PREPARATION, CHARACTERIZATION, AND PROCESS OPTIMIZATION OF NITROCELLULOSE FROM WATER HYACINTH (EICHHORNIA CRASSIPES) ROOTS

• Main Author: Hasan Ibrahim, Fuad
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Teknik (Rekayasa, enjinering dan kegiatan berkaitan)
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/84721
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Nitrocellulose (NC) is used in various applications depending on its nitrogen content, including coatings, medicine, and military fields. NC is modified from reacting cellulose such as cotton linter with a nitrating agent. The development of nitrocellulose is partly directed at utilizing agricultural waste and weeds. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a weed commonly used for handicrafts and as a raw material for briquettes. The roots of water hyacinth have a hollow morphology and contain cellulose, so they can potentially be used as a precursor for nitrocellulose. One of the most common nitration methods is using a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids. The nitration process parameters for water hyacinth roots must be determined and optimized to obtain optimum nitrogen content. On the other hand, handling nitration waste requires special attention because the sulfate and nitrate content can damage the environment if it exceeds the threshold for water quality standards. To address this, the study explores the possibility of reusing the remaining reagents after the nitration process, thereby reducing the use of new reagents and generating waste. In this study, cellulose was extracted through four process stages: dewaxing using 3% NaOCl, alkalization using 17.5% NaOH, acid hydrolysis using 0.5M H2SO4, and bleaching using 3% H2O2. The resulting cellulose was then nitrated using sulfuric acid and nitric acid. The nitration process parameters were optimized by varying the sulfate-nitrate mixture ratio parameters from 1:1 to 3.5:1, nitration time from 30 to 180 minutes, and reagent-solid ratio from 100:1 to 20:1. Furthermore, the nitration process using the remaining reagents were carried out until the fifth cycle. Root samples from each stage of cellulose extraction were characterized using SEM, Chesson-Datta analysis, FTIR, and XRD. NC from water hyacinth roots was characterized using element analysis, FTIR, and XRD. The cellulose content of water hyacinth roots increased from 29.1% to 86.8%. The nitrogen content reached 11.74% obtained with a sulfate ratio of 1:1, a nitration time of 60 minutes, and a reagent-solid ratio of 100:1. The nitrogen content was still above 10.8% with the use of reagents up to the fifth cycle. From these results, water hyacinth roots have the potential to be used as a source of nitrocellulose.