Biodegradation of empty fruit bunches of oil palm for pulping

English. Based on their fiber characteristics, empty fruit bunches of oil palm (EFBOP) have been considered to be highly potential as a raw material for paper pulp. In an effort to develop an efficient and environmentally safe pulping process, this investigation was conducted to determine the possibility of using selected bacteria and fungi in delignification process. A composting experiment was conducted outdoor for 90 days in a 0.3 cubic meter concrete composting box arranged in a factorial design with two replicates. Treatments applied were three chopping sizes (5, 10, and 15 cm), two types of isolates (Cytophaga sp., and Trichoderma sp.), and mixing practices (with and without monthly turn-over). Substrate decomposition was assessed on to the basis of volume decrease. Lignin and cellulose contents were determined after a 90 days composting. Selected samples of untreated, bacterial and fungal-inoculated treatments were processed to produce pulp sheet through a semi-chemical process for corrugated paper. Physical tests were performed on the pulp and sheets, including kappa number, tear index, tensile index, ring crush, ring crush index, concora, and concora index. Inspite of mixing practices, inoculation of Cytophaga sp. or Trichoderma sp. accelerated EFBOP decomposition. Based on the physical appearance of the pulp sheet, the best sheet was obtained from sample inoculated with Cytophaga sp., followed by the fungal-inoculated and untreated sample. Although the standard quality of corrugated paper pulp has not been met, the physical properties of fungal and bacterial treated samples were better than those of the untreated sample. This shows that EFBOP treated with Cytophaga sp., or Trichoderma sp., is potential as a raw material for corrugated paper pulping

unknown. Berdasarkan sifat dan mutu seratnya, tandan kosong kelapa sawit (TKKS) dianggap berpotensi sebagai bahan baku pulp kertas. Dalam kaitannya dengan usaha untuk memperoleh proses pembuatan pulp yang efisien dan aman terhadap lingkungan, penelitian ini bertujuan mempelajari kemungkinan penggunaan bakteri dan fungi dalam degradasi senyawa lignin dan/atau selulosa. Percobaan pengomposan dilakukan selama 90 hari dalam bak permanen 0,5 meter kubik dengan rancangan faktorial dan ulangan 3 kali. Perlakuan yang diuji terdiri atas tiga ukuran cacahan (5, 10, dan 15 cm), dua jenis inokulan (Cytophaga sp. dan Trichoderma sp.), dan pengadukan tiap bulan (diaduk dan tidak diaduk). Dekomposisi substrat ditetapkan atas dasar persentase penyusutan. Kadar lignin dan selulosa ditetapkan di akhir pengomposan. Dari contoh tanpa perlakuan, inokulasi bakteri dan inokulasi fungi selanjutnya dibuat contoh lembaran pulp untuk kertas medium yang dibuat secara semi-kimia. Pengujian fisik pulp dan lembarannya meliputi penetapan rendemen, bilangan kappa, indeks sobek, panjang putus, ketahanan tekan lingkar, faktor tekan lingkar, ketahanan tekan datar, dan faktor tekan datar. Hasil yang diperoleh menunjukkan bahwa inokulasi dengan Cytophaga sp. atau Trichoderma sp. mempercepat dekomposisi TKKS. Kenampakan fisik lembaran pulp dari contoh dengan perlakuan bakteri paling halus dan berturut-turut diikuti oleh perlakuan fungi dan kontrol. Walaupun belum sepenuhnya memenuhi syarat sebagai pulp kertas medium mutu tinggi, sifat fisik lembaran pulp dari perlakuan fungi dan bakteri lebih baik daripada tanpa perlakuan. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa TKKS dengan perlakuan inokulasi mikroba lignoselulolitik mempunyai potensi sebagai bahan baku pembuatan pulp kertas medium secara biokimia