This research aims to produce activated carbon from molasses via a chemical activation process with potassium hydroxide (KOH) and a microwave heating process which consumes less energy and provides more rapid and uniform heat distribution than a conventional heating. The obtained activated carbon was then characterized with BET SEM and FTIR. It exhibited a large specific surface area of 1631 m2/g and a total pore volume of 1.124 cm3/g consisting of mesopore and micropore. In addition the active functional groups were also found on the surface of the activated carbon. Thus it was brought for the adsorption test with methylene blue. It was found that the adsorption capacity of the activated carbon increased with time and reached the equilibrium within 8 hours. The adsorption data of the activated carbon were corresponded to Langmuir isotherm with the highest adsorption capacity of 370.37 mg/g. The adsorption kinetic of the activated carbon exhibited pseudo-second order reaction suggesting to the chemisorption phenomenon. From the thermodynamic study it revealed that the adsorption process were endothermic and spontaneous reactions.

This research studies the production of bacterial cellulose from Acetobacter xylinum TISTR 975 with pineapple peel juice a low cost carbon source and coconut water as nutrient and carbon source. The factors influencing the production were studied including incubation time type of carbon sources and ratio of mixed carbon sources. In addition the characteristics of the produced bacterial cellulose were investigated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR) Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA) Differential Scanning Colorimeter (DSC) and x-ray Diffractometer (xRD). It was found that the coconut water produced the amount of bacterial cellulose higher than the pineapple peel juice with 10 days of production. An addition of the coconut water into the pineapple peel juice increased the amount of bacterial cellulose. The characteristics of two bacterial celluloses from two different sources were nearly similar but the one from the pineapple peel juice had higher impurities. It can be concluded that the pineapple shell extract could be used as low cost carbon source for bacterial cellulose production.