<![CDATA[Crude Palm Oil (CPO) contains abundant natural beta-carotene compounds, but under heat and oxygen exposure during storage, these antioxidant compounds can change into pro-oxidants that accelerate oil rancidity. The bleaching process using the adsorption method is an effective way to reduce these pigments, thereby increasing the oxidative stability of CPO. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of environmentally friendly granular adsorbents prepared from a combination of solid waste (palm oil mill boiler ash, bottom ash) activated with HCl and Aquades. Polypropylene was used to adsorb beta-carotene via the column method. The experimental design used a non-factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) by varying the ratio of the polymer mixture to the boiler ash, namely S0 (1:1), S1 (1:3), and S2 (3:1), using a column flow rate of 0.125 ml/second at an oil temperature of 60°C. The CPO quality parameters evaluated included beta carotene content, Deterioration of Bleachability Index (DOBI) value, Free Fatty Acid (FFA) content, and water content. Based on statistical results from the One-Way ANOVA test, variations in adsorbent composition had a significant effect on the reduction in beta-carotene content and the DOBI value. Conversely, variations in the ratio did not significantly affect the FFA and water content parameters. Treatment S1 (ratio 1:3) was identified as the optimal composition, producing the highest absorption effectiveness and reducing beta-carotene levels and DOBI values. All treatments after the adsorption process were shown to maintain CPO quality parameters at acceptable standards without compromising the oil's chemical stability. Based on these findings, increasing the silica content of boiler ash was empirically shown to increase porosity and the number of active sites for the adsorption of non-polar organic compounds in CPO.]]>
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