EVALUATION OF MAGNETIC ACTIVATED CARBON FROM TARO LEAVES AS

AN OIL SPILL ADSORBENT

A Project Proposal

Presented to the Faculty of the Petroleum Engineering

College of Engineering

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

The National Engineering University

Alangilan Campus

Alangilan, Batangas City

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the degree

Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering

by

Belo, Angelico Lorenzo C.

Castro, Adryan C.

Navera, Adrian R.

OCTOBER 2022
 APPROVAL SHEET

This project proposal entitled “EVALUATION OF THE OIL ADSORPTION

CAPACITY OF MAGNETIC ACTIVATED CARBON FROM TARO (Colocasia

esculenta) LEAVES” prepared and submitted by BELO, ANGELICO LORENZO C.,

CASTRO, ADRYAN C., and NAVERA, ADRIAN R., in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering has been examined

and recommended for Oral Examination. 

                             ___________________________________
  ENGR. ROXANNE R. NAVARRO
                          Adviser

Approved by the committee on Oral Examination with a grade of ___________.

_______________________
Chairman
_______________________ _________________________
Member Member

Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN PETROLEUM ENGINEERING

OCTOBER 2022   DR. REYNATO GAMBOA

II
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researcher would like to express their utmost appreciation and deepest gratitude to

several individual that in their own special ways made the completion and success of the project

study possible. 

To Engr. Roxanne R. Navarro, the researcher’s adviser, who diligently offered her

knowledge and specialty in helping the researchers to complete the study and for her patience

and devotion in encouraging the researchers.

To the researchers’ family and loved ones for their encouragement, endless support, love,

and care for their continuous spiritual, moral and financial support.

To the researchers’ friends and classmates, for their deep understanding and unwavering

support for the researchers worries and for giving encouragement and advice which motivated

the researchers for the completion of this study. 

Above all, to GOD ALMIGHTY, LORD JESUS for blessing the researchers with

wisdom, knowledge, strength, and endless love and guidance.

III
 ABSTRACT

Oil spill is one of the greatest problems faced by the oil and gas industry. It is the

mishandling of crude oil which causes a lot of environmental, ecological, and economic damage

to the environment. Oil's physical and chemical properties change gradually when it is spilled in

water or on land. The spilled oil contaminates drinking water and causes significant

environmental damage. Environmental scientists continue to face difficulties in dealing with an

oil spill.

Adsorption using activated carbon from lignocellulosic material is one of the promising

techniques for removing oil spills in water bodies. and using magnetized activated carbon

improves the adsorption capability of the material. In general, when compared to its parent

material, carbonization and magnetization operations improve the oil sorption ability of the

generated material. This is due to chemical activation, which increases the micropores and

macropores of the activated carbon generated, which is where the majority of the adsorption

process on nanomagnetic activated carbon occurs. The main goal of this study is to determine the

adsorption capacity of activated carbon produced from Taro leaves in removing oil from

wastewater. The study will focus on the properties of the magnetic activated carbon derived from

the lignocellulosic Taro leaves and will investigate the effect on the adsorption efficiency by

varying the amount of activated carbon dosage and the contact time. To evaluate the

effectiveness of the activated carbon derived from taro leaves as oil adsorbent, adsorption rate

and adsorption efficiency will be obtained and analyzed.

Keywords: oil spill, magnetic activated carbon, adsorption, lignocellulosic materials, taro leaves,

