Performances of patchouli oil purification through adsorption process

Abstract

Patchouli oil purification through adsorption process by using natural zeolite was reported in this study. Natural zeolite was activated through chemical and physical process to improve the adsorbent selectivity in the process. The effectivity and optimization of adsorption process was investigated by controlling the mass of natural zeolite and operation time. The Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) characterization of the adsorbent was done to describe zeolite's potential in purifiying the patchouli oil. The chemical and physical activation of the natural zeolite confirmed that the adsorbent pores were activated and able to purify the patchouli oil. The performances of the adsorption were shown by the efficiency of Fe removal, the increasing of patchouli alcohol number and also the acid number. The Fe removal efficiency in the solution was up to 95% and the Patchouli Alcohol range was increased up to 30%. To sum up, the purification of patchouli oil by using natural zeolite was successful to present better quality.