Activated charcoal bleaches neutral cottonseed oil, while processing cotton and cottonseed for various uses, a lot of seed hulls are produced as waste, which can create environmental problems if not properly disposed of.
Activated carbon is produced by carbonizing and then acid activating cottonseeds and cottonseed husks. Prepared activated carbon is characterized by its porosity and surface properties as well as its ability to bleach neutral cottonseed oil. The prepared activated carbon was very effective in the decolorization process, capable of adsorbing 96-98% of the pigment, and had a significant effect on the bleaching of neutral cottonseed oil.
Bleaching – also known as depigmentation is one of the key processes in the refining of fats and oils, designed to remove not only pigments but also various other impurities. Most crude fats and oils contain impurities that must be removed for commercial and health reasons.
Bleaching Neutral Cottonseed Oil:Activated carbon can be used alone or in combination with other bleaching earths for bleaching/purification processes. Activated charcoal of organic origin is biodegradable and more porous than petroleum sources and will be more efficient in the bleaching process when used alone or in combination with other bleaching agents.
Also in the production of cotton and Indian seed oils, there is a lot of waste generated from the husks of organic matter. This waste can be used to make activated carbon that can eventually be used as a substitute or vegetable oil for use with imported fuller’s earth in bleaching.
Therefore, the aim of this work was to produce activated carbon from cottonseed and cottonseed husk under optimized conditions and evaluate its potential for neutral cottonseed oil decolorization.
