Oil Palm Biomass as Suitable Adsorbent for the Removal of Heavy Metals in Spent Automobile Oil

This research investigated the suitability of Oil Palm Biomass as an adsorbent for recycling spent automobile engine oil. Four different samples of Oil Palm Biomass (Oil Palm Trunk[OPT], Palm Mesocarp Fibers [PMF], Palm Kernel Shell [PKS] and Oil Palm Kernel [OPK]) were selected from a local oil palm processing facility. Each of the biomass samples were analyzed for their adsorbent properties such as SEM, Bulk Density and preserved for the study. A portion of fresh lube oil was loaded on a sedan with four-cylinder engine specification. After three months of regular operation, the spent automobile engine oil was drained and subsampled for the purpose of this study. The Fresh lube oil and spent lube oil samples were quantitatively assessed for their metal contents). Each of the biomass sample was used in the treatment of any one of the four spent lube oil samples. The suitability of the oil palm biomass was assessed by testing for heavy metals and some other performance parameters of the automobile oil, and the results were compared with those of the spent and fresh automobile oils. The treated oil showed an improvement in its lubricating properties which suggests that the biomass is recommendable as a good suitable adsorbent for recycling spent lube oil.