Oil Removal in Produced Water using Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches Biosurfactants with Varied Stirring Speeds and Heating Times

Abstract

Produced water from oil and gas operations contains hazardous pollutants such as oil and grease (O&G), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and ammonia. This study evaluates biosurfactants derived from oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) as an eco-friendly alternative for oily wastewater treatment. Sodium lignosulfonate was synthesized under varying stirring speeds (300–500 rpm) and heating durations (0.5–2.5 h), and applied at 2%, 4%, and 6% (v/v) dosages. Optimal O&G removal occurred at 500 rpm and 2.0 h (68.97% and 73.73%, respectively). The 6% dosage achieved the highest O&G removal (76.96%) but also led to COD (46.94%) and ammonia (71.31%) increases. Statistical analysis confirmed that biosurfactant dosage significantly affected all parameters (p < 0.05). The Freundlich isotherm best described the adsorption behavior, supported by high correlation coefficients and non-significant ANOVA results. These findings indicate that OPEFB-based biosurfactants are promising for O&G removal in produced water, though further optimization is needed to minimize secondary pollution.

Air terproduksi dari eksplorasi minyak dan gas mengandung polutan berbahaya seperti minyak dan lemak (O&G), kebutuhan oksigen kimia (COD), dan amonia. Penelitian ini mengevaluasi biosurfaktan berbasis tandan kosong kelapa sawit (TKKS) sebagai alternatif ramah lingkungan untuk pengolahan limbah berminyak. Natrium lignosulfonat disintesis dengan variasi kecepatan pengadukan (300–500 rpm) dan lama pemanasan (0,5–2,5 jam), serta diuji pada dosis 2%, 4%, dan 6% (v/v). Penghilangan O&G tertinggi dicapai pada 500 rpm dan 2,0 jam (68,97% dan 73,73%), sementara dosis 6% menghasilkan efisiensi tertinggi (76,96%) namun meningkatkan COD (46,94%) dan amonia (71,31%). Analisis statistik menunjukkan bahwa dosis biosurfaktan berpengaruh signifikan terhadap semua parameter (p < 0,05). Model isoterm Freundlich paling sesuai untuk seluruh kontaminan, dengan koefisien korelasi tinggi dan hasil ANOVA yang tidak signifikan. Hasil ini menunjukkan bahwa biosurfaktan TKKS memiliki potensi sebagai solusi pengolahan O&G dalam air terproduksi, namun diperlukan optimalisasi lebih lanjut untuk menekan pencemaran sekunder.