Karakterisasi Biopelet Tongkol Jagung dan Serbuk Gergaji Sebagai Bahan Bakar Alternatif

PUTRI ADE IRMA C, Prof. Ir. Bambang Purwantana, M.Agr ; Dr. Radi, STP., M.Eng

2020 | Skripsi | S1 TEKNIK PERTANIAN

Di Indonesia, potensi limbah pertanian yang melimpah patut untuk dikembangkan sebagai bahan bakar alternatif pengganti bahan bakar fosil. Salah satunya dengan pemanfaatan limbah pertanian berupa tongkol jagung yang jumlah keberadaan energinya sekitar 9,74 % dari 35,6 GW total potensial energi biomassa limbah pertanian (Pranoto dkk., 2013). Limbah pertanian dapat dimanfaatkan salah satunya yaitu dengan mengkonversi limbah biomassa menjadi biopelet. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji dan mengidentifikasi karakteristik biopelet hasil mesin pencetak biopelet yang digunakan. Hasil biopelet yang diperoleh kemudian dilakukan analisis pengaruh variasi ukuran mesh serta campuran serbuk gergaji terhadap kualitas biopelet yang dihasilkan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan dengan mesin pencetak biopelet yang digunakan, biopelet dengan kualitas terbaik diperoleh pada pencetakan bahan menggunakan tepung tongkol variasi ukuran mesh 40 serta penggunaan campuran serbuk gergaji sebesar 0%. Pengecilan ukuran bahan mesh 30 dan mesh 40 cenderung meningkatkan nilai hidropobicity, kekuatan, kadar volatil, kadar abu, kadar karbon terikat, dan nilai kalor biopelet tetapi menurunkan nilai kadar air dan densitas biopelet. Penambahan campuran serbuk gergaji 0%, 20%, dan 40% cenderung meningkatkan nilai densitas, hidropobicity, kekuatan, dan kadar karbon terikat biopelet tetapi menurunkan nilai kadar air, kadar volatil, kadar abu, dan nilai kalor.

In Indonesia, the potential for abundant agricultural waste should be developed as an alternative fuel to replace fossil fuels. One of them is by utilizing agricultural waste in the form of corn cobs, the amount of which is around 9.74% of the total energy potential of agricultural biomass waste (Pranoto et al., 2013). One of the agricultural wastes can be utilized is by converting biomass waste into biopellet. This study aims to test and identify the characteristics of biopellet that is compatible with the biopellet pressing machine used. The biopellet results obtained were then analyzed the influence of mesh size variations and sawdust mixture on the quality of the biopellet produced. The results showed with the biopellet pressing machine used, biopellet with the best quality was obtained in pressing the material using cob flour 40 mesh size variations and the use of sawdust mixture by 0%. Reduction of mesh 30 and mesh 40 size tends to increase the value of hydropobicity, strength, volatile content, ash content, bound carbon content, and biopellet calorific value but reduce the value of water content and biopellet density. The addition of wood powder mixture of 0%, 20%, and 40% tends to increase the value of density, hydropobicity, strength, and carbon content bound to biopellet but decreases the value of water content, volatile content, ash content, and heating value.

Kata Kunci : Biopelet, Pelet, Biomassa, Ukuran Mesh, Campuran Serbuk Gergaji, Biopellet, Pellet, Biomass, Mesh Size, Sawdust Mix