THE EFFECTS OF OXIDANT-ADDITIVE ON POLYSTYRENE’S CHARACTERISTIC

• Main Author: ADLINA ABTALIANA (NIM : 10507047); Pembimbing : Prof. Dr. I Made Arcana
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/14666
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

One of the several methods to modify waste of polystyrene is through the formation of oxo-biodegradable polystyrene, so that the polymer will be degraded in environment. The addition of pro-oxidant into polystyrene can accelerate the oxidative degradation after the polymer heated or radiated by UV. There are two phases in the degradation process of oxo-biodegradable polymer. In abiotic phase, the additive pro- is activated by UV radiation and causes oxidation reaction on polymer. The biotic phase supports the degradation process with the help of microorganisms from activated mud. On this research, there were three variations of the pro-oxidant to mixture into polystyrene, 0 %, 0.5 %, 2.0 %. Each oxo-biodegradable film of polystyrene was radiated with UV during 0, 1, 5, and 7 days. Then, the biodegradability test was carried out with microorganisms from activated sludge and incubated during 10, 20, and 30 days. FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra Red) is used to analyzing the functional group existed in polymer. Another characterization analyses to determine the degraded polymer were tensile strength test, decreasing of mass, morphology analysis by using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). Based on the result, the highest carbonyl index value was observed in the polystyrene with 2 % pro-oxidant and irradiation for five days. The elasticity characteristic of polystyrene decreased along with the oxidant-additive percentage and the longer duration of UV radiation. The result of biodegradable test in oxo-biodegradable polystyrene film shows the decreasing mass during the biodegradation process.