UTILIZATION OF CRAB SHELL WASTE TO SYNTHESIZE TIO2/CHITOSAN

FILM AS SOLUTION FOR SIMULTANEOUS TEXTILE WASTEWATER

TREATMENT IN BANDUNG
Jessica, Andreas Exa Saputra
Abstract
Textile is one of the biggest industry in Bandung. However, its wastewater is difficult to
be treated. Textile wastewater contains azo dye that is not biodegradable. Moreover, the
present of toxic heavy metal such as Cr(VI) in significant amount complicate its process.
Nowaday, commonly used methods are bioreactor, adsorption, and membrane.
Nevertheless, their performance are still below necessary criteria. Using biological agents
requires long processing period and difficult reaction control. While, adsorption and
membrane are susceptible to fouling which requires frequent replacement. This results to
high operating cost. Therefore, it needs technology which is environmentally friendly,
convenient, and sustainable.
Photocatalyst is a process of semiconductor catalytic activation with light. This process
triggers electron excitation that yields hole and active electron. The hole and electron can
be used to perform many chemical process. One of them is long chain organic material
degradation such as azo dye through advance oxidation process into carbondioxide and
water. Furthermore, photocatalyst is able to reduce toxic metal like Cr(VI) into easily
separated precipitate. Treatment of mixed wastewater can be done simultaneously with
low energy from light.
One of frequently used semiconductor in photocatalytic process is titania (TiO2). It has
good performance, high availability, low cost, and harmless nature. Combination of
photocatalytic activity with adsorption is beneficial to increase performance of both
mechanism. Crab shell waste has huge potential to be green adsorbent. Chitosan
component inside it has been proven to increase titania performance in dye degradation.
It also possesses regeneration capability if combined with photocatalyst which eliminates
necessity of periodic replacement.
There is huge amount of textile wastewater in Bandung. Its treatment should be done in
large photoreactor basin. Proposed process to handle it is by designing spinning drum
photoreactor. The drum surface will be coated with Titania-chitosan film. The drum will
be half submerged in wastewater while continuously spinned under UV light installed
above the basin.
Keywords: photocatalyst, chitosan, titania, adsorption