Producing starch-based bioplastic from durian skin with the addition of sorbitol plasticizer and chitosan filler

2026-02-09T08:43:46+07:00

Plastic and organic waste are global issues in various developing countries, especially Indonesia.Unproper waste management will bring a negative impact on the environment. Organic waste such as durian skin can be converted into starch as a raw material for bioplastics as an alternative solution to reduce plastic waste. This study aims to make bioplastics based on starch from durian skin with the addition of sorbitol as a plasticizer and chitosan as a filler with the addition of tapioca flour adhesive. The ratio of tapioca flour to durian skin starch is 2:0.75, 2:1, 2:2, while the concentration of sorbitol plasticizer used is 25 %, and chitosan filler is 4 % of the total starch mass. The samples were characterized by physical and mechanical tests (thickness, tensile strength, elongation, and young's modulus), functional group tests with FTIR, and thermal strength tests with TGA-DTG. From the results, the best sample was sample C (the ratio of tapioca flour to durian skin starch 2:2, sorbitol plasticizer 3.00 ml, and chitosan filler 0.48 g) with a thickness of 0.11 mm, tensile strength 31.44 MPa, young's modulus 31.23 MPa, and stable thermal resistance with the smallest mass loss of 81.454 % up to a temperature of 600 ^oC.

Effectiveness of reducing ammonia levels in medical waste using a combination of palm fiber bio adsorbent and nanofiltration membrane

2026-02-09T08:50:31+07:00

In this study, the management of domestic wastewater from the regional hospital of Ogan ilir
district was carried out by combining adsorption methods using palm fiber activated charcoal
adsorbent and filtration using nanofiltration (NF) membranes. The palm fiber activated charcoal
adsorbent was produced through a combustion process at 100 ºC for ±24 hours which resulted
in a moisture content and ash content of 1.179 and 4.012 %, respectively. Palm fiber charcoal
was activated using sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and then analyzed using Scanning Electron
Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-Ray (SEM-EDX). The hospital domestic waste treatment
process was carried out with variations in operating time of 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 minutes and
flow rates of 2 and 3 L/min which were then analyzed for ammonia levels before and after the
management process.

Jurnal Teknik Kimia

Producing starch-based bioplastic from durian skin with the addition of sorbitol plasticizer and chitosan filler

Effectiveness of reducing ammonia levels in medical waste using a combination of palm fiber bio adsorbent and nanofiltration membrane