Fabrication and Characterization of Activated Carbon from ‘Aking rice’ Waste

Abstract

Rice as a staple food for most Indonesian people contributes a high amount of food waste. Indonesian people generally process cooked rice waste into ‘Aking rice’. ‘Aking rice’ is a result from the drying of cooked rice with the sun. ‘Aking rice’ is generally used as animal feed, but on the other hand, aking rice has the potential to be used as a source of activated carbon because it contains high carbon. We learn the optimum carbonization temperature for making activated carbon from aking rice by conducting several characterization tests on activated charcoal from each carbonization temperature. The fabrication method of activated carbon in this research occurs in two steps, carbonization first followed by chemical activation using HCl. The carbonization temperature variations are 300°C, 400°C, and 500°C. The optimum carbonization temperature is 500°C because all results comply with requirement. Activated carbon from carbonization temperature at 500°C has water content of 0,96%, ash content of 0,98%, volatile matter content of 19,30%, and fixed carbon content 79,72%. Variation of carbonization temperature does not give significant effect for ash content and water content, but give significant effect for volatile matter content and fixed carbon content.