Eksplorasi Fungi dari Limbah POME dan Potensinya untuk Mikoremediasi
Zakaria, Prof. Rina Sri Kasiamdari, Ph.D dan Dr. Miftahul Ilmi, M.Si
2025 | Tesis | S2 Biologi
Limbah POME (Palm
Oil Mill Effluent) merupakan limbah cair hasil dari ekstraksi minyak tandan
buah segar di Pabrik Kelapa Sawit (PKS). Parameter yang digunakan untuk
mengukur kualitas limbah POME meliputi BOD, COD, TSS, dan kadar minyak. Limbah
POME dari PKS dapat merusak lingkungan jika kandungan dari limbah tesebut tidak
diolah dengan baik. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui spesies
fungi yang berpotensi sebagai agen remediasi limbah POME. Beberapa tahapan yang
dilakukan dalam penelitian ini yaitu isolasi fungi dari limbah POME, skrining
isolat fungi potensial berdasarkan uji kualitatif enzim amilase, lipase,
selulase, dan protease, serta analisis fisikokimia terhadap sampel limbah cair
(BOD, COD, TSS, minyak, dan pH). Selanjutnya dilakukan identifikasi isolat
fungi potensial berdasarkan karakter morfologi. Hasil isolasi menunjukkan
sebanyak 100 isolat fungi berhasil diperoleh dari limbah POME. Seluruh isolat
tersebut diseleksi melalui uji kualitatif enzim, di mana sebanyak 25 isolat
memproduksi enzim selulase, 25 isolat memproduksi amilase, 25 isolat
memproduksi protease, dan 23 isolat memproduksi lipase. Berdasarkan keempat uji
enzim tersebut, diperoleh lima isolat fungi, yaitu L1(10), O2(8),
T3(5), T3(13), dan T3(16), yang mampu
memproduksi seluruh enzim dan berpotensi untuk mikoremediasi limbah POME. Selanjutnya dilakukan uji degradasi limbah POME
menggunakan spektrofotometer terhadap kelima isolat tersebut. Hasil degradasi
menunjukkan bahwa isolat fungi optimal adalah T3(16), dengan
efisiensi degradasi tertinggi pada konsentrasi 25%, 50%, 75%, dan 100%, yaitu
masing-masing sebesar 77,82%, 61,80%, 27,66%, dan 23,16% setelah 168 jam
inkubasi. Berdasarkan karakterisasi morfologi, isolat T3(16)
memiliki kemiripan dengan genus Pythium. Hasil pengamatan menggunakan
SEM menunjukkan bahwa sel fungi mengalami kerusakan dan penebalan dinding sel,
yang merupakan mekanisme pertahanan terhadap stres lingkungan serta bagian dari
proses biosorben limbah POME. Isolat Pythium T3(16)
menunjukkan performa optimal dalam menurunkan parameter pencemar BOD sebesar
95,10%, COD sebesar 95,15%, minyak sebesar 99,94%, dan TSS sebesar 94,77%,
serta penurunan pH dari 5,0 menjadi 7,2.
POME (Palm Oil Mill Effluent) is a liquid waste generated from the extraction process of fresh fruit bunches in Palm Oil Mills (PKS). Parameters used to assess POME quality include BOD, COD, TSS, and oil content. POME from palm oil mills can cause environmental damage if its pollutants are not properly treated. This study aimed to identify fungal species with potential as remediation agents for POME. Several stages were carried out in this study, including the isolation of fungi from POME, screening of potential fungal isolates based on qualitative enzyme assays (amylase, lipase, cellulase, and protease), and physicochemical analysis of the liquid waste samples (BOD, COD, TSS, oil, and pH). Subsequently, potential fungal isolates were identified based on morphological characteristics. The isolation process yielded 100 fungal isolates from POME. All isolates were screened through qualitative enzyme assays, where 25 isolates produced cellulase, 25 produced amylase, 25 produced protease, and 23 produced lipase. Based on these four enzyme assays, five fungal isolates—L1(10), O2(8), T3(5), T3(13), and T3(16)—were identified to produce all four enzymes and were considered potential candidates for POME mycoremediation. Degradation tests of POME were then conducted using a spectrophotometer on the five selected isolates. The results showed that the most optimal fungal isolate was T3(16), which achieved the highest degradation efficiency at concentrations of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, with respective degradation rates of 77.82%, 61.80%, 27.66%, and 23.16?ter 168 hours of incubation. Based on morphological characterization, isolate T3(16) showed similarity to the genus Pythium. SEM observations revealed cellular damage and thickening of fungal cell walls, indicating a defense mechanism against environmental stress and a biosorption response to POME. The Pythium T3(16) isolate demonstrated optimal performance in reducing pollutant parameters, including BOD by 95.10%, COD by 95.15%, oil by 99.94%, and TSS by 94.77%, while increasing the pH from 5.0 to 7.2.
Kata Kunci : POME Waste, Phytium, SEM, and Degradation
