Improving the Quality of Locally Produced Vegetable Oils in Ghana Using Zeolite ZSM-11

The local vegetable oils (Coconut and Palm Kernel Oils) are usually faced with short shelf-life which has been associated with the presence of some unwanted materials present in them. This study explores the potential of using locally manufactures Zeolites in removing these impurities to improve the shelf life of these oils. The Zeolite used in this study was synthesized using locally available raw materials such as bauxite and kaolin through the hydrothermal process X-ray diffraction studies of the synthesized Zeolite were found to be part of the ZSM-11 Zeolite type group. FTIR analysis of the sample showed a weak vibrational peak at 1642cm-1 and a strong band at 987cm-1. Batch process for the removal of these unwanted materials was performed. Percentage reduction of 85.71%, 89.22%, 89.36% and 83.81% was recorded for impurities, moisture content, free fatty acid and peroxide value reduction in Palm Kernel Oil and 85.71%, 83.33%, 93.26%, 90.57% for Coconut Oil. Kinetic studies showed the process favored the Pseudo-first order with R2 of 0.956 and 0.971 for Coconut and Palm Kernel Oil respectively for impurities The plot of (t / qe) vs. t exhibits a very high linearity and can be concluded that the adsorption rate of the moisture content, impurities, FFA and peroxide value is dependent on the adsorbate used and contact time. The final oils had very good physicochemical parameters with improved qualities. It can be concluded that the synthesized Zeolite was effective for the refining of locally produced Coconut and Palm Kernel Oils and can be accessed for commercial applications.