Utilization of Palm Kernel Shell Ash to Improve Used Palm Cooking Oil Quality

Palm kernel shell ash (PKSA) is a waste from the use of palm kernel shell as fuel which is very abundant, especially in Riau, Indonesia.The objective of this study utilized the PKSA to improve the quality of used palm cooking oil.The characteristics of PKSA were analyzed using FTIR to determine the presence of Si-O-Si and XRF to determine the amount of SiO 2 that functions as an adsorbent.This study determined the optimization of PKSA weight variations in reducing pollutant parameters in used palm cooking oil followed by optimum contact time variations.PKSA weight variations were 5g, 10g, 15g, and 20g, while the variations of contact time were 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks.The parameters tested included color, water content, free fatty acids (FFA) and peroxide value (PV) in used palm cooking oil to be compared with the quality requirements for palm cooking oil in SNI 01-3741-2002.The results showed that the optimum weight of PKSA is 20 g with a contact time of 2 weeks.These conditions can reduce the red content of used palm cooking oil by 76.47%, moisture content 81.21%, FFA 59.01% and the PV 61.40%.The parameters of color, moisture content and FFA in these conditions are in accordance with the requirements for palm cooking oil quality according to SNI, while the PV parameter does not meet the SNI but still experiences a decrease.