Acid Hidrolysis of Used Paper Using Microwave as Heating

摘要

The energy demand in Indonesia increases continuously, but its availability is thinning out. Therefore, an alternative energy where the source is bountiful but has not been used properly is needed, such as used paper. This used paper is usually produced by office activities, educational institutions, even home activities. The used paper contains very high cellulose since the lignin contained in the raw material has been removed during the pulping process. Cellulose is a polymeric compound consisting of glucose monomers. The hydrolysis of cellulose is able to produce glucose which subsequently can be fermented into bio-ethanol. A study on hydrolysis of used paper to produce glucose as the raw material of bio-ethanol is urgent to conduct. The present work studied the hydrolysis of used paper using acid catalyst (sulfuric acid, chloride acid), which was heated in a microwave equipped with a cooling set up to avoid the evaporation of hydrolysate. The level of glucose in the hydrolysate was affected linearly by the acid concentration, hydrolysis time, and microwave power. Using chloride acid 2N for 7 hours, the hydrolysis produced glucose with a level of 76.542%, and 59.532% for sulfuric acid 3N.