Adsorption of pigments and free fatty acids from shea butter on activated Cameroonian clays

Adsorption of pigments and free fatty acids from shea butter on acid-activated Cameroonian local clays was investigated. The adsorption of the pigments was followed by the reduction of the absorbance of the shea butter at 295 nm. The kinetic study revealed that both the temperature at which the experiment was performed and the degree of activation of the clays influence the time of contact required to reach adsorption equilibrium of the pigments and the amount of pigments adsorbed. Thus, at 90 °C, the time required was 30 min for the clays activated with 0.5 M (A0.5M) and 1.0 M solutions (A1M) of sulphuric acid, and 45 min for the clay activated with a 2.0 M solution (A2M) of sulphuric acid. At 80 °C, the adsorption equilibrium was reached after 45 min for clays A0.5M and A1M, and 60 min for clay A2M. At 65 °C, the contact time to reach adsorption equilibrium was longer than 75 min for all the adsorbents used. At 90 °C, the amount of pigments adsorbed at equilibrium by clay A2M was about two thirds of that adsorbed by clay A0.5M, and one half of the amount adsorbed by clay A1M. For each adsorbent, the amount of pigment adsorbed decreased with temperature. A1M was the most efficient local clay for the adsorption of shea butter pigments and compared favourably with the industrial clay used as reference. The same evolution was observed with the adsorption of free fatty acids on different clays. The contact time needed for the elimination of peroxides was 40 min for all the clays used. The most efficient adsorbents for the adsorption of the pigments and free fatty acids were also the ones that gave the best results in the elimination of peroxides. The energy of activation for the adsorption of the pigments, as determined by the adsorption kinetic model of Brimberg, were 61 ± 9 kJ/mol, 73 ± 11 kJ/mol, 67 ± 10 kJ/mol, and 47 ± 7 kJ/mol for the industrial adsorbent (EN) and clays A0.5M, A1M and A2M, respectively. These values of activation energies indicate that the shea butter pigments are chemisorbed on acid-activated clays. It was found that the adsorption isotherms follow the Freundlich equation.