oil adsorbent

IV
 Table of Contents

TITLE PAGE I

APPROVAL SHEET II

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT III

ABSTRACT IV

TABLE OF CONTENTS V

LIST OF TABLES VII

LIST OF FIGURES VIII

CHAPTER

I THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction 1

Research Questions 3

Research Objectives 4

Research Hypothesis 5

Scope and Delimitations 5

Importance of the Study 7

Definition of Terms 7

II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Conceptual Literature 9

Oil Spill 9

Oil Adsorption 17

V
 Sorbent Materials 19

Taro Leaves 23

Activated Carbon 26

Scanning Electron Microscopy Analysis 31

Magnetizing Activated Carbon 31

Research Literature 34

Synthesis 39

III RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURE

Research Design 45

Materials and Equipment 47

Synthesis of the Activated Carbon 54

Characterization of the Activated Carbon 55

Preparation of Magnetic Activated Carbon 55

Analysis of Activated Carbon 56

Preparation of MAC Oval Tablet 56

Experimental Setup 57

Adsorption Isotherm 59

Statistical treatment 59

BIBLIOGRAPHY 62

VI
 LIST OF TABLES

Table No. Title Page #

1 Chemical Composition of Taro Leaves 24

2 Starch Content and Carbon content of Taro Leaves 25

3 Physicochemical Properties of Taro 26

4 Experimental Setups on the Varying Number of Tablets 57

5 Experimental Setups on the Varying Contact Time 58

6 Cost Estimation 60

VII
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No. Title Page #

1 Marine Oil Spill 10

2 Jet Fuel Spill 11

3 Norilsk Diesel Oil Spill 11

4 Mauritius Oil Spill 12

5 Oil Spill in Solomon Islands 12

6 Sinking Oil Spill at Gulf of Mexico 13

7 Sorbent Pads Applied at Sea 19

8 Taro Leaves 23

9 Results of Scanning Electrons Microscope Analysis 24

10 Anhydrous Ferric Chloride 32

11 Anhydrous Ferrous Sulfate 33

12 Conceptual Paradigm of the Study 45

13 Schematic Diagram of the Study 46

14 Taro Leaves 47

15 Calcium Bentonite 47

16 Potassium Hydroxide 48

17 Ferric Chloride 48

18 Iron (II) Sulfate Heptahydrate 49

19 Muriatic Acid 49

20 Sodium Hydroxide 50

VIII
21 Analytical Balance 50

22 Desiccator 51

23 Mechanical Sieve Shaker 51

24 Convection Oven 52

25 Two Liters Platform Glass 52

26 pH meter 53

27 Hot Plate Magnetic Stirrer 53

IX
 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Oil spill is one of the greatest problems faced by the oil and gas industry. It is the

mishandling of crude oil which causes a lot of environmental, ecological, and economic damage

to the environment. One of the most common petroleum products is diesel. Diesel fuel is toxic to

the environment due to its hydrocarbon composition, and its widespread use in human activities

makes it one of the most dangerous hydrocarbon pollutants. That is why oil spills, especially

diesel fuel contamination of marine bodies, always results in tragedy. 

According to Kokkinos et al (2022), water contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons can

be remedied using a variety of physical and chemical methods. Dispersants, chemical oxidation

such as the Fenton process, and other chemical methods are used. Although the implemented

methods demonstrate satisfactory performance, they are often energy-intensive and not cost-

effective. Among the physical cleaning methods, spill adsorption is regarded as one of the most

cost-effective and environmentally friendly. 

As stated in the study of Abuzman et al. (2013), in terms of efficiently adsorbing a wide

range of pollutants and fast adsorption kinetics, adsorption on activated carbon has been found to

be superior to other chemical and physical methods for wastewater treatment. It is the process by

which organic molecules in a liquid or gas are attracted and bound to the surface of activated

carbon pores as the liquid or gas passes through. It means that the chemical is interacting with

the material's surface. Activated carbon can be produced using a wide range of raw materials.

According to the study of Abacan, S., et al (2015), varying the parameters to the optimum

10
condition for the activated carbon to have the best adsorption capacity, the study found that

22.8% of the oil is adsorbed. Due to the hydrophilic raclical of the outer surfactant layer's

adsorption, magnetic reagent can react with activated carbon. As a result, activated carbon is

magnetic (Guizhen, F., ets al, 1997).

