Soda-Anthraquinone-Catalyzed Delignification of Coconut Husk Waste

Eka Fitriani Ahmad (Doctoral Student of Environmental Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha No.10, Lebak Siliwangi, Coblong District, Bandung, West Java, 40132||Indon)
Puji Lestari (Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha No.10, Lebak Siliwangi, Bandung, West Java, 40132)
Katharina Oginawati (Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha No.10, Lebak Siliwangi, Bandung, West Java, 40132)
Yoki Yulizar (Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Jl. Lingkar Kampus Raya, Depok, 16424)
Julinton Sianturi (Research Center for Molecular Chemistry, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), B.J. Habibie Science and Technology Area, South Tangerang, 15314||Indonesia Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14195||Ger)
Muhammad Miftahul Munir (Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha No.10, Lebak Siliwangi, Bandung, West Java, 40132)
Adawiah Adawiah (Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Jl. Lingkar Kampus Raya, Depok, 16424)

Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis
2026: BCREC Volume 21 Issue 1 Year 2026 (April 2026)

This study investigates the role of anthraquinone (AQ) in decomposing coconut husk waste, specifically collected from Banten, to produce pure α-cellulose pulp. The process used sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at 10%, 15%, and 20% concentrations, with 0.1 g of AQ added as a catalyst, and a waste-to-liquid ratio of 1:8 throughout. The goal is to accelerate lignin degradation while protecting cellulose in the material, thereby yielding higher-quality pulp. The Banten coconut husk analysis showed an α-cellulose content of 30.38%. Higher NaOH concentrations reduced pulp yield but increased lignin removal, indicated by lower kappa numbers. AQ addition enhanced lignin removal and preserved cellulose compared to the absence of AQ. The optimal outcome was achieved with 15% NaOH and 0.1 g AQ, balancing lignin removal and cellulose preservation. These findings indicate that anthraquinone can support sustainable pulp production from agricultural waste. Copyright © 2026 by Authors, Published by BCREC Publishing Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).