Valorization of Oil Palm Frond as a Renewable Carbon Source for Microbial Bioflocculant Production: A Green Approach to Agricultural Waste Management

Agustin, Yuana Elly and Ma, Malvin and He, Ning and Yeap, Swee Keong and Hui, Yew Woh and Ding, Gongtao and Manaf, Shareena Fairuz Abdul and Jamali, Nur Syakina and Silvamany, Hemavathi and Tan, Jian Ping (2026) Valorization of Oil Palm Frond as a Renewable Carbon Source for Microbial Bioflocculant Production: A Green Approach to Agricultural Waste Management. Waste and Biomass Valorization. ISSN 1877-265X

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Abstract

Despite Oil Palm Fronds (OPFs) being the most abundant harvestable lignocellulosic biomass residue in Asian region, they remain underutilized, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions when left to decompose in plantations. This study explores the feasibility of using enzymatically hydrolyzed OPF hydrolysate as a carbon source to partially substitute glucose in bio- flocculant production. We hypothesize that OPF hydrolysate can serve as a viable carbon source for bioflocculant synthesis while minimizing environmental effect. Enzymatic hydrolysis with Cellic® Ctec3 without acid or alkaline pretreatment resulted in the highest reducing sugar yield (13.3 ± 0.2 g/L). A 40:60 OPF hydrolysate-to-glucose ratio yielded optimum bioflocculant yield (8.3 g/L) without compromising flocculating activity (87%). The produced bioflocculant remained sta- ble across pH 3–7 and 4–30 °C. A preliminary life cycle assessment estimated a 58.8% carbon footprint reduction can be achieved compared to the glucose-only benchmark. These findings demonstrate OPF’s potential as a sustainable feedstock Yuana Elly Agustin1,2,3 · Malvin Ma 1,2 · Ning He 4 · Swee Keong Yeap2,5 · Yew Woh Hui 2,5 · Gongtao Ding6 · Shareena Fairuz Abdul Manaf 7 · Nur Syakina Jamali8 · Hemavathi Silvamany9 · Jian Ping Tan1,2 for bioflocculant production.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Agricultural waste management Bioflocculant production Biomass valorization Oil palm frond Sustainable bioprocess
Subjects:	T Technology > TP Chemical technology
Depositing User:	BAMBANG SEPTIAWAN
Date Deposited:	19 Jan 2026 08:49
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2026 08:49
URI:	http://repository.ubaya.ac.id/id/eprint/50149

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