Extraction of Residual Oil from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is oily wastewater produced during palm oil processing process. When organic compounds, such as residual oil in POME, are released into the environment, they deplete oxygen, causing harm to aquatic ecosystems. As a result, effective treatment methods for POME should be done before it is discharged into streams. In this study, residual oil is extracted before it can be safely released as effluent. POME residual oil was extracted using soxhlet extraction technique using two different solvents; methanol and n-hexane. For qualitative analysis of the extracted oil, Fourier Transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used, and brine shrimp toxicity was tested on the POME to determine whether the POME has toxic effect on the organisms. The results show that 0.05g and 0.07g of oil were extracted from 500 mL of POME using the soxhlet method with methanol and n-hexane, respectively. Peaks at 3405 cm-1 indicate carboxylic acid O-H stretch, while peaks at 2923 cm-1 and 2852 cm-1 indicate C-H stretch. Other peaks at 1745 cm-1 and 1103 cm-1 correspond to C=O stretch and C-O stretch, respectively. The functional groups found are similar to those found in unsaturated fatty acids like linoleic acid in palm oil. Brine shrimp mortality test results show a 100% mortality rate when the shrimps were exposed to POME, indicating that POME alone is toxic to aquatic organisms