Oil palm kernel shell waste as adsorbent for removing heavy metal in waste solution / Nur Syafiqah Zainudin … [et al.]

Malaysia is one of the largest producers of palm oil in the world with its wide areas of plantations. Its industries generate a lot of lignocellulosic biomass annually, which can be a very promising alternative source of renewable energy. Hence, more research has to be ventured so that the biomass will not be wasted. This includes the palm kernel shell (PKS). In this study, activated carbon from PKS is used to remove heavy metal, specifically copper, which can be found in most of the industrial waste¬ water and has been proven harmful to the environment. This method is cheap since the raw material is the biomass waste, which is available abundantly throughout the whole year. It is believed that this method is able to boost Malaysian economy since the unwanted biomass from wide areas of oil palm plantations could be used efficiently. Eventually, Malaysia could protect its environment from the harmful effects of pollutions.