Juliana Jumadi, Azlan Kamari, Wan Haslinda Wan Ahmad, Norlaili Abu Bakar, Budi Hastuti, Is Fatimah, Eli Rohaeti
Statistically, it has been estimated that more than 0.50 tonnes of palm oil mill effluent (POME) will be generated for each tonne of fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) production. Fresh POME normally possesses a high amount of total solid, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), oil and grease (O&G). Therefore, POME treatment has received great attention from environmental scientists. In this study, ferrihydrite-chitosan (FC) nanocomposites were prepared using a simple co-precipitation method by varying the ratio of ferrihydrite and chitosan. The influence of precursor ratios (1:1, 2:1 and 1:2 w/w) of FC nanocomposites on palm oil mill effluent pre-treatment was investigated in flocculation studies at optimum experimental conditions. The characteristics of FC nanocomposites, before and after POME treatment were studied using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometer and optical polarising microscope (OPM) analyses. The results indicate that the 1:1 w/w FC nanocomposite exhibited the highest percentage of contaminant reduction at 82.63 %, 75.70 %, 74.07 % and 49.08 % for total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, COD, and O&G removal, respectively. The synergistic effects between ferrihydrite and chitosan precursors highlight the potential of the FC nanocomposites as promising flocculants for POME. Overall, this research is relevant to POME management and treatment, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia the two major palm oil producers in the world. Moreover, research findings support the sixth Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations, namely Clean Water and Sanitation. © Malaysian Journal of Microscopy (2026). All rights reserved.
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Perak, Tanjong Malim, 35900, Malaysia; Department of Chemistry Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A, Kentingan, Surakarta, 57126, Indonesia; Nanomaterials and Sustainable Chemistry Research Centre, Universitas Islam Indonesia, Chemistry Research Building, Kampus Terpadu UII, Jl. Kaliurang Km 14, Sleman, Yogyakarta, 55584, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia
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