Abstract

Nigeria is the fifth largest producer of oil palm in the world with domestic production of 930 thousand metric tonnes accounting for about 1.5% of global output. Oil palm industry has positive economic impacts. As such, it is a source of employment to millions of people in Nigeria. In Nigeria, little is said about the environmental impacts of the industry. Therefore, this paper reviewed the environmental impacts of oil palm processing in Nigeria. The study found that oil palm processing emits three waste streams including gaseous (pollutant gases), liquid (palm oil mill effluent i.e. POME) and solid (palm press fibre, chaff, palm kernel shell and empty fruit bunch). Only small fractions of the solid wastes are utilized as boilers fuel by the oil palm industry, while the rest are discharged into the environment with little or treatment. POME impacts on the soil properties, the combustion of solid wastes emit suspended solid which often exceed the permissible limits stipulated by Federal Ministry of Environment/Department of Petroleum Resources which is a source of comparison since no limit for processing sectors like oil palm. This paper concludes by suggesting biotechnological application as options for wastes management.