirana, a researcher from Pusaka Kalam, regarding the Ministry of Environment and Forestry's plan to tighten wastewater standards for palm oil mills. The proposed regulation, which mandates a Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) limit below 100 milligrams per liter (mg/l), is being questioned for its ecological and agronomic basis.

Focusing the regulation solely on the BOD figure below 100 mg/l is a mistake.

— Dr. Gunawan DjajakiranaCritiquing the proposed wastewater standards.

Dr. Djajakirana contends that this stringent focus on BOD overlooks the significant potential of palm oil mill effluent (POME) as a natural fertilizer for plantations. Instead of being treated to meet an arbitrary low BOD standard before discharge, POME could be utilized to enhance soil fertility and support sustainable agriculture. This perspective highlights a potential conflict between environmental protection goals and the efficient use of resources within the palm oil industry.

The environment is not automatically safe just because the BOD is low. Reconsider the draft ministerial regulation so as not to ignore the good potential of POME.

— Dr. Gunawan DjajakiranaUrging the ministry to re-evaluate the regulations.

The researcher points out that current regulatory parameters, primarily BOD and pH, neglect essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and potassium present in POME. Even POME meeting the low BOD standard can still contribute to eutrophication if discharged into rivers in large volumes, thereby harming aquatic ecosystems. This underscores the need for a more holistic approach to wastewater management that considers both environmental impact and resource utilization, rather than a narrow focus on a single parameter like BOD.

So, a figure of 100 mg/l does not mean it is safe. If the volume is large, it can still pollute.

— Dr. Gunawan DjajakiranaExplaining the limitations of the BOD standard.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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