Environmental sustainability
Address environmental challenges, conserve ecosystem and secure the future resources.
Research publication highlights
Removal of excess phosphate from water
Water & wastewater treatment process technology
Indonesia is known for its agricultural industry, and the use of fertilizers is inevitable. Phosphate contamination in water is one of the main problems caused by this high agricultural activity, which triggers a bloom in algae growth and therefore causes damage to aquatic ecosystems. We develop an eco-friendly, cheap, and non-toxic adsorbent composite to addressing this serious environmental issue. The adsorbent was prepared by combining natural resources of bentonite, chitosan, and natural surfactant to produce a material with superior adsorptivity toward phosphate. Furthermore, the used-adsorbent also serve as a novel nutrient source which can be used for plant nourishment.
Check out the article at Journal of Hazardous Materials 399 (2020) 123130
Hydrogel beads to treat dye-contaminated water
Water & wastewater treatment process technology
Red cabbage extract containing phytochemicals (i.e., flavonoids, phenolics, and anthocyanin) that can act as additional "hands" for interacting with dye contaminant in water. Herein, the red cabbage extract was crosslinked into alginate-based hydrogel to produce functionalized adsorbent with excellent adsorption capacity toward methylene blue dye.
Check out the article at Journal of Molecular Liquids 329 (2021) 115579
Purification of water from chromium ions
Water & wastewater treatment process technology
Waste biomass, namely durian rind, was used to produce cheap and environmentally friendly adsorbent to treat water from excessive hexavalent chromium ions. Contributing toward a sustainable and zero waste future, durian rind was utilized as raw material for cellulose and activated carbon production. A chemical delignification method was adopted to valorize durian rind into cellulose, while carbonization and subsequent KOH activation steps were used to convert the durian rind into activated carbon. Analysis was done to determining the adsorption capacity of durian rind cellulose and activated carbon. Furthermore, economic analysis was conducted to evaluate the production cost to convert 1 kg DR into cellulose and activated carbon, respectively.
Check out the article at Journal of Cleaner Production 380 (2022) 135010