CHARACTERIZATION OF GRAFTED PROTEIN PRESENT IN PRESSCAKE: FTIR AND THERMOGRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS (TG)

Press cake, a byproduct of sugarcane juice, is often used as manure to improve soil fertility.During sugar production, impurities in cane juice form a solid mass known as press cake, which contains about 23% protein.These proteins, identified using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), are ideal for grafting applications.In this study, polymer samples were synthesized by graft copolymerization of methyl acrylate onto the protein, using vanadium ions as a catalyst.The resulting polymers were analyzed through Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), and kinetic parameters like reaction order and activation energy were determined using the Freeman and Anderson method.Press cake, an abundant and cost-effective agricultural waste, provides a valuable source for producing thermally stable polymers via graft polymerization, offering potential for various industrial applications.