Synthesis and Characterization of Activated Carbon from Oil Palm Empty Bunches

In this study, activated carbon was prepared from empty oil palm bunches obtained from Padang Bulan, Medan, North Sumatra. The empty oil palm bunches are cleaned, then mashed to obtain a particle size of 200 mesh which is then referred to as the oil palm empty bunches bio-sorbent. This bio-sorbent is then washed with water to remove impurities that may come from fertilizers or insecticides during processing in oil palm plantations such as K, Ca, Mg, Si and P, which are visible from the EDX analysis results of bio-sorbent before washed. From the EDX data after washing, the was observed if there are no peaks of these impurity elements. From the XRD pattern it can also be seen that there are some peaks missing after washing if compared to XRD bio-sorbents. Activated carbon then prepared by heating the bio-sorbent at 500 °C for 1 minute, and the XRD results show an amorphous structure as a characteristic of the formation of activated carbon. SEM images can also be observed that the difference in the surface of the activated carbon is smoother than the surface of the bio-sorbent, besides the activated carbon looks more homogeneous.