Effectiveness of Acid-Activated Oil Palm Fiber and Quartz Sand Adsorbents in Reducing Wastewater Pollutant Parameters

Hari Ananda Syahputra Siregar; Rafael remit Winardi

doi:10.70716/reswara.v4i3.662

Authors

Hari Ananda Syahputra Siregar Study Program of Plantation Product Processing Technology, Institut Teknologi Sawit Indonesia, Medan, Indonesia Author
Rafael remit Winardi Study Program of Plantation Product Processing Technology, Institut Teknologi Sawit Indonesia, Medan, Indonesia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70716/reswara.v4i3.662

Keywords:

adsorption column, oil palm fiber, quartz sand, palm oil mill wastewater, wastewater treatment

Abstract

Abstract: Palm oil mill wastewater contains high concentrations of organic pollutants and suspended solids that may degrade environmental quality if discharged without proper treatment. This study evaluated the effectiveness of acid-activated oil palm fiber and quartz sand as column adsorbents for improving wastewater quality. The experiment employed a quantitative laboratory approach using a completely randomized design with three adsorbent ratios, namely 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3, each with three replications. The observed parameters included total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), color, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and pH. The results showed that the adsorbent column was highly effective in reducing color and moderately effective in lowering BOD and COD, but it increased TSS and TDS. The best color removal was obtained at the 1:2 ratio with a final concentration of 22.00 TCU and an efficiency of 92.93%. The greatest BOD reduction occurred at the 1:3 ratio with a final concentration of 41.03 mg/L and an efficiency of 66.15%, while the best COD reduction was observed at the 1:1 ratio with a final concentration of 233.53 mg/L and an efficiency of 23.63%. The pH increased from 4.81 to 8.34-9.09 after treatment. ANOVA indicated that adsorbent ratio significantly affected BOD and COD, but did not significantly influence TSS, TDS, color, or pH. These findings suggest that acid-activated oil palm fiber and quartz sand have potential as alternative adsorbent media for palm oil mill wastewater treatment, particularly for color and biodegradable organic load removal.

References

Anggraini, N., Agustina, T. E., & Hadiah, F. (2022). Pengaruh pH dalam pengolahan air limbah laboratorium dengan metode adsorpsi untuk penurunan kadar logam berat Pb, Cu, dan Cd. Jurnal Ilmu Lingkungan, 20(2), 345–355. https://doi.org/10.14710/jil.20.2.345-355

Bancin, S. A. (2024). Analisis limbah cair kelapa sawit pada instalasi pengelolaan air limbah (IPAL) di PT Perkebunan Lembah Bhakti-2. Amina, 6(2), 75–81. https://doi.org/10.22373/amina.v6i2.6522

Chairunnisa, Z. N., & Fuadi, A. M. (2023). Efektivitas adsorben karbon aktif dari tempurung kelapa untuk pengolahan limbah cair pabrik tahu. Jurnal Inovasi Teknik Kimia, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.31942/inteka.v18i1.8091

Do, D. D. (1998). Fundamentals of adsorption and diffusion in microporous materials. World Scientific. https://doi.org/10.1142/9781860943829

Edahwati, L., & Suprihatin. (2009). Kombinasi proses aerasi, adsorpsi, dan filtrasi pada pengolahan air limbah industri perikanan. Jurnal Ilmiah Teknik Lingkungan, 1(2), 79–83.

Faisal, F., Hafizullah, M., & Fibarzi, W. U. (2023). Penyerapan COD dari limbah cair pabrik minyak kelapa sawit menggunakan fly ash dari PLTU Suak Puntong-Nagan Raya. Jurnal Teknologi Kimia Unimal, 12(2), 305–318. https://doi.org/10.29103/jtku.v12i2.14896

Husnawati, H., Bhernama, B. G., & Tarmizi, T. (2022). Analisis air boiler dengan parameter pH, alkalinitas, TDS, hardness, dan silika di PT Beurata Subur Persada. Amina, 3(2), 62–68. https://doi.org/10.22373/amina.v3i2.2002

Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup. (1995). Keputusan Menteri Negara Lingkungan Hidup Nomor 51 Tahun 1995 tentang baku mutu limbah cair bagi kegiatan industri. https://toolsfortransformation.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/51-tahun-1995-Baku-mutu-limbah-cair-industri.pdf

Kurniati, E. (2008). Pemanfaatan cangkang kelapa sawit sebagai arang aktif. Jurnal Penelitian Ilmu Teknik, 8(2), 96–103.

Meisrilestari, Y., Khomaini, R., & Wijayanti, H. (2013). Pembuatan arang aktif dari cangkang kelapa sawit dengan aktivasi secara fisika, kimia, dan fisika-kimia. Konversi, 2(1), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.20527/k.v2i1.136

Melisa, M., & Apriyanto, M. (2020). Pengolahan limbah cair pabrik kelapa sawit (Studi kasus pada PT Tri Bakti Sarimas PKS 2 Ibul, Riau). Jurnal Teknologi Pertanian, 9(2), 86–93. https://doi.org/10.32520/jtp.v9i2.1281

Reynolds, T. D., & Richards, P. A. (1996). Unit operations and processes in environmental engineering (2nd ed.). PWS Publishing Company.

Rusdianto, R., Akbari, T., & Fitriyah, F. (2022). Efisiensi adsorpsi arang tempurung kelapa (Cocos nucifera L.) dalam menurunkan kadar BOD, COD, TSS, dan pH pada limbah cair deterjen rumah tangga. Jurnal Lingkungan dan Sumberdaya Alam (JURNALIS), 5(1), 73–83. https://doi.org/10.47080/jls.v5i1.1758

Susmanto, P., Yandriani, Y., Dila, A. P., & Pratiwi, D. R. (2020). Pengolahan zat warna direk limbah cair industri jumputan menggunakan karbon aktif limbah tempurung kelapa pada kolom adsorpsi. JRST (Jurnal Riset Sains dan Teknologi), 4(2), 77–84. https://doi.org/10.30595/jrst.v4i2.7309

Syukur, A., Indah, S., & Komala, P. S. (2023). Studi kinetika dan isoterm adsorpsi abu tandan kosong kelapa sawit dalam penyisihan warna air limbah pabrik minyak kelapa sawit. CIVED, 10(1), 218–227. https://doi.org/10.24036/cived.v10i1.377112

Tenrilawa, E. (2021). Analisis kadar total suspended solid (TSS) dan total dissolved solid (TDS) pada air limbah di TPA Laempa Kecamatan Lalabata Kabupaten Soppeng [Skripsi sarjana, Akademi Teknik Industri Makassar]. https://sisformik.atim.ac.id/media/filejudul/158Tugas%20Akhir%20Elsa.pdf

Winardi, R. R., & Prasetyo, H. (2025). Aktivasi bioadsorben pelepah sawit untuk memperbaiki kualitas limbah cair pabrik kelapa sawit. Factory: Jurnal Industri, Manajemen dan Rekayasa Sistem Industri, 3(3), 114–119. https://doi.org/10.56211/factory.v3i3.893