An Experimental Investigation on Oil and Solid Separation in Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Treatment

  • Ms Florence Wong, Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Malaysia
  • Ms P Lu, Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Malaysia
  • Mr Jobrun Nandong, Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Malaysia
  • Yudi Samyudia, Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Malaysia

    • In this paper, we study experimentally the effect of Hydrochloric acid (HCl), heating temperature and dilution with water on the separation characteristics of oil and solid matter from the following different emulsion types: Palm oil-water mixture, Decanter solid-water mixture, Palm oil-solid-water mixture (Clarifier sludge-water mixture). The experimental work was conducted for different temperatures ranging from 70oC to 90oC, different HCl concentrations of 0.5% and 1% and for different emulsion ratios. The results obtained will be used to derive the oil flotation and solid settling models which will lead to better understanding of the characteristics of oil and solid components in POME. Such knowledge will play an important role in the development of more efficient pre-treatment systems to improve the existing POME treatment systems in Malaysia.