Palm oil mill surrounded by vast, large-scale oil palm plantations and its palm oil mill effluent (POME) containment ponds. POME, the by-product of the extraction and purification process, is 90% - 96% water but 4%-5% solids and the rest is residual sludgy oil. If this toxic mix were released directly into the environment, untreated, it can increase soil acidity and change natural enzyme activity. POME is treated by bacteria, algae or fungi. Near Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia//WHITLOWDELANOJAMES_SIPA.59775/Credit:James Whitlow Delano/SIPA/2411131740