DEVELOPMENT OF ADSORBENT AND PROCESS PRODUCTION OF INDUSTRIAL VEGETABLE OIL

• Main Author: Rafani Onggono, Gamma
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/84934
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Palm oil is one of Indonesia’s and the world’s more important commodities, as it is used in many industries, from food to cosmetics and transportation. As the demand for palm oil products increase, new ways of processing palm oil are needed. In response to this growing concern, a new standard of processed palm oil, Industrial Palm Oil (IVO) was introduced. Traditionally, most CPO produced is processed into Refined Bleached Deodorised Palm Oil (RBDPO), a highly refined, clear, and odourless product fit for use in many consumer applications. However, much of the beta-carotene is removed in this application due to consumer tastes; IVO does not require the removal of beta-carotene. The removal of betacarotene stems from the bleaching process, which uses bleaching earth (BE) typically made of bentonite. The state-of-the-art for BE today is acid-activated BE, where bentonite is activated by immersion in mineral acid under high temperatures and low pressure. This removes a lot of the beta-carotene. This paper aims to develop a bentonite-based adsorbent by activation using an activating agent, namely hydrochloric acid, and potassium hydroxide. The performance of the adsorbent will be analysed by measuring certain key properties of the IVO, such as phosphorus, iron, chloride and alkali metal content, using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, atom absorption spectrophotometry and ion exchange chromatography techniques. The adsorbent properties will also be analysed using isotherm adsorption. Results show KOH-activated bentonite as a promising alternative to acid-activated bentonite. While performance in other key areas is comparable, KOH-activated bentonite manages to retain more carotene than HCl-activated bentonite, while having a positive correlation between carotene retention and activation concentration.