CHEESA, Vol. 4 No. 2 Hal 91-99, 2021 | 91 CHEESA: Chemical Engineering Research Articles ISSN 2614-8757 (Print), ISSN 2615-2347 (Online) Available online at: http://e-journal.unipma.ac.id/index.php/cheesa Copyright © 2021 Pemanfaatan Serbuk Gergaji Kayu sebagai Karbon Aktif melalui Proses Pirolisis dan Aktivasi Kimia Utilization of Wood Sawdust as Activated Carbon through Pyrolysis and Chemical Activation Process Khalimatus Sa’diyah 1*) , Profiyanti Hermien Suharti 1) , Nanik Hendrawati 1) , Finda Agustin Pratamasari 1) , One Mahardika Rahayu 1) 1) Politeknik Negeri Malang, Teknik Kimia, Indonesia *correspondence email: khalimatus22@gmail.com Abstrak Ketersediaan limbah serbuk gergaji kayu sangat potensial diolah menjadi karbon aktif karena mengandung selulosa dan lignin yang menyebabkan serbuk gergaji kayu dapat mengikat ion logam berat. Pemanfaatan karbon aktif banyak digunakan di berbagai industri, diantaranya sebagai penyerap zat pencemar dan logam berat. Penelitian ini membahas tentang pembuatan dan pemanfaatan serbuk gergaji kayu sebagai karbon aktif (adsorben) melalui pirolisis dan aktivasi kimia. Tujuannya adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh suhu pirolisis terhadap kualitas karbon aktif yang dihasilkan. Karbon aktif dibuat menggunakan serbuk gergaji kayu yang didehidrasi di bawah sinar matahari. Proses karbonisasi dilakukan dengan metode pirolisis pada suhu 200 °C, 225 °C, 250 °C, 275 °C dan 300 °C selama 1 jam. Hasil proses pirolisis selanjutnya diaktivasi menggunakan aktivator basa kuat (NaOH) dengan konsentrasi 1 N dan waktu aktivasi 3 jam. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, suhu pirolisis yang menghasilkan kualitas karbon aktif mendekati Standar Industri Indonesia (SII) 0258-88 adalah pada suhu 275 °C. Kualitas karbon aktif yang dihasilkan memiliki kadar air 3 %, kadar abu 10,2 %, kadar volatile matter 23 %, dan kadar fixed carbon 63,7 %. Kata kunci: aktivasi; karbonisasi; karbon aktif; kayu; pirolisis Abstract The availability of wood sawdust waste has the potential to be processed into activated carbon because it contains cellulose and lignin which causes wood sawdust to bind heavy metal ions. Utilization of activated carbon is widely used in various industries, including as an absorbent of pollutants and heavy metals. This research is about the production and utilization of sawdust as activated carbon (adsorbent) through pyrolysis and chemical activation. The aim is to determine the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the quality of the activated carbon produced. Activated carbon is made using wood sawdust which is dehydrated in the sun. The carbonization process was performed using pyrolysis method at temperatures of 200°C, 225°C, 250°C, 275°C and 300°C for 1 hour. Then it was activated using a strong base activator (NaOH) with an activator concentration of 1 N and an activation time of 3 hours. Based on the obtained results, the pyrolysis temperature which produces the quality of activated carbon closed to Standar Industri Indonesia (SII) 0258-88 is 275°C. The quality of the produced activated carbon has a moisture content of 3%, ash content of 10.2%, volatile matter content of 23%, and fixed carbon content of 63.7%. Keywords: activation; activated carbon; carbonization; pyrolysis, wood Received: 04/02/2021; Revised: 29/09/2021; Accepted: 29/09/2021; doi: 10.25273/cheesa.v4i2.8589.91-99 Research Article