Pemanfaatan Kompos Tandan Kosong Kelapa Sawit dan Limbah Wet Decanter Solid Pada Pembuatan Media Tanam Sebagai Pengganti Polybag Dengan Bahan Perekat Kitosan

Abstract

Polybags are a seed planting medium that is generally made of plastic. The use of plastic-based polybags is considered less environmentally friendly because of the presence of plastic packaging, which will be thrown away when the seeds are transferred from the polybag to the ground. Therefore, it is necessary to look for alternative plastics in the form of organic materials that are more environmentally friendly when making polybags. This research aims to produce polybag based on a mixture of empty fruit bunch compost (EFBC) and wet decanter solid (WDS) with chitosan adhesive, as well as analyzing the properties of the resulting polybags including density, moisture content, water absorption capacity, pH, biodegradation, and rate growth. The production of media tanams wass carried out with EFBC:WDS ratio of 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, and 50:50. The results showed that increasing the amount of EFBC will increase the density, moisture content, and pH of polybag, but reduced the absorption capacity and biodegradation of polybag. The best polybag composition was obtained with an EFBC:WDS ratio of 70:30, with a density of 0.70 g/cm3, moisture content of 10.62%, absorption capacity of 8.30%, pH of 6.6, and biodegradation of 43.41%. The use of polybag resulted in wheatgrass growth of up to 11.4 cm on the 14th day. The success of this research can make polybag an alternative to ordinary polybags because they can practically be planted directly into the ground without having to open the container. Apart from that, it is hoped that polybag can decompose quickly and not cause environmental.