ANALYSIS OF KENAF FIBER TESTING AS SUSTAINABLE GEOBAG MATERIAL IN NATURAL COASTAL PROTECTION SYSTEM

• Main Author: Gunawan, William
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Teknik (Rekayasa, enjinering dan kegiatan berkaitan)
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/80528
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

One of the most common coastal problems is erosion. Coastal erosion is a serious problem in Indonesia, which is the largest archipelagic country in the world. This means that most of the area is directly adjacent to the sea which is at risk of coastal erosion. Thus, a coastal protector is needed that can withstand energy from both waves and currents as the main factor, but is still environmentally friendly to benefit coastal communities. One of the most common examples is the planting of mangroves because the construction method is easy and cheap and also beneficial for coastal communities. But there is a problem when this plant is not yet mature. This is caused by waves that easily damage young mangrove plants before they can act as beach protectors. Therefore, it takes a combination of mangrove plants with temporary structures that have the same function as coastal protection, when the plants are not yet mature. A temporary structure that can play a role in replacing young mangrove plants is a geobag embankment. Geobag itself is a geotextile that is sewn and filled with soil so that it is shaped like a pillow. This geotextile needs to be investigated precisely in terms of biodegradation because in a natural coastal protection system (a combination of mangrove plants and geobag embankments) it takes the right time for biodegradation. In addition, it will also be investigated if the geotextile is made of natural fibers which are more environmentally friendly, but still pay attention to the nature of the material as a geobag material so that an efficient and effective natural coastal protection system is obtained. Based on the background that has been described, the objectives in writing this thesis are as follows: to obtain the material properties of natural fibers and geobag materials in general, to obtain the biodegradation characteristics of natural fibers and geobag materials in general, and to develop alternative materials made from natural fibers to be applied as natural coastal protection geobags. The scope of this research consists of, the first is a literature study. The literatures used are related to the current research. This scope contains a discussion of previous studies, which are then compared with what is being done now, starting from the objectives, methods used, to the advantages and disadvantages of each research. Next, there is the collection of data or information on natural fibers and temporary structures of natural coastal protection. In addition, data collection on material properties and biodegradation tests is carried out, such as standards that discuss these tests, location, timeframe, and the cost of the test. In addition, the collection of geobag materials found in the market and natural fibers was also carried out in this research. These geobag materials become a comparison material with natural fibers that have the potential as sustainable geobag materials. Then, geobag materials and natural fibers were tested to obtain material properties up to biodegradation. For testing the properties of the material carried out at the Laboratorium Pengujian Balai Besar Tekstil. Meanwhile, the biodegradation test was carried out based on ISO 11721-1. And lastly, analysis of the results of testing material properties and biodegradation of geobag materials available in the market and these potential natural fibers. In addition, a comparison is also made on whether natural fibers are able to become a sustainable geobag material as a temporary structure for natural coastal protection in Indonesia and its development. While the limitations used in this study started from the natural fiber used was kenaf fiber from Innatex Pak Tomo. Then, the geobag material generally used has non-woven characteristics. There are 2 non-woven geobags in this study. The first geobag came from Buana Paksa Indonesia. While the second geobag comes from PT. Tirta Citra Bara Persada. The nature of the kenaf fabric material as a sustainable geobag material can be seen from its physical and mechanical properties. For the physical properties, it consists of a thickness where the thickness of the kenaf fabric is 0.77 mm, which means it is much thinner than the existing geobag materials in general (3.26 mm for the Buana Paksa Indonesia Geobag and 4.36 mm for the Tirta Citra Bara Persada Geobag). In terms of physical properties, the weight of the kenaf fabric (309 g/m2) is also lighter than the two geobags studied at this time (422 g/m2 and 527 g/m2, respectively). While the first mechanical properties, there is tensile strength where the highest value of kenaf fabric reaches 768 N which is still below the two geobags (1080 N and 2140 N). Likewise, tear strength as a further mechanical property, both geobags (439 N and 895 N) were stronger than the kenaf fabric which only reached a value of 185 N. For biodegradation properties, both Buana Paksa Indonesia Geobag and Tirta Citra Bara Persada Geobag are also considered to be stronger because in the last observation, 6 weeks of soil burial test, there was a mass loss of 2.21% and 0.69%, respectively. While the kenaf fabric has reached 11.51%. Furthermore, in terms of developing kenaf fabric as a sustainable geobag material, precisely when looking at tensile strength as the main parameter of geobags, it is necessary to add 3 layers so that the tensile strength resembles the Buana Paksa Indonesia Geobag and 11 layers for the Tirta Citra Bara Persada Geobag. As for the nature of the biodegradation itself, special treatment needs to be done to slow down the rate of degradation.