Judul: Formulation of NPK 10-10-10 Fertilizer from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Ash
Abstrak: Pupuk merupakan material organik atau mineral mengandung hara tanaman untuk mendukung pertumbuhan dan perkembangan tanaman. Produksi pupuk di Indonesia masih lebih kecil dari kebutuhan pupuk untuk kegiatan pertanian maupun non pertanian terutama akibat mahalnya bahan baku pupuk. Abu tandan kosong kelapa sawit memiliki kadar kalium tinggi yang berpotensi sebagai bahan baku pupuk majemuk. Salah satu teknologi pembuatan pupuk majemuk paling sederhana adalah blended fertilizer, yaitu pencampuran fisik kering dari berbagai bahan pupuk dengan komposisi tertentu. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah memformulasi pupuk NPK 10-10-10 melalui proses pencampuran (blending) kering dari abu tandan kosong sebagai bahan baku pupuk NPK dan mengetahui karakteristik serta kadar haranya. Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) dengan 4 perlakuan dan diulang 3 kali digunakan dalam percobaan ini. Rancangan perlakuan menggunakan kombinasi dari bahan baku pupuk Urea, ZA, TSP, ZK, fosfat alam, abu tandan kosong, dan filler berupa gibsum. Analisis pupuk meliputi kadar air, kadar N-P2O5-K2O total, kadar P2O5-sitrat 2%, kadar P2O5 dan K2O larut air, cemaran logam (Pb, Cd, As, dan Hg), dan kadar biuret. Data hasil percobaan disidik ragam dan diuji lanjut dengan uji jarak berganda Duncan pada selang kepercayaan 5%. Pupuk NPK 10-10-10 yang dihasilkan dari proses pencampuran (blending) kering berbentuk granul dengan warna abu-abu terang hingga kehitaman. Komposisi bahan baku pupuk berpengaruh nyata terhadap kadar N-P2O5-K2O total serta kadar P2O5-sitrat 2%, P2O5 dan K2O larut dalam air. Kadar hara (N, P2O5, dan K2O), kadar air, dan cemaran logam pada pupuk NPK 10-10-10 memenuhi syarat SNI 2803:2012dengan batas toleransi maksimal 8% di bawah formula. Formula NP1K1 merupakan formula pupuk terbaik berdasarkan total kadar hara N, P2O5, K2O serta kelarutan P dalam asam sitrat dan air. Kadar biuret formula NP1K2 dan NP2K2 memenuhi syarat SNI 2801:2010., Fertilizers are organic or mineral materials containing nutrients that are important to support plant growth and development. Fertilizer production in Indonesia is not enough to full fill fertilizers requirement for agricultural and non agricultural activities. Oil palm empty fruit bunch ash has a high potassium content that has potential as a raw material for compound fertilizer. One of the simplest compound fertilizer manufacturing technologies is blended fertilizer, which is the dry physical mixing of various fertilizer materials with a certain composition. The purpose of this research is to formulate NPK 10-10-10 fertilizer through bulk blending process from empty fruit bunch ash as raw material and to determine its characteristics and nutrient content. A completely Randomized Design with 4 treatments and repeated 3 times was used in this trial. The trial design used combinations of fertilizer raw materials as Urea, ZA, TSP, ZK, rock phosphate, empty fruit bunch ash, and gypsum as a filler. Fertilizer characterization analysis included moisture, total N-P2O5-K2O, P2O5-citrate 2%, water soluble P2O5 and K2O,metal contamination (Pb, Cd, As, and Hg), and biuret content. Data of the trial were subjected to F-tested and Duncan's multiple range test at 5% confidence interval. Result of the trial showed that NPK 10-10-10 fertilizer by blending process have a light gray to blackish color. The composition of fertilizer raw materials has a significant effect on the total N- P2O5- K2O as well as the P2O5-citrate 2%,
Keyword: empty fruit bunch ash, dry blending, NPK fertilizer