The greening of palm oil mill effluent (POME): Can we turn greenhouse gas emissions into clean energy?

Palm oil is the fastest growing agricultural industry in the world. Palm oil mills produce vast quantities of wastewater that emit teragrams of methane annually. Methane- capture technology represents a promising way to convert this environmental problem into a bioenergy solution, however its long-term sustainability depends on maximizing methane yield while minimizing the variability in methane production. The ecology of the diverse methane- producing microbial communities holds the keys to greening palm oil mill effluent, and producing a long-term clean energy source.