UNDIP – As innovation and creativity develop to support the creation of a zero-waste and zero-emission environment. This highlights the breakthrough thinking of the BIONIDE team from students in the Industrial Chemical Engineering Technology Study Program (TRKI) at the Vocational School of Diponegoro University, who achieved a brilliant feat by winning 2nd place in the prestigious Kurva 2024 Pupuk Kujang Cikampek competition (9/3) by developing the digitalization of fertilizer industry waste treatment. Thanks to this innovation, the BIONIDE Team, led by I Dhafa Febrian (Dhafa) along with his 4 colleagues, Rhasna Wiritanaya Witrisnanti (Rhasna), Earlene Dascha Faustina (Earlene), Sheva Risga Tristarini (Sheva), and Zulfan Amirul Milla (Zulfan), were able to reach the top 10 grand final and achieve second place in the Kurva 2024 competition, competing against ITB as the first-place winner and UGM as the third-place winner, organized by the state-owned company Pupuk Kujang Cikampek.
The Dean of the Vocational School at UNDIP, Prof. Dr. Ir. Budiyono, M.Si, highly appreciates and states that the Vocational School at UNDIP is proud, as its students have demonstrated their best achievements and made an impact on the wider community. The role and support of the supervising lecturer, Mohamad Endy Yulianto, S.T, M.T., who is also the Head of the TRKI SV UNDIP Study Program, contributed to providing ongoing motivation for the BIONIDE team. “Regular discussions and intensive guidance on clean water technology for people living in industrial areas have led to the development and refinement of the innovation,” said Endy. Furthermore, Dhafa explained that the use of water for household and industrial needs is a very crucial issue in various sectors. “Recently, many people living in industrial areas have started to complain about the difficulty of accessing clean water. Therefore, the BIONIDE Team was moved to contribute thru creative and innovative ideas,” he explained. “In addition, the BIONIDE Team was inspired by the many rivers polluted with waste due to industrial activity. The BIONIDE Team came up with their innovative idea by reducing the ammonia levels that can harm aquatic environments. “So, this project was created for an innovation competition organized by one of the fertilizer industries under a state-owned enterprise, namely Pupuk Kujang Cikampek,” Sheva added.
Meanwhile, Rhasna stated that her team played a role in reducing ammonia in industrial waste before it was discharged into the free environment bordering residential areas. “As for the innovation concept of Team BIONIDE, it is by adapting the principle of Nitrification – Denitrification using MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) media coated with a biofilm of Bacillus cereus bacteria to reduce ammonia levels by up to 90% digitally,” explained Rhasna. Earlene also added that thru this project, byproducts are not simply discarded because the BIONIDE team is committed to continuously preserving environmental sustainability by utilizing byproducts to create innovative products with sales value and a positive impact on the environment. “This new breakthrough will certainly bring fresh air to the industrial sector in Indonesia, enabling it to contribute to achieving environmental harmony to support the creation of zero waste and zero emissions,” said Earlene.
Dhafa mentioned that the zero-waste innovation utilizing process waste can be made into an innovative composite. The sludge produced by the metabolism of the bacterium Bacillus cereus will eventually be settled and collected for further processing. With appropriate technology, the mud is mixed with cocopeat, and the necessary nutrients for plants are added. Therefore, this green technology innovation not only processes ammonia but also produces beneficial products for environmental sustainability,” said Dhafa. “Of course, we have high hopes that the fruits of the BIONIDE team’s thinking and innovation can be applied and developed in large and medium-scale industries, especially for the fertilizer industry in Indonesia, so that it can bring benefits,” concluded Zulfan. (Endy-SV & DHW-Public Relations)