Application of Cashew Shell as Activated Carbon Used as Coating Material for Urea and Its Testing Toward Nitrogen Reduction In Urea.

Abstract

Cashew shell (Anacardium occidentale) is agricultural waste that can be used as activated carbon material. Activated carbon from cashew shell, which is physically activated, could comply with the Indonesian Standard (SNI). In this research, degree of nitrogen reduction in urea which was coated with various particle size of activated carbon (60, 80, and 100 mesh) and comparison between activated carbon and urea (30:70, 20:80, 10:90) were studied. The best result of the coated urea was using of 100 mesh with composition of activated carbon:urea 30:70. The activated carbon as a coating material for urea caused the decreasing of evaporation from 0.22% to 0.03% with efficiency value of 86.36%. Meanwhile, the amount of nitrogen in urea that dissolved in water after solubility and cracked tests decreased from 52.99% to 38.10% with efficiency value of 28.10%. The volume of percolate decreased together with the increasing of soil amount, the presence of urea coated by activated carbon, and the reaction time. According to the data, the coated urea using activated carbon from cashew shell is effective to increase the efficiency of urea application for agricultural purposes.