Characterization of pyroligneous acid produced from microwave-assisted treatment of palm kernel shell

Abstract

Palm oil plantation is one of the largest cultivation in Malaysia. The massive production of palm oil has abandoned huge palm oil biomass such as palm kernel shell that has become increasingly threatening environmental issue. Conversion of biomass through microwave pyrolysis has become one of the solutions to manage the abundance of biomass. Therefore, the aim of this study is to utilize the palm kernel shell for the production of pyroligneous acid (PA) by using microwave-assisted pyrolysis which would then be evaluated for its total phenolic content and scavenging DPPH free radicals. Pyroligneous acid of palm kernel shell will be produced from the condensation of smoke generated during pyrolysis process. From this study, the TPC observed was 49.96 mg GAE/g, whereas for the IC50, DPPH value obtained was, 66.19 μg/mL. Pyroligneous acid produced during the pyrolysis process has the potential to apply in various applications and could serve as an alternative eco-friendly source of natural antioxidant.