Location: Indonesia

The importance of sustainable waste management is often understated when especially referring the palm oil industry in Indonesia. Along with its myriad of problems that arise in practicing consistently safe waste management across different sectors, the palm oil industry bears no exception.

The aim of this study therefore is to conduct an analysis of various level policies and regulations in Indonesia that enable and perhaps promote the use of biogas technology as the primary waste management technology for palm oil mill effluent (POME). To achieve the main objective, we will break it down to two research questions:

1. The current regulatory and policy framework under which waste management regarding POME is regulated
2. Explore future policy development to further underline the role of biogas technology for managing POME waste.

This research will primarily utilize a qualitative approach, backed by a comprehensive desk study. To achieve this objective, there will be several steps:

1. Conduct a strong desk study which reviews all existing literature regarding biogas technology for POME waste management, including from books, journal articles, and research reports
2. The primary and secondary data will undergo content analysis to determine the current regulatory framework of waste management from palm oil mills, more specifically the palm oil mill effluent (POME). Aside from the policies, the analysis will help researchers determine the key actors that are/should be involved in policy development for POME waste management through biogas. Furthermore, the data will undergo gap analysis, which will help researchers develop recommendations on further policy development.