PENGEMBANGAN PROSES PEMBUATAN SELULOSA ASETAT DARI PULP TANDAN KOSONG SAWIT PROSES ETANOL

• Main Author: Maria Amin , Asnetty
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/7346
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Being abundant lignocellulosic waste, oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) has a great potency as a source of cellulose or pulp. Using ethanosolv-pulping, this agricultural waste could be processed into pulp with an a-cellulose content in the range of 85 - 88%. This research dealt with the conversion of EFB ethanosolv-pulp into a more valuable cellulose acetate. Two conventional cellulose acetate production processes have been studied experimentally. The conventional Emil Heuser and Celanese processes used in this experimental study have quite different process steps and chemicals. In Emil Heuser process, cellulose is firstly depolimerized into a degree of polimerization of about 130. Acetylation is then carried out slowly to a desired degree of acetylation. H3PO4 and acetic acid glasial are the main chemicals in Emil Heuser process. Acetic anhydride is used to complete acetylation in Celanese process. This acetylation process is then followed by hydrolysis to obtain the desired degree of acetylation. No depolimerization of cellulose is applied in this process. To achieve a spesification of dissolving pulp with a-cellulose contents in the range of 95 - 100%, EFB ethanosolv-pulp must be treated in the following process : a. extended delignification using the CEHEH bleaching process b. further dissolution of 13 and y-cellulose c. extensive washing to remove all impurities Pulps resulted from the above pre-treatments were found to have a sufficiently high a-cellulose content in the range of 90 - 98%. As expected, pretreated EFB ethanosolv pulp could be converted into cellulose acetate having acetyl content in the range 39 - 41% by weight. As cellulose underwent depolimerization in Emil Heuser process, some of cellulose might be lost. Therefore more cellulose as raw material was required in Emil Heuser process than in Celanese process. Emil Heuser process seemed more attractive, since most chemical might be recovered and reused for subsequent process. While dilute acetic acid was the main by products in Celanese.