The effect of amino acids extracted from tofu wastewater on chitosan performance for methylene blue removal from water

Abstract

In this study, we have modified chitosan using amino acids to form a chitosan-amino acid film. Amino acids were extracted from the tofu wastewater of the tofu producer, Timbul Jaya in Banda Aceh. The amino acid loaded on chitosan was varied (1, 0.5, 0.25, and 0.1 mL). The best chitosan-amino acid films were obtained at 0.5 mL amino acid loading. Chitosan-amino acid films were characterized using XRD (X-Ray Diffraction), TGA (Thermogravimetric Analysis), DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry), and FT-IR (Fourier Transform Red Spectroscopy). XRD data showed that amino acid loading did not affect the crystallinity of chitosan. Based on TGA and DSC data, the addition of amino acids slightly decreased the thermal properties of chitosan. FTIR data confirmed the amount of amino acids loaded can increase the amine group in chitosan. Adding amino acids to chitosan film was able to increase the adsorption capacity of chitosan.