According to the study of Gan et al (2020), magnetic-particle integration in the water-

treatment industry is gaining popularity due to its superior physical and chemical properties. Due

to the presence of magnetic material in the adsorbents, which can facilitate separation through

the application of an external magnetic field, magnetic-particle adsorption technology shows

promising and effective results for wastewater treatment. Also, magnetism is a well-considered

quality that makes it simple to separate biochar/activated carbon from treated waste water by

giving it a magnetic property, helping to increase the efficiency of recycling and reuse.

According to the study of Aris, A., et al (2018), their research compared the oil adsorption

efficiency of an unmagnetized activated carbon and a magnetic one. The study showed that the

magnetic activated carbon demonstrated a greater oil removal which is 97% than the

unmagnetized activated carbon which is only at 83%. A maximum oil adsorption affinity of 30.2

g oil/g was measured for the magnetic nano-hybrid material. In the presence of 1 g/L of magnetic

nano-hybrid, the ideal oil leak of 80% was established after 60 minutes. Using an external

magnet, the composite material may be retrieved along with the adsorbed oil and exhibits good

oil retention capacity with quick kinetics. After recovery, the adsorbent material can be

repurposed using solvent or heat extraction. The magnetic nanocomposite is therefore

demonstrated to be an effective and recyclable viable candidate for magnetic separation-based oil

spill cleanup (Joy, P.A. & Raj, K.G., 2015). There are primarily three types of magnetic

activated carbon: "iron-based, cobalt-based, and nickel-based," according to the magnets present.

11
Iron is the most extensively utilized component in the production of magnetic activated carbon

since it is abundant, inexpensive, safe, and non-toxic when compared to other magnetic elements

like cobalt and nickel. That is the main reason why the researchers chose to utilize iron oxides to

produce magnetic activated carbon.

According to Chowdhury et al (2022), lignocellulosic biomass is regarded as one of the

most abundant and bio-renewable feedstocks, with enormous potential for long-term production

of activated carbon. From the results of the study of Chimtong, S., et al (2016), it was observed

that untreated taro leaves contain hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin which is vital in the

formation of lignocellulose. Since taro is lignocellulosic, it also has a high carbon content which

ranges from 28.61%-54.98% which makes it an ideal material to produce a good quality of

activated carbon. Taro is grown under paddy, dry land, and hybrid conditions. Despite its wide

geographical range, high nutritional value, and significant trade as a fresh and processed crop,

taro and its wild relatives have received little attention from research funding agencies, and there

has been little effective or large-scale assessment of production, trade, and usage. The primary

qualification for activated carbon, as stated by Carlson and Ebbenis (2022), is that the raw

materials have a high percentage of carbon content. Taro also have properties of being super-

hydrophobic and super-oleophilic. Taro leaves have variety of capacities for repairing diverse oil

spills. The findings show that taro leaves have a good ability to fix low volatile oil material and

have a high rate of centrifugal oil retention (Li, H., et al, 2013). With these properties and

qualifications, the researchers of this study will be utilizing the material to produce magnetic

activated carbon derived from taro leaves.

The study would make significant contributions to sustainable development goal (SDG)

6, which ensures clean water and sanitation and sustainable development goal (SDG) 14, which

12
ensures the life below water. By limiting environmental contamination and recovering the spilled

oil through adsorption, this will help to preserve both life and health as well as the environment.

This study will focus on the production of magnetic activated carbon derived from taro leaves for

adsorbing diesel oil in simulated oil spill.

Research Questions

The goal of this research is to create activated carbon from Taro leaves for the adsorption

of oil spill. The researchers are specifically looking for answers to the following questions:

1. Would the resulting magnetic activated carbon be effective in adsorbing oil from

seawater?

2. How would the adsorption capacity, adsorption rate and adsorption efficiency of the

magnetic activated carbon derived from taro leaves compare to the commercially

available adsorbents used in oil spill?

