EFFECT OF PALM OIL FIBER-TiO2 RATIO IN THE COMPOSITE ON THE REDUCTION OF BTX AND FORMALDEHYDE IN THE AIR

Abstract

The effect of palm oil fiber-TiO 2 ratio in the composite on the reduction of benzene, toluene, xylene and formaldehyde in the air is studied. The ratio was set at 1:0, 1:9 and 5:5. The combination of adsorption process by palm oil fiber and photooxidation of volatile organic compounds by titanium dioxide was revealed. The composite were prepared by using mechanical milling technique. The performance of the composite was characterized in terms of percentage of recovery of benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX) using GC/FID and formaldehyde concentration reduction using formaldehyde meter. The results of recovery of the BTX by palm oil fiber/titanium dioxide composite were more than 90%. The palm oil fiber/titanium dioxide composite has successfully reduced the concentration of formaldehyde by up to 66.7%. Therefore, the palm oil mesocarp fiber/titanium dioxide composite produced is able to reduce the concentration of volatile organic compounds.Keywords: mesocarp fiber, palm oil fiber, titanium dioxide, photocatalyst, photo oxidation, volatile organic compunds Abstrak Kesan nisbah serat kelapa sawit-titanium dioksida dalam komposit bagi pengurangan kandungan BTX dan formaldihid dalam udara telah dikaji. Nisbah telah ditetapkan sebagai 1:0, 1:9 dan 5:5. Kombinasi proses penjerapan oleh serat kelapa sawit dan proses oksidasi cahaya sebatian organik meruap oleh titanium dioksida telah dijelaskan. Serbuk komposit serat kelapa sawittitanium dioksida telah disediakan menggunakan kaedah kisaran mekanikal untuk mendapatkan serbuk komposit. Prestasi komposit telah diuji dari segi nilai peratusan ujian pemulihan benzena, toluena dan xilena (BTX) menggunakan kromatografi gas dengan pengesan pengionan api (GC/FID) dan peratusan pengurangan kepekatan formaldehid menggunakan meter formaldehid. Nilai peratusan ujian pemulihan BTX yang diberikan oleh serbuk komposit melebihi 90%. Serbuk komposit dari serat kelapa sawit dan titanium dioksida telah berjaya mengurangkan kepekatan formaldehid sebanyak 66.7%. Oleh itu, komposit yang dihasilkan dari serat kelapa sawit dan TiO 2 boleh mengurangkan kepekatan sebatian organic meruap dalam udara.