CAROTENOID ISOLATION FROM RED PALM OIL WITH MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY

• Main Author: Aurora Tambunan, Fiona
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Teknologi makanan
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/56207
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Palm oil is a great carotenoid source with abundant amount in Indonesia. Red palm oil (RPO) is a palm oil which is low in free fatty acid and gum that still contains a lot of carotenoids. RPO can be used as a feedstock for biodiesel production (Red Palm Methyl Ester/RPME) through the transesterification reaction. The RPME product still has high carotenoid content from RPO. Therefore, this research aims to isolate carotenoids from RPO using membrane technology. Al2O3 ceramic membrane reactor (MR) in microfiltration size is used to carry out the RPO transesterification. In MR, separation of high carotenoid RPME from reaction feedstock happens through the transesterification reaction so that the reaction conversion can be increased to optimize the separation of carotenoids from RPO. A polyamide nanofiltration membrane (NF) is used to separate carotenoids from RPME. Reaction temperature, MR operating pressure, and NR operating pressure were varied to obtain the best separation result. Carotenoid content was analyzed with UV-Vis spectrophotometer. FAME conversion was determined with stoichiometric approach. Nanofiltration of beta-carotene (480 ppm) mixed FAME solution was run on various operation pressure from 1,5 to 8 bar. Best separation was obtained from nanofiltration on 1,5 bar pressure resulting 91,53% carotene rejection and average permeate flux of 0,1993 kg/m2h. RPO (2037 ppm) was transesterified in MR at various operating condition (T = 50-65oC, P = 0-15 bar) and best result was obtained at T = 60oC and P = 1,5 bar resulting 75,25% FAME conversion and 471 ppm carotene content in transesterification product. RPME product from RPO transesterification in MR is processed further in the nanofiltration membrane on optimum operating pressure (1,5 bar), resulting 96,3% carotene rejection and average permeate flux of 0,1286 kg/m2h. RPO transesterification was also run in an conventional reactor for comparison.