Activated Carbon Production from Sugarcane Bagasse and Coffee Ground as Bleaching Agent in Palm Oil Processing

The increasing demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in the palm oil industry has prompted the exploration of alternative bleaching agents. This proposal investigates the production of activated carbon from agricultural waste, specifically sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and coffee grounds (CG), as a viable bleaching agent in palm oil processing. The objective of this research is to produce activated carbon from SCB and CG and study the effectiveness of the resulting activated carbon in bleaching process of palm oil. Both SCB and CG underwent a pre-treatment and chemical activation process, followed by final carbonization at two different temperatures. During the bleaching process, 70 grams of crude palm oil were combined with the activated carbon and then heated and stirred for 150 minutes. From the obtained results, both types of activated carbon effectively bleached palm oil, with the activated carbon derived from sugarcane bagasse demonstrating superior bleaching potential compared to that made from coffee grounds. The significant reductions in acid value (AV), free fatty acids (FFA), and peroxide value (PV) highlight the effectiveness of this product as a bleaching agent.