DEVELOPMENT OF KINETIC MODEL FOR ADSORPTION OF CAROTENOIDS ON ACTIVATED CLAY IN THE BLEACHING OF PALM OIL

Egbuna Samuel

Abstract: In this work the mechanism of adsorption for the bleaching of palm oil using activated clay as adsorbent was studied. Tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid was used to activate a local (Inyi) clay obtained from Oji River province in Enugu State. The sample of palm oil used in the study was obtained from Akpugo in the same state and was bleached with the activated clay. The oil was characterized before and after bleaching and the results used in the study. It was observed that acid addition increases the bleaching efficiency of activated clay. The mechanism of palm oil bleaching with the activated clay was developed from the results obtained. The stability of the oil was measured in terms of Free Fatty Acid (FFA) 0.12%, Peroxide Value (PV) 3.0 m.eq/kg, Anisidine Value(AV) 4.55 m.eq/kg, Iodine Value (IV) 48, Iron (Fe) 4.3 x 103 (Ppm), and Phosphorous content 0.015 (Ppm), all of which were compared with those of the American Oil Chemist Society (AOCS) standard values.

Keywords: Adsorption Kinetics, Mechanism of adsorption, Activation, Bleaching, Characterization, and Stability

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2014.0301065