Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences
ISSN: Online 1818-7803ISSN: Print 1816-949x
Abstract
Local clay samples were obtained and activated for use in palm oil bleaching. The clay samples: Kaolin (from Mbano in Imo State), Bentonite (from Ohaozara in Ebonyi State) and Fuller’s earth (from Bauchi in Bauchi State) were activated at 80-85°C for 35 to 40 min, using caustic soda (NaOH) at concentrations of 1M, 2M, 3M and 4M, respectively. The alkali-activated clays were then tested on palm oil of 7.68% FFA, 0.9 moisture and volatile content and 67.95 colour. The bleaching was done at about 150°C within 20 min and a Lovibond (two cell) tintometer was used to measure the extent of bleaching in terms of percentage colour reduction. The percentage colour reduction of the bleached palm oil was modelled against alkali concentration used in clay activation for the three samples. The results obtained reveal that, within the range of the experimental data, the percentage colour reduction for Kaolin and Fuller’s earth can be adequately modelled using a third order polynomial with correlation coefficients of unity respectively, while that of Bentonite can be modelled using a logarithmic function with a correlation coefficient of 0.9866. Based on the models, Kaolin and Fuller’s earth gave the best results when activated with 3M and 2.9M NaOH solutions respectively-giving percentage colour reductions of 76.38 and 80.69% respectively-while optimum performance for Bentonite was after activation with 1M NaOH solution, which gave 78.66% colour reduction.
How to cite this article:
C.A. Okwara and E.C. Osoka . Caustic Activation of Local Clays for Palm Oil Bleaching.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36478/jeasci.2006.526.529
URL: https://www.makhillpublications.co/view-article/1816-949x/jeasci.2006.526.529