The Effect of Activated Carbon From Palm Oil Kernel Shells on Waste Cooking Oil for Soap Production
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Abstract
This study addresses the existing limitation in integrated waste valorization approaches by combining palm kernel shell–derived activated carbon production, waste cooking oil purification, and solid soap manufacturing within a UMKM-based circular economy model. Unlike previous studies that focus separately on adsorbent synthesis or oil purification, this research evaluates the adsorption performance quantitatively and links it directly to downstream soap quality. Activated carbon was synthesized via controlled pyrolysis (400 °C) followed by KOH activation (800 °C) and characterized using FTIR. The purification process reduced free fatty acid (FFA) content from 2.35 ± 0.02% to 0.43 ± 0.01%, corresponding to an adsorption efficiency of 81.7%. The adsorption capacity was calculated and statistical validation was performed in triplicate experiments. The resulting solid soap exhibited stable pH (8.89 ± 0.05) and satisfactory physical properties. These findings demonstrate the scientific and practical contribution of palm kernel shell activated carbon as a sustainable bioadsorbent supporting circular economy implementation at the UMKM scale.
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License and Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c): Yelmiza Yelmiza, Rahma Joni, Muhamad Rokim, Hazra Yuvendius, Elvira Zondra, Arlenny Arlenny (2026)
How to Cite
Yelmiza, Y., Joni, R., Rokim, M., Yuvendius, H., Zondra, E., & Arlenny, A. (2026). The Effect of Activated Carbon From Palm Oil Kernel Shells on Waste Cooking Oil for Soap Production. MOTIVECTION : Journal of Mechanical, Electrical and Industrial Engineering, 8(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.46574/motivection.v8i1.527
References
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[20] D. R. Al Qory, Z. Ginting, S. Bahri, and S. Bahri, “PEMURNIAN MINYAK JELANTAH MENGGUNAKAN KARBON AKTIF DARI BIJI SALAK (Salacca Zalacca) SEBAGAI ADSORBEN ALAMI DENGAN AKTIVATOR H2SO4,” Jurnal Teknologi Kimia Unimal, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 26–36, Nov. 2021, doi: 10.29103/JTKU.V10I2.4727.
[21] B. T. Danat, R. A. Wuana, H. F. Chahul, and M. S. Iorungwa, “Review of adsorption isotherms models,” Applied Water Science 2026 16:3, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 72-, Feb. 2026, doi: 10.1007/s13201-025-02682-0.
[22] D. Damayanti, S. Arita, and P. L. Hariani, “Modification of Activated Carbon from Palm Kernel Shells with Fe₃O₄ Magnetic for Water Treatment of Enim River,” IJFAC (Indonesian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Chemistry), vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 176–185, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.24845/ijfac.v10.i3.176.
[23] M. Zakir, P. Taba, N. U. Permatasari, M. Nurdin, and Muliadi, “Palm kernel shell based hydrothermal carbon for methylene blue removal in wastewater treatment: application of dual adsorption isothermal models,” Journal of Ecological Engineering, vol. 26, no. 7, pp. 394–407, 2025, doi: 10.12911/22998993/203741.
[2] B. E. G. Perdana, “Circular Economy of Used Cooking Oil in Indonesia: Current Practices and Development in Special Region of Yogyakarta,” Journal of World Trade Studies, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 28–39, Sep. 2021, doi: 10.22146/JWTS.V6I1.1541.
[3] C. L. Lee, K. L. Chin, P. S. H’ng, M. S. Hafizuddin, and P. S. Khoo, “Activation Temperature and Particle Size of Palm Kernel Shell vs. the Surface Properties of Activated Carbon,” Bioresources, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 1714–1730, 2023, doi: 10.15376/BIORES.18.1.1714-1730.
[4] T. D. Hoang, Y. Liu, and M. T. Le, “Synthesis and Characterization of Biochars and Activated Carbons Derived from Various Biomasses,” Sustainability 2024, Vol. 16, Page 5495, vol. 16, no. 13, p. 5495, Jun. 2024, doi: 10.3390/SU16135495.
[5] N. Ngatirah, M. T. Dariyo, S. Suhardi, and E. Setiawan, “Activated Carbon from Palm Kernel Shell for Biogas Purification,” KnE Life Sciences, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1–12, Aug. 2025, doi: 10.18502/KLS.V9I1.19340.
[6] L. Abubakar, M. M. Aliyu, H. Tukur, A. A. Yahaya, and H. Abubakar, “Palm kernel shell-derived nanoporous carbon materials: A review on preparation, modification and application,” Caliphate Journal of Science and Technology, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 73–99, May 2025, doi: 10.4314/CAJOST.V7I1.9.
[7] M. C. F. da Silva et al., “KOH activated carbons from Brazil nut shell: Preparation, characterization, and their application in phenol adsorption,” Chemical Engineering Research and Design, vol. 187, pp. 387–396, Nov. 2022, doi: 10.1016/J.CHERD.2022.09.012.
[8] H. Song et al., “Supercapacitor Performance of Activated Carbon from Eucommia Ulmoides Oliver Wood Optimized by the Activation Method,” ACS Omega, vol. 10, no. 15, pp. 15368–15380, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.1021/ACSOMEGA.4C11529.
