DOI: https://doi.org/10.61435/jbes.2026.20009

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Methane Capture Implementation Scenario in Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Treatment

1PT Cipta Inovasi Berkelanjutan (Ailesh), Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 55581, Indonesia

2Bumitama Gunajaya Agro (BGA Group), South Jakarta, DKI Jakarta, Indonesia 12160, Indonesia

3PT Gunajaya Karya Gemilang, Ketapang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia 78862, Indonesia

Received: 27 Feb 2026; Published: 11 Jun 2026.
Editor(s): H. Hadiyanto
Open Access Copyright (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Centre of Biomass and Renewable Energy (CBIORE)
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract
The palm oil industry plays a strategic role in the Indonesian economy as a major global exporter of vegetable oils. Crude Palm Oil (CPO) is extensively utilized in the food, pharmaceutical, and energy sectors. Despite its economic importance, CPO production generates Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME), a liquid waste. POME is commonly treated using open pond systems, where anaerobic degradation of organic matter leads to methane emission, contributing to climate change and adverse human health impacts. Methane capture has been proposed as an effective mitigation strategy to reduce methane emissions from POME treatment. However, its environmental performance requires an evaluation. This study assesses the environmental impacts of POME treatment under business-as-usual conditions and methane capture implementation scenarios with capture efficiencies of 20%, 50%, and 80% using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. A gate-to-gate system boundary was applied with a declared unit of 1 kg of CPO produced. Environmental impact calculations were performed using openLCA version 2.5.0 with the Ecoinvent v3.11 database as secondary data. The results indicate that increasing methane capture efficiency leads to a consistent reduction in environmental impacts, particularly in the Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Photochemical Ozone Formation Potential (POFP) categories. Methane emissions have the significant role in exacerbating greenhouse gas effects and facilitating tropospheric ozone formation. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the potential of methane capture implementation to enhance the environmental performance of the palm oil industry and supports its consideration as a sustainable mitigation strategy.

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Supplementary Figures and Tables for "Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Methane Capture Implementation Scenario in Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Treatment" Manuscript
Subject Crude Palm Oil (CPO), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Methane Capture, Palm Oil Industry, Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)
Type Research Results
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Copyright Transfer Agreement for “Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Methane Capture Implementation Scenario in POME Treatment"
Subject Crude Palm Oil (CPO), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Methane Capture, Palm Oil Industry, Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)
Type Copyright Transfer Agreement
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 Cover Letter
Cover Letter and Proposed Reviewers for “Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Methane Capture Implementation Scenario in POME Treatment" Manuscript Submission
Subject Crude Palm Oil (CPO), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Methane Capture, Palm Oil Industry, Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)
Type Cover Letter
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Keywords: Crude Palm Oil (CPO), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Methane Capture, Palm Oil Industry, Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)
Funding: PT Cipta Inovasi Berkelanjutan (Ailesh); Bumitama Gunajaya Agro (BGA Group); PT Gunajaya Karya Gemilang

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Section: Research Articles
Language : EN
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