PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF PALM OIL MILL EFFLUENT (POME) USING MN DOPED ZRO2 PHOTOCATALYST

• Main Author: I Gusti Ngurah Waradhana Nugraha
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/84356
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

For industrial sectors, environmental considerations are crucial. As one of the biggest producers of palm oil, Indonesia should pay closer attention to Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME), which is a highly toxic waste to the environment. Photocatalysis is a green method that has emerged as a feasible option for the degradation of a wide spectrum of organic pollutants. The existing photocatalytic technology has drawbacks that hinder industrial applications. The utilization of visible light is insufficient, there is rapid charge recombination, and the photo-generated electrons and holes have poor migration properties. Several elements, such as noble metals and transition metals as well as nonmetals and metalloids, have been used to improve the photodegradation performance. ZrO2 photocatalyst has been widely employed for possible applications including sensors, water splitting, fuel cells, polymer nanocomposites, high temperature ceramics, catalysis, biological materials, and restorative dentistry due to its appealing chemical and physical features, low cost, and eco-friendly nature. The manganese doped ZrO2 photocatalyst is a very appealing photocatalyst because of its high efficiency and relatively simple manufacturing process. The method to synthesize the Mn-ZrO2 photocatalyst is through co-precipitation method. The photocatalytic process in this research uses a light source from a 500 W xenon lamp. The modifications made in this study were the POME concentration of 40, 50 and 60 dilution factor and catalyst loading of 1, 1.5, and 2 g/L. Catalyst characterization performed on each sample was XRD, UV-VIS DRS Spectroscopy, and BET.