3. What are the effects of varying the amount of magnetic activated carbon and contact time

in the adsorption rate, adsorption efficiency and adsorption capacity of the magnetic

activated carbon in the adsorption of oil from seawater?

Research Objectives

  The main goal of this study is to determine the oil adsorption capacity of magnetic

activated carbon oval tablets derived from taro leaves in simulated oil spills. Specifically, the

study aims to;

1. Conduct experiment to produce magnetic activated carbon considering the following

1.1. Proportion of the iron oxide solutions

1.2. Stirring time

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 1.3. Stirring speed

2. Determine the properties of the magnetic activated carbon through chemical analysis.

2.1. Bulk density

2.2. Iodine number

2.3. Particle size distribution

2.4. Pore size

2.5. Surface area

2.6. Surface morphology

3. Conduct oil-spill simulation considering the following

3.1. Proportion of diesel and seawater

3.2. Duration (time) of oil spillage

4. Conduct series of tests using varying amount of magnetic activated carbon and contact

time to determine the following:

4.1. Adsorption capacity

4.2. Adsorption rate

4.3. Adsorption efficiency

5. Evaluate the results through graphical and statistical analysis

Research Hypothesis

The following hypotheses will be tested using research based related literature, theories

and using data assessed by descriptive statistical methods.

1. There is a significant difference on percent oil concentration before and after treatment

using the best condition.

14
 2. The adsorption rate, adsorption efficiency and adsorption capacity of the magnetic

activated carbon derived from taro leaves will have a significant difference when

compared to the market available adsorbents.

3. Increasing the amount of activated carbon and contact time applied on the simulated oil

spill would have a significant effect on the adsorption rate and adsorption efficiency of

the magnetic activated carbon.

Scope and Delimitation

The study will focus on adsorption of oil from water using magnetic activated carbon

derived from taro leaves. The adsorption rate and adsorption efficiency of activated carbon

derived from taro leaves will also be evaluated.

The taro leaves that will be used to produce the activated carbon will be procured from

Lipa City Public Market. The activation process of the collected taro leaves will be done in a

DOST laboratory. Magnetic Fe3O4 will be synthesized by mixing FeCl3 solution with FeSO4

solution with a 2:1 ratio respectively. The solution that will produce magnetic Fe3O4 will be

stirred at 60 degrees Celsius for 30, 45 and 60 minutes.

The study will produce magnetic activated carbon by mixing the solution of Fe3O4 with

the produced activated carbon. By finding common ratios used in various studies concerning

production of magnetic activated carbon, the proponents will use 4:1 ratio of Fe3O4 solution and

activated carbon for the synthesis of the magnetic activated carbon. The solution will be mixed

and stirred slowly at room temperature for 30 minutes.

15
 The proponents will determine the properties of the magnetic activated carbon derived

from taro leaves including, Iodine number, Particle size distribution, Pore size, surface area,

surface morphology. The study will use magnetic activated carbon for the adsorption of oil spill. 

The study will simulate an oil spill using 1.5 mL of seawater and 15 mL of oil for each

setup. The seawater that will be used will have its pH determined by the proponents. The study

will utilize a 20 cm x 15 cm x 20 cm container for the simulated oil spill. Diesel oil purchased

from Shell will be used in the study. The simulated oil spill will be sent to Laguna Lake

Development Authority for the analysis of oil content after treatment of activated carbon.

The study will evaluate the effect of the amount of the magnetic activated carbon tablets

used on the adsorption rate and adsorption efficiency of activated carbon in adsorption of oil.

The study will also evaluate the effect of contact time on the adsorption rate and adsorption

efficiency of the activated carbon. The relationship between the concentration of magnetic

activated carbon and contact time with the adsorption capacity, rate and efficiency will be

presented using graphical analysis.

Importance of the Study

The study will focus on the oil adsorption capacity of activated carbon produced from

Taro leaves simulated oil-water mixture. The study will be beneficial to the following sectors:

To the community, the results of the research will help in improving the environmental

state of places specially those near the industrial buildings. The study will provide results that

would help improving their quality of life.

