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Treatment of Palm Oil Mill Effluent by Metallic Activated Carbon Derived
From Microwave Pyrolysis of Palm Kernel Shell
Carmil Chai
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lam Su Shiung
Bachelor of Technology (Environment)
School of Ocean Engineering
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Palm oil mill effluent (POME) represents a harmful waste that needs to be treated
before it is released to the environment. In this study, palm kernel shell (PKS) was
examined for its potential to be converted into activated carbon (AC) using microwave
pyrolysis with chemical activation. The AC obtained was then impregnated with nickel
and aluminum atoms via wet impregnation method (termed “metallic AC”) and tested
for POME treatment. Up to 33% yield of AC was produced and the AC showed high
BET surface area and contained a highly porous structure, exhibiting high adsorption
capacity. The subsequent conversion of AC into metallic AC showed a higher removal
rate than normal AC in reducing biochemical oxygen demand (up to 85%) and
chemical oxygen demand (up to 89%). Our results indicate that microwave pyrolysis
shows promise to transform PKS into a high-grade AC, which can be further upgraded
into metallic AC for use in POME treatment.
24 | U M T U N D E R G R A D U A T E R E S E A R C H D A Y 2019