Slow release fertilizer production from coffee spent ground: A preliminary study

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Jember is an area in East Java that has potential in the agricultural and plantation sectors. Coffee as one of the commodities of Jember Regency is very well known throughout the world proven by the existence of the coffee and cocoa research center in Jember Regency. Spent Coffee Ground (SCG), the by-product of coffee beverages, is a natural carbon source which can be utilized as an adsorbent matrix in the production of Slow Release Fertilizer (SRF). Jember is an area that relies on economic resources from the agricultural and plantation sectors. It is better to use SCG in advance for a matrix in making Slow Release Fertilizer. The focus of the research was to study the possibility of SCG to be used as a matrix by analyze the yield and surface area after activation. The results show that the total yield of SCG become matrix of SRF is vary 10 – 16% regarding the parameters implemented. The optimum surface area was produced from active carbon using KOH as activator at 400 °C as much as 1047.75 mg iodine/g carbon followed by ZnCl2 as activator at 400 °C as much as 1028.7 mg iodine/g carbon. The bigger the temperature produces the lower surface area of activated carbon. The surface area differences had been checked by LSD method to describe the significance. Hence, the optimum activator is KOH to produce SRF because of the yield and surface area obtained.