[9] X. Su, S. Jiang, X. Zheng, X. Guan, P. Liu, and Z. Peng, “Hierarchical porous carbon materials from bio waste-mango stone for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes,” Mater. Lett., vol. 230, pp. 123–127, Nov. 2018, doi: 10.1016/J.MATLET.2018.07.096.
[10] M. Deng, J. Wang, and Q. Zhang, “Effect of freezing pretreatment on the performance of activated carbon from coconut shell for supercapacitor application,” Mater. Lett., vol. 306, p. 130934, Jan. 2022, doi: 10.1016/J.MATLET.2021.130934.
[11] A. Khdour and M. Nawaj’a, “Recycling of Waste Cooking Oil to Produce Soaps and Detergents: Technical and Economic Feasibility Study,” Jan. 2017, Accessed: Nov. 18, 2025. [Online]. Available: http://scholar.ppu.edu/handle/123456789/6303
[12] D. H. Nugroho, L. Ekawati, S. K. Wardana, A. Kalista, and Y. Yuliansyah, “Pembuatan Sabun Padat Dari Minyak Jelantah Sebagai Solusi Limbah Cair Domestik Pada Pesantren Zaadul Ma’ad Kota Palembang,” Jurnal Abdimas Indonesia, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 959–970, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.53769/JAI.V4I3.749.
[13] S. Hartini, Y. Widharto, S. R. Indarto, and G. Murdikaningrum, “Eco-efficiency analysis of waste cooking oil recycling into liquid dish soap using life cycle assessment,” in IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, IOP Publishing Ltd, Nov. 2021. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/896/1/012066.
[14] H. Yuvendius, I. Garniwa Mk, R. Setiabudy, A. Verdianto, and C. Hudaya, “The Impact of Freezing Treatment on Physicochemical Characteristics of Oil Palm Kernel Shell-Derived Activated Carbon,” J. Phys. Conf. Ser., vol. 3139, p. 12033, 2025, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/3139/1/012033.
[15] Wahyudi, A. Kurniawan, and Mustafa, “Pemurnian Minyak Jelantah Menggunakan Metode Adsorpsi Dengan Arang Aktif Serbuk Gergaji Kayu Sebagai Adsorben,” Majalah Teknik Industri, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 84–91, Jun. 2023, doi: 10.61844/MAJALAHTEKNIKINDUSTRI.V30I2.471.
[16] M. Onn, K. Muniandy, S. N. ’ Zaiton, and M. U. Wahit, “Free Fatty Acid Reduction in Used Frying Oil via Bio Adsorbent: A Short Review,” Chem. Eng. Trans., vol. 106, pp. 139–144, 2023, doi: 10.3303/CET23106024.
[17] Y. Yelmiza, W. Widya, and H. Yuvendius, “IbM Pelatihan Pembuatan Sabun Padat Berbasis Minyak Atsiri Pada Siswa SMKS Islam Inayah Ujung Batu,” Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Bangsa, vol. 2, pp. 3110–3115, Oct. 2024, doi: 10.59837/jpmba.v2i8.1127.
[18] H. Yuvendius, M. Iwa Garniwa, R. Setiabudy, A. Verdianto, and C. Hudaya, “The Impact of Freezing Treatment on Physicochemical Characteristics of Oil Palm Kernel Shell-Derived Activated Carbon,” J. Phys. Conf. Ser., vol. 3139, no. 1, p. 012033, Nov. 2025, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/3139/1/012033.
[19] E. H. Ernest, A. J. Widagdo, S. Ismadji, S. P. Santoso, and F. Gosal, “Inovasi Pengolahan Minyak Bekas: Peningkatan Kualitas Melalui Adsorpsi FFA dan Produksi Sabun Cair,” Widya Teknik, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 28–31, Feb. 2025, doi: 10.33508/WT.V24I1.6089.
[20] D. R. Al Qory, Z. Ginting, S. Bahri, and S. Bahri, “PEMURNIAN MINYAK JELANTAH MENGGUNAKAN KARBON AKTIF DARI BIJI SALAK (Salacca Zalacca) SEBAGAI ADSORBEN ALAMI DENGAN AKTIVATOR H2SO4,” Jurnal Teknologi Kimia Unimal, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 26–36, Nov. 2021, doi: 10.29103/JTKU.V10I2.4727.
[21] B. T. Danat, R. A. Wuana, H. F. Chahul, and M. S. Iorungwa, “Review of adsorption isotherms models,” Applied Water Science 2026 16:3, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 72-, Feb. 2026, doi: 10.1007/s13201-025-02682-0.
[22] D. Damayanti, S. Arita, and P. L. Hariani, “Modification of Activated Carbon from Palm Kernel Shells with Fe₃O₄ Magnetic for Water Treatment of Enim River,” IJFAC (Indonesian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Chemistry), vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 176–185, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.24845/ijfac.v10.i3.176.
[23] M. Zakir, P. Taba, N. U. Permatasari, M. Nurdin, and Muliadi, “Palm kernel shell based hydrothermal carbon for methylene blue removal in wastewater treatment: application of dual adsorption isothermal models,” Journal of Ecological Engineering, vol. 26, no. 7, pp. 394–407, 2025, doi: 10.12911/22998993/203741.