Abstract:
Cassava peel is an industrial waste that has not been utilized optimally. Cassava peel has
a cellulose content of 37.86%, so it has the potential to be used as a bio adsorbent for
methyl orange dye in wastewater treatment. The aim of this research was to analyze the
effect of variations in microwave irradiation power on cassava peel carbon and the best
adsorbent dose on the adsorption of methyl orange dye. Cassava peel carbon was made
through a carbonization process at 300°C for 2 hours, then delignified using a 0.4 N NaOH
solution with a ratio of 1:10(w/v). Cassava peel carbon was activated by various
microwave irradiation power (700, 800, dan 900 W) for 20 minutes. Cassava peels carbon
before and after activation was characterized based on SNI No. 06-3730-1995 quality
standards which included water content, ash content, iodine adsorption capacity, and
methylene blue adsorption capacity. After obtaining the best irradiation power, the
adsorbent form cassava peel activated carbon was contacted with methyl orange dye at a
concentration of 50 ppm for 15 minutes with variations in adsorbent mass (0.05; 0.10;
0.15; 0.20; and 0.25 g). Determination of the absorbance and wavelength of the solution
was carried out using a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer. The surface morphology and
elemental composition of the cassava peel biosorbent were analyzed using SEM-EDS,
while the functional groups were analyzed using FTIR. The research results showed that
the best microwave irradiation power to activated cassava peel carbon was 700 W with a
water content value of 1.63%, ash content of 4.1%, the iodine adsorption capacity of
634.38 mg/g, Methylene Blue adsorption capacity of 23.4030 mg/g and surface area
36.7718 m2/g. The best adsorption of methyl orange dye was obtained with a cassava
peel-activated carbon adsorbent mass of 0.25 g with an adsorption efficiency of 37.68%.
Based on the research result, it can be concluded that the microwave activation process
was not good in improving the quality of cassava peel carbon in adsorbing methyl orange
dye.
