Effect of Microwave Pretreatment on Production of Reducing Sugar from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches

Budi Mandra Harahap (Department of Agro-industrial Technology, Faculty of Agro-industrial Technology, Universitas Padjadjaran)
Robby Sudarman (Department of Chemical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Bandung)
Fildzah Sajidah (Department of Agro-industrial Technology, Faculty of Agro-industrial Technology, Universitas Padjadjaran)
Diana Murti Indra Wahyuni (Department of Chemical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Bandung)
Dea Tesalonika Sitorus (Department of Chemical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Bandung)

Jurnal Teknik Kimia dan Lingkungan
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2020): October 2020

ABSTRAK Perlakuan pendahulan biomassa merupakan tahapan terpenting dalam memproduksi produk-produk berbasis bio (bio-based products) secara biologis. Pada penelitian ini, energi gelombang mikro (microwave) digunakan selama perlakuan pendahuluan untuk meningkatkan kinerja proses sakarifikasi tandan kosong kelapa sawit (TKKS) menjadi gula-gula pereduksi. Faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi perlakuan pendahuluan seperti daya (180-360 watt), waktu iradiasi (5-30 menit), dan solid loading (2,5%-7,5%) dievaluasi. Kinerja hidrolisis TKKS yang telah diberi perlakuan pendahuluan selanjutnya dianalisis dengan Cellic CTec2. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa cairan residu yang diperoleh setelah perlakuan pendahuluan menghasilkan gula pereduksi dalam jumlah yang rendah, yaitu antara 1,39 dan 3,92 mg/g-TKKS. Akan tetapi, setelah padatan residu dihidrolisis secara enzimatis, rendemen gula pereduksi meningkat secara signifikan. Menariknya, hanya pada level daya terendah (180 watt), gula pereduksi meningkat seiring dengan perpanjangan waktu iradiasi untuk semua solid loading. Sebaliknya, pada 360 watt, semakin lama waktu iradiasi diterapkan, semakin rendah gula pereduksi yang diperoleh untuk semua solid loading. Gula pereduksi tertinggi dihasilkan hingga 151 mg/g-TKKS, yaitu menggunakan 5% padatan pada 180 watt selama 25 menit. Berdasarkan hasil-hasil ini, perlakuan pendahuluan menggunakan gelombang mikro yang diikuti dengan hidrolisis enzimatis merupakan salah satu metode yang potensial untuk memproduksi gula dari TKKS. Pretreatment of biomass is the most crucial step in the biological production of bio-based products. In this study, microwave energy was used during the pretreatment process to enhance the saccharification performance of oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) into reducing sugar. The influential factors of pretreatment such as power level (180-360 watt), irradiation time (5-30 min), and solid loading (2.5%-7.5%) were evaluated. The performance of pretreated OPEFB hydrolysis was subsequently assessed by Cellic CTec2. The result showed that spent liquor produced after pretreatment only released a low amount of reducing sugar in the range between 1.39 and 3.92 mg/g-OPEFB. After residual solid was enzymatically hydrolyzed, a significant increase in the reducing sugar yield occurred. Interestingly, only at the lowest power level (180 watts), the reducing sugar rose along with the extension of irradiation time for all solid loadings. On the contrary, the longer irradiation time was applied, the lower reducing sugar was acquired at 360 watts for all solid loadings. The highest reducing sugar was produced up to 151 mg/g-OPEFB using 5% solid at 180 watts for 25 min. This indicated that microwave pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis was one of the potential methods to recover sugars in OPEFB.