Muhammad Rafli, Reza Mega Wahyuni, Nilna Muna Zahiro, Agung Witjoro, I. Wayan Dasna
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is a plastic that cannot be degraded naturally. Therefore, processing is needed to prevent pollution from this plastic waste. In this research, LDPE plastic was processed into activated carbon and then composited with magnetite nanoparticles using the coprecipitation method with variations in the ratio of activated carbon and magnetite by 1:1 (ACM1), 1:2 (ACM2), and 1:3 (ACM3). The synthesized composites were tested for their ability as gram-positive and gram-negative antibacterial agents. Activation of carbon was carried out chemically using phosphoric acid. SEM characterization showed average particle sizes of 22.6 μm, 40.8 nm, and 25.3 μm for activated carbon, magnetite, and composites, respectively. In the ACM2 spectrum, the peak in wave number 570-575 cm-1 indicates Fe-O vibration while the broad peak at the wave number 3300-3500 cm-1 shows the O-H vibration and the formation of hydrogen bonds. Based on XRD spectrum analysis, the synthesized composite had similar peaks to those of Fe3O4 (COD 1010369) and activated carbon (COD 1200017). Hematite impurities detected in ACM1, ACM2, and ACM3 were 4.0%, 1.4%. and 0%, respectively. Based on the antibacterial test, the composite ACM3 had the best antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) but possessed a weak activity against gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). © 2022 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang Malang, Jln. Semarang 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang Malang, Jln. Semarang 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia