PHENOL FROM PALM BIO-OIL VIA SALT EXTRACTION

Renewable source of energy and chemicals is highly sought after nowadays with the
alarming global concerns on the price insecurity, source depletion and environmental
impact of the fossil fuel usage. Biomass becomes the source of interest to obtain energy
and products that are environmental friendly with net zero carbon footprints, especially
for Malaysia that has to manage abundant agricultural wastes. Malaysian palm biomass
i.e. kernel shell, empty fruit brunch and trunk can be processed using a thermal treatment
called pyrolysis to produce bio-oil, a complex mixture of phenolic compounds, acetic
acid and aldehyds. In this study, phenol is going to be extracted using liquid-liquid
extraction method. Addition small amount of salt at ambient condition in different of
cations and anions including ZnS04. MgS04, Na2S04, K2S04, ZnCh, MgCh, NaCl and
KCl; into bio-oil would form two phases of bio-oil which is light phase and dark phase.
The results of this separation were analyzed by using GC-FID. It found that polar
compound will concentrated in light phase while the non-polar compound including
phenol concentrated in dark phase. Different types of salt and salts concentration will
give different value of phenol in dark phase.