STUDY OF UTILIZING PINEAPPLE LEAF EXTRACT FOR THE GREEN SYNTHESIS OF FE3O4 AND ITS IMPREGNATION ON OIL PALM (EFB)

The formation process of Fe3O4/EFB fiber was carried out by synthesizing FeCl3.6H2O and pineapple leaf extract using the green synthesis method. Pineapple leaf extract contains hydroxyl, carbonyl, and amine functional groups that can act as reductants and capping agents for the synthesized metal salts. Then, the in-situ impregnation was carried out to attach magnetite to the EFB fibers. The EFB fibers were then soaked in a mixture of precursor solution and pineapple leaf extract with a variation of liquor-to-good ratios of 1:40, 1:60, and 1:80 to determine the optimal ratio in forming Fe3O4/EFB fiber. In XRD testing, the three variations of samples have peak characteristics of magnetite (Fe3O4). SEM-EDX results also showed the Fe content from three samples tested. In the UV-Vis examination, the 1:80 sample has the highest percent degradation with 68.09%, and the lowest percent degradation belongs to untreated EFB with 12.44%. Visual tests showed that the 1:40, 1:60, and 1:80 variations could degrade methylene blue after 12 hours with addition of H2O2. H2O2 increases the reactivity of Fe3O4 by providing hydroxyl radicals that can attack pollutants and mineralize methylene blue into CO2 and H2O.