TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCTION BIO-BTX FROM OIL PALM EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH

• Main Author: Utari Tantri , Ella Prastica , Della
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/26469
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

<p align="justify">Benzene, toluene, and xylene compounds are important chemicals in the petroleum refining industry. These compounds are widely required as precursors for various compounds and polymers, such as phenol, trinitrotoluene (TNT), nylon, and plastics. Alternative renewable resources are increasingly attracting attention due to the increasing energy demand and the limited supply of fossil fuels. Oil palm is widely grown and industrialized in Indonesia. The main problem in the utilization of oil palm is the waste generated. For each kg of palm oil produced, 1,1 kg of oil palm EFB, which can be used as an alternative resource to produce BTX compounds by catalytic pyrolysis, is produced. The catalysts known today still have low activity, thus further development of catalysts is necessary to improve the yield and the selectivity of BTX products. <br /> <br /> <br /> This research aims to develop catalyst capable of processing oil palm empty fruit bunches into bio-BTX. The chosen catalyst is HZSM-5, which activity is tested in a fixed bed reactor. GVL is used as the chemical precursor for oil palm EFB. The variation investigated in this research includes ZSM-5 Si/Al ratio (25, 38, & 50), reaction temperature (300ºC, 400ºC, dan 500ºC), LHSV (1/h, 3/h, 4,1/h), dan Zn metal loading (1%, 2%, dan 3%). The variations are done to investigate the best condition for aromatization reaction towards GVL. <br /> <br /> <br /> The research is divided into four stages: raw material preparation, zeolite modification and characterization, catalytic pyrolysis, and product analysis. Modification of zeolite ZSM-5 will be done by dry impregnation with Zn. The catalyst is characterized by using XRD, BET, NH3-TPD, and XRF. The liquid product obtained from the experiment is analyzed by using GC-FID. <br /> <br /> <br /> The best catalyst for GVL (as chemical precursor for palm EFB) aromatization reaction to BTX is Zn-ZSM-5 2%-w (Si/Al = 25). The best yield is obtained with LHSV 4,1/h and reaction temperature of 500ºC.<p align="justify"> <br />