Pemanfaatan ampas limbah industri agar-agar (Gracilaria sp.) pada pembuatan kertas map eceng gondok (Eichhornia crassipes): Utilization of agar-agar industry waste (Gracilaria sp.) in the production of map paper from water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

Abstract

Jumlah ampas limbah yang dihasilkan industri pengolahan agar-agar (Gracilaria sp.) terus meningkat seiring dengan meningkatnya produksi setiap tahun. Ampas agar-agar mengandung selulosa yang dapat dimanfaatkan sebagai bahan baku pembuatan kertas map. Tujuan penelitian adalah menentukan konsentrasi ampas limbah industri agar terbaik berdasarkan karakteristik kertas map eceng gondok. Metode penelitian berupa experimental laboratory menggunakan rancangan acak lengkap (RAL) dengan perlakuan perbedaan konsentrasi ampas agar-agar dalam pembuatan kertas map, yaitu 0, 10, 15, dan 20%. Parameter uji kertas map, yaitu gramatur, ketahanan sobek, daya serap air, kekakuan, hedonik dan SEM. Peningkatan jumlah ampas agar-agar dalam formulasi kertas map meningkatkan ketahanan sobek dan daya serap air, namun menurunkan nilai gramatur, kekakuan dan hedonik. Hasil terbaik, yaitu pada perlakuan penambahan ampas pengolahan agar-agar 20% dengan nilai gramatur 318,67 g/m2, ketahanan sobek 1.573,3 mN, daya serap air 926,3 g/m2, kekakuan 45 g/m3 dan hedonik 6,82 < µ < 6,83. Serapan pada pita 928-933 cm-1 menunjukkan penanda adanya gugus 3,6-anhydrogalactose senyawa penyusun agar-agar.Annually, the agar processing industry (Gracilaria sp.) continues to increase the amount of waste pulp it produces. Cellulose, present in agar pulp, serves as a raw material for the production of folder paper. The purpose of this study was to determine the best concentration of industrial waste pulp based on the characteristics of water hyacinth folder paper. The study used an experimental lab with a complete randomized design (CRD) to test how different concentrations of agar pulp affect the process of making folder paper. These concentrations were 0, 10, 15, and 20%. The test parameters of the folder paper are grammage, tear resistance, water absorption, stiffness, hedonic, and SEM. Adding more agar pulp to the folder paper made it more resistant to tears and better at absorbing water, but it made it less dense, stiff, and enjoyable to use. The optimal outcome was achieved with the addition of 20% agar processing pulp.  It had a weight of 318.67 g/m2, a tear resistance of 1573.3 mN, a water absorption of 926.3 g/m2, a stiffness of 45 g/m3, and a hedonics value of 6.82±< 6.83. The absorption in the 928–933 cm⁻³ band shows that the 3,6-anhydrogalactose group of agar-agar constituent compounds is present