Optimization Process of Oil Palm Biomass-Based Activated Carbon for Palm Oil Mill Effluent Treatment

Abstract

The rapid expansion of the palm oil industry has significantly increased the volume of palm oil mill wastewater, creating a growing need for its effective treatment and management. Filtration is one of the unit operations involved in treating Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME), and activated carbon is a commonly used medium in filtration systems. In this study, activated carbon was synthesized from oil palm biomass, including empty fruit bunch (EFB) and palm kernel shell (PKS). The synthesis involved a series of experiments with varying concentrations of H3PO4 (20–60% w/w), activation temperatures (70–100 C), and activation times (30–60 min). The operating conditions for activation were varied using a 23-factor complete factorial design with one center point (analyzed in the Minitab Program). Performance analysis was conducted by evaluating the ability of activated carbon to reduce pollutant parameters in POME, including biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and color. Activated carbon from EFB and PKS was successfully synthesized with larger pores, ranging from 10.91 um to 15.22 um, compared to raw EFB and PKS, which had pore sizes ranging from 1.52 um to 2.11 um. It was also found that activation temperature significantly affected the percentage of COD and BOD removal compared to phosphoric acid concentration and activation time. The optimum adsorbent was a 75% PKS:25% EFB mixture, activated with 20 wt% H3PO4 at 70 C for 30 min, achieving a COD removal of 64.0% along with a maximum BOD of 91.2%.