DEVELOPMENT OF MODIFIED KAPOK FIBER AS A MEDIA FOR ESSENTIAL OIL PURIFICATION

• Main Author: Filbert Hesekiel Sitinjak, Evan
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/85958
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Kapok fiber, which is abundant in nature at a low cost, can be used as a natural sorbent to improve the quality and purity of oils, such as essential oils. The application of essential oils in various fields has recently been increasing, especially in the pharmaceutical industry due to their significant pharmacological activities. Kapok fibers have thin walls that are hydrophobic and oleophilic, and they possess a lumen in the middle that can hold absorbed oil. However, the fragile walls of kapok fibers and the wax layer on their surface result in low cohesion and difficulty in use without damaging the fiber's interfacial interactions. Therefore, this research aims to perform a simple modification of kapok fibers to enhance their effectiveness as a sorbent for essential oils. The modification of kapok fibers involves four main stages: pre-treatment, modification with TEOS, freeze-drying, and ending with the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method using DTMS compounds. The experimental variations used are packing density, DTMS volume, and the type of essential oil as the adsorbate, namely clove oil, patchouli oil, and cinnamon oil. The characteristics of kapok fibers based on FTIR spectrum analysis show that the final modification of the kapok fibers results in the dominance of methyl siloxane groups (Si-CH3) and a reduction in hydroxyl groups (OH), enhancing the hydrophobic properties of the kapok fibers and their adsorption capacity for essential oils. The wetting behavior test shows the largest contact angle value for kapok fibers modified with 5 mL DTMS, which is 137.550 . Optimization is performed on kapok fibers with a packing density of 0.018 grams/mL and 5 mL DTMS treatment, yielding the highest adsorption capacity for clove oil at 36.1 g/g. The highest selectivity value obtained from this variation is 9,32:1 for patchouli oil compared to water.