ISSN 1978-3787 (Cetak) ISSN 2615-3505 (Online) 5451 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. http://ejurnal.binawakya.or.id/index.php/MBI Vol.15 No.10 Mei 2021 Open Journal Systems THE EFFECT OF PROCESS PARAMETERS ON LIQUID SMOKE PRODUCTION FROM PALM OIL PYROLYSIS by Herlin Sumarna 1) , Riman Sipahutar 2) & Irwin Bizzy 3) 1,2,3 Mechanical Engineering, Sriwijaya University Email: 1 herlindarman187@gmail.com, 2 rimansipahutar@ft.unsri.ac.id & 3 gorekayasa@gmail.com Abstract Palm kernel shells are waste from Crude Palm Oil (CPO) factories that have not been optimally utilized, so further processing is carried out to increase their economic value by the pyrolysis process. The pyrolysis process is carried out using a reactor combined with a spiral stirrer, and a condensation process that uses a refrigeration system to control the coolant temperature at 18 o C. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of particle size, temperature and residence time on the pyrolysis of palm shells sourced from the Musi Banyuasin area of South Sumatra. The pyrolysis experiments were carried out at pyrolysis temperatures of 300 o C, 325 o C, and 350 o C and the palm shell particle sizes of -3+5 mesh and -5+7 mesh for residence time varied for 3 hours, 4 hours, and 5 hours. The maximum liquid smoke yield obtained is 28.6% at 350 o C for palm shell particles -5+7 mesh and a residence time of 5 hours. In terms of temperature influence, the lowest smoke yield is 19% of the total biomass at 300 o C. For the residence time variation, the maximum liquid smoke product was 28.6% of the total biomass at a size of -5+7 mesh for 5 hours. Keywords: Liquid Smoke, Palm Kernel Shell & Pyrolysis. INTRODUCTION The conversion of biomass energy into useful and sustainable forms that best meet human needs is a common concern for scientists, engineers and technologists. From an energy transformation point of view, pyrolysis is an attractive option among the various thermochemical conversion processes due to its simplicity and higher ability to convert biomass to bio-oil. Utilization of biomass provides the possibility to produce value-added products such as chemicals, activated carbon, etc. Which is, it is an attractive economic and technological solution [11]. Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of Palembang City, oil palm production in 2018 was 548 tons with a plant area of 220 hectares. The development of oil palm plantations in Indonesia is progressing very rapidly so that it has an impact on the amount of oil palm waste. The production activities of palm oil factories produce a large amount of waste, both solid and liquid waste [14]. Solid waste from a palm oil mill with a capacity of 100 thousand tons of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) per year will produce around 6 thousand tons of shells, 12 thousand tons of fibers and 23 thousand tons of empty fruit bunches [2]. Palm shell waste has not been used optimally, so it needs further processing to increase its economic value. In terms of its chemical composition, palm kernel shells have the potential to be used as a source of raw material for making liquid smoke because one of the chemical components contained in palm kernel shells is a lignin compound containing 23% in palm kernel shells [15]. Pyrolysis is a method that can be used to convert biomass into products with higher economic value [16]. Liquid smoke is a pyrolysis product that can be used in various fields. The quality and yield of pyrolysis liquid (liquid smoke) and pyrolysis gas depend on many variables such as operating