Electronic Theses and Dissertation

Pencemaran lingkungan akibat limbah plastik mendorong pengembangan material ramah lingkungan, salah satunya plastik biodegradable berbasis limbah pertanian. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan plastik biodegradable berbasis bakteria selulosa yang dihasilkan dari fermentasi limbah cair tahu menggunakan Acetobacter xylinum serta mengkaji pengaruh konsentrasi bakteria selulosa terhadap karakteristik fisik dan mekaniknya. Penelitian menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) satu faktor dengan tiga taraf konsentrasi bakteria selulosa, yaitu 5% (C1), 10% (C2), dan 15% (C3), masing-masing tiga ulangan. Parameter yang dianalisis meliputi ketebalan, kadar air, kuat tarik, pemanjangan saat putus (elongasi), modulus Young, laju transmisi uap air (WVTR), permeabilitas uap air (WVP), swelling, degradasi, dan karakterisasi gugus fungsi menggunakan FTIR. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa bakteria selulosa yang dihasilkan memiliki berat 326,1 ± 33,65 g dan ketebalan 1,435 ± 0,245 mm. Spektrum FTIR mengonfirmasi keberadaan gugus fungsi khas selulosa. Konsentrasi bakteria selulosa berpengaruh nyata terhadap ketebalan, nilai WVTR, dan laju degradasi, namun tidak berpengaruh nyata terhadap kadar air, kuat tarik, elongasi, modulus Young, WVP, dan swelling. Perlakuan C3 menghasilkan ketebalan tertinggi (0,10 mm), kadar air terendah (75,22%), swelling terendah (91,03%), dan waktu degradasi terlama (34 hari). Sementara itu, perlakuan C1 menunjukkan kuat tarik tertinggi (7,00 MPa), elongasi tertinggi (24,7%), modulus Young tertinggi (25,87 MPa), nilai WVTR terendah (1,95 × 10⁻⁶ g m⁻² h⁻¹), serta waktu degradasi tercepat (26 hari). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa limbah cair tahu berpotensi dimanfaatkan sebagai bahan baku plastik biodegradable berbasis bakteria selulosa dengan karakteristik yang memenuhi standar mekanik dan memiliki kemampuan biodegradasi yang baik.

Environmental pollution caused by plastic waste has encouraged the development of environmentally friendly materials, including biodegradable plastics derived from agricultural waste. This study aimed to develop biodegradable plastic based on bacterial cellulose produced from tofu wastewater fermentation using Acetobacter xylinum and to evaluate the effect of bacterial cellulose concentration on its physical and mechanical properties. The experiment employed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with one factor consisting of three bacterial cellulose concentrations: 5% (C1), 10% (C2), and 15% (C3), each with three replications. The parameters analyzed included thickness, moisture content, tensile strength, elongation at break, Young’s modulus, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), water vapor permeability (WVP), swelling degree, biodegradation, and functional group characterization using FTIR spectroscopy. The results showed that the bacterial cellulose produced had an average weight of 326.1 ± 33.65 g and a thickness of 1.435 ± 0.245 mm. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of characteristic cellulose functional groups. Bacterial cellulose concentration significantly affected film thickness, WVTR, and biodegradation rate, but had no significant effect on moisture content, tensile strength, elongation at break, Young’s modulus, WVP, and swelling degree. The C3 treatment produced the highest thickness (0.10 mm), the lowest moisture content (75.22%), the lowest swelling degree (91.03%), and the longest degradation time (34 days). In contrast, the C1 treatment exhibited the highest tensile strength (7.00 MPa), the highest elongation at break (24.7%), the highest Young’s modulus (25.87 MPa), the lowest WVTR value (1.95 × 10⁻⁶ g m⁻² h⁻¹), and the fastest degradation time (26 days). These findings indicate that tofu wastewater has considerable potential as a raw material for bacterial cellulose-based biodegradable plastic with desirable mechanical properties and good biodegradability.