To the Batangas State University, the study would help in providing research materials

and to attain their objective of providing quality education to students.

16
 To the Petroleum Engineering Department, the study would help as a reference for the

faculty and students alike for further understanding of the topic regarding the adsorption capacity

of activated carbon produced from organic material simulated oil-water mixture.

To the researchers, this study will serve as a practical application of the knowledge

acquired in learning science and engineering. The study would also strengthen researchers’

awareness and concern for the environment.

To the future researchers this study will serve as a guide for future research and can serve

as a basis and reference for improvements pertaining to the adsorption capacities of organic

materials.

Definition of Terms

For better understanding of the study, the following terms are defined conceptually and

operationally:

Adsorbate. The material being extracted from the liquid phase in order to interface. The oil from

simulated oil-contaminated seawater works as the adsorbate in operation (Abacan, S., et al,

2015).

Adsorbent. Adsorbents are solid substances that are used to remove impurities from liquids or

gases that are harmful to the environment (Kane, P., et al, 2021).

Adsorption. Adsorption is a phenomenon of gases or solutes adhering to solid or liquid surfaces,

and it is a mass transfer process. The reason for adsorption on a solid surface is that uneven

forces cause molecules or atoms to retain some of their surface energy (Eurofins, 2022).

17
Activated Carbon. Is powdered charcoal that has been purified. It is physically or chemically

treated to create micro fissures that increase its adsorptive surface area. This is the main method

that will be used in this research.

Adsorption Capacity. The amount of adsorbate absorbed by an adsorbent per unit mass or

volume of adsorbent (Taro Leaf)

Bulk Density. The mass of the bulk solid that fills a unit volume of a bed, including the volume

of all interparticle gaps, is known as the bulk density (Cordoba, A. & Goyanes, S., 2017).

Diesel Oil. Any liquid fuel used in diesel engine. This type of oil is the adsorbate used in the

study (Abacan, S., et al, 2015).

Hydrophobic. Hydrophobic refers to something that doesn't like water, isn't soluble in it, or

repels water (BiologyOnline, 2022).

Iodine Number. A method used to assess the adsorption potential of activated carbons is the

iodine number. The quantity of iodine adsorbed by 1 g of carbon at the mg level is the iodine

number, which measures the porosity of the activated carbon (Saka, C., 2012).

Lignocellulosic. a plant biomass made up of lignin, cellulose, and hemicelluloses, with cellulose

and hemicellulose being firmly attached to lignin (Chandra, M. & Madakka, M., 2019).

Magnetic Activated Carbon. A solid product formed by distributing magnetic substrates on

AC, and is known for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater due to its beneficial physico-

chemical features, including as increased surface area and magnetic properties (Anyika et al.,

2017).

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Oil Spill. It is the mishandling of crude oil which causes a lot of environmental, ecological, and

economic damage to the environment.

Oleophilic. Refers to a material that can absorb nonpolar liquids or oils (Hild, F., 2022).

Particle Size Distribution. Indicates the percentage of particles of a particular size. These

ranges are additionally known as size classes or fractions (Microtrac, 2022).

Pore Size. The average or range of sizes of holes or pores of activated carbon (IGI Global,

2022).

Surface Area. The overall area of an object's surface that it occupies. Because of its porosity,

activated carbon has a large surface area (Abacan, S., et al, 2015).

Surface Morphology. A subset of analytical imaging, which uses high-end microscopes to

create images of products, materials, and objects that are invisible to the unaided eye. Analytical

imaging is an advanced kind of high spatial resolution imaging. These photos are from the

sample or product's exposed surface (Eurofins, 2022).

Taro Leaves. The heart-shaped leaves of the taro plant (Colocasia esculenta), which is widely

grown in subtropical and tropical climates. It is one of the two organic materials that will be used

in this research.

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