Extraction and characterization of fulvic acid from oil palm empty fruit bunches
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22302/iribb.jur.mp.v93i2.669Keywords:
CHN analyzer, FTIR, HNMR, microwave extractor, TGA-DSCAbstract
Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) contain 27.78% lignin, which can serve as an alternative source of renewable fulvic acid, alongside soil and coal. This study aims to conduct the fulvic acid extraction process using a microwave extractor. The extraction process was carried out using H2O2 solvents with concentrations of 18, 21, and 24% and various sample types (OPEFB, shilajit, and commercial fulvic acid fertilizer), with three repetitions. The resulting liquid fulvic acid extract was then made into powder using freeze-drying. Quantitative testing was conducted using the spectrophotometric method, while qualitative testing employed Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H NMR), spectrofluorometry, a CHN analyzer, and Thermogravimetric Analysis - Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TGA-DSC). The results showed that the best solvent concentration for the fulvic acid extraction process was H2O2, 21% of the total in the OPEFB sample. The highest fulvic acid content was found in the OPEFB sample at 23.59%; in the shilajit sample, it was 9.62%, and in the commercial fulvic acid fertilizer sample, it was 6.97%. The characterization results from spectrophotometric analysis, elemental analysis, and TGA-DSC analysis showed the potential of fulvic acid in the OPEFB sample, as it exhibited similarities with the analysis results of commercial fulvic acid (shilajit & commercial fulvic acid fertilizer).
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Copyright (c) 2025 Firda Dimawarnita, Khairy Yunda Maharani, Sutanto Sutanto, Yora Faramitha, Donny Nugraha Kalbuadi, Didiek Hadjar Goenadi
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