The use of chitosan as antitermite in papermaking

Chitosan is natural polymer that has non-toxic properties, biodegradable and biocompatibility material. This study aimed to investigate the effect of chitosan as antitermite in papermaking. The effectiveness of chitosan as antitermite was determined by measuring weight loss of cellulose paper. The concentration of chitosan used in this study was varied from 1% to 5%. Chitosan was dissolved in 1% acetic acid and then applied it to paper sample with soaking treatment. They were exposed to subterranean termite for two weeks. The effectiveness of chitosan were evaluated by determining the weight loss of paper. The results showed that concentration of chitosan solution affected the weight loss of paper. As concentration of chitosan increased, the percentage of weight loss decreased. This study indicated 3% of chitosan as optimum concentration and chitosan was effective as biotermicide in papermaking. Chitosan has potential to be used as antitermite in paper making.