Optimization of Turbidity and Organic Matter Removal from Palm Oil Mill Effluent by Batch Adsorption Using Gasification-Derived Pinus patula Biochar
- 1Grupo de Investigación Energía Alternativa, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellín 050010, Colombia
- 2Escuela Ambiental, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellín 050010, Colombia
Abstract
In the palm oil agroindustry, large volumes of POME (palm oil mill effluent) are generated during the oil extraction process, representing a significant source of water pollution by organic matter (OM) and turbidity. In this work, gasification-derived biochar from Pinus patula wood pellets was evaluated as an adsorbing material for POME treatment. For this purpose, a face-centred central composite design of experiments was used, and biochar dose and the pH of the solution were optimized through a second-order regression model. POME samples were taken from an agro-industrial company located in Colombia. The study identified a dose of biochar of 6 g/L and a pH of 6, as optimal operating conditions, achieving turbidity and OM in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal values of 58.27% and >50% at a treatment time of 30 min, respectively. The high specific surface area (367.33 m2/g) and pore volume (0.20 cm3/g) of the Pinus patula biochar used favoured turbidity and OM elimination mainly by physical mechanisms, such as pore filling and intraparticle diffusion, since the biochar surface remained near neutral at the optimal pH value found, minimizing electrostatic interactions. These results suggest that Pinus patula biochar has the potential to be used as an alternative technique to eliminate turbidity and decrease COD in POME. Additionally, it contributes to circular bioeconomy approaches through the valorisation of forestry solid waste in biochar production.
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BibTeX
@article{riveromestra2026optimization,
title = {{Optimization of Turbidity and Organic Matter Removal from Palm Oil Mill Effluent by Batch Adsorption Using Gasification-Derived Pinus patula Biochar}},
author = {Marlyn Y. Rivero-Mestra and Carolina Gallego-Ramírez and Ainhoa Rubio-Clemente},
journal = {Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31193514},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13666685},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Optimization of Turbidity and Organic Matter Removal from Palm Oil Mill Effluent by Batch Adsorption Using Gasification-Derived Pinus patula Biochar
AU - Marlyn Y. Rivero-Mestra
AU - Carolina Gallego-Ramírez
AU - Ainhoa Rubio-Clemente
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/molecules31193514
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13666685
AB - In the palm oil agroindustry, large volumes of POME (palm oil mill effluent) are generated during the oil extraction process, representing a significant source of water pollution by organic matter (OM) and turbidity. In this work, gasification-derived biochar from Pinus patula wood pellets was evaluated as an adsorbing material for POME treatment. For this purpose, a face-centred central composite design of experiments was used, and biochar dose and the pH of the solution were optimized through a second-order regression model. POME samples were taken from an agro-industrial company located in Colombia. The study identified a dose of biochar of 6 g/L and a pH of 6, as optimal operating conditions, achieving turbidity and OM in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal values of 58.27% and >50% at a treatment time of 30 min, respectively. The high specific surface area (367.33 m2/g) and pore volume (0.20 cm3/g) of the Pinus patula biochar used favoured turbidity and OM elimination mainly by physical mechanisms, such as pore filling and intraparticle diffusion, since the biochar surface remained near neutral at the optimal pH value found, minimizing electrostatic interactions. These results suggest that Pinus patula biochar has the potential to be used as an alternative technique to eliminate turbidity and decrease COD in POME. Additionally, it contributes to circular bioeconomy approaches through the valorisation of forestry solid waste in biochar production.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -