Chemical Engineering students of Jember University again made achievements at the international level. This achievement was achieved by Andika Prastika (Chemical Engineering 2018) and the Team in the World Youth Invention And Innovation Award, Competiton (WYIIA) 2021 event which was held online by the Indonesia Young Scientist Association (IYSA) in collaboration with Yogyakarta State University (UNY) on August 18-21, 2021. This event is a Paper Essay Competition consisting of several categories including Mathematics, Technology, Environment, Energy and Engineering, Life Sciences, Social Sciences, Physic, and Education. WYIIA is one of the biggest and important events at the WORLD level
This competition was attended by around 377 Participating Teams from 35 Countries in the World, such as Yemen, Iran, Turkey, Bangladesh, Malaysia, India, Iraq, Russia, Thailand, Mexico, Romania, South Korea, Vietnam, Palestine, Algeria, Kuwait, This is the Arab Emirates, Syria, France, China, Colombia, Croatia, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Macedonia, Jordan, Nepal, Tunisia, United State, Canada, Philippines, Zimbabwe, Africa, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, and so on
Dalam acara ini, Andika Prastika berkolaborasi dengan tim lintas fakultas yang terdiri dari :
Andika and her team participated in an event with the Environmental Science category for Higher Institutions Students (University) level, namely with the title Alternative Organic Pots (Waste of Cassava Peel and Husk Charcoal) to Substitute Polybag in Chile (Capsicum frustescens L.) Nursery to Decrease Plastic Use in Agricultural Sector. This idea originated from seeing cayenne pepper farmers in Indonesia mostly use polybags as a medium for the development of cayenne pepper. Increased use of polybags causes environmental problems, namely increasing plastic waste, polluting the environment and reducing soil fertility. Alternative use of environmentally friendly planting media is certainly needed to overcome this problem.
The way that can be done to reduce environmental pollution due to the use of polybags is to use seedling pots from organic materials. Cassava is one of the agricultural products that is widely cultivated in Indonesia. High cassava productivity is positively correlated with an increase in the amount of cassava skin waste, so alternatives are needed to handle it. Indonesia is one of the largest producers of cassava. Cassava production in 2020 reached 21,801,415 tons (Central Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Indonesia, 2020). Andika took an analysis of the solution to the problems and potentials that have been explained, namely the use of cassava skin waste as a medium for the development of cayenne pepper by utilizing cassava skin waste and husk charcoal as a substitute for polybags.
This cassava skin biopot and husk charcoal is an environmentally friendly product that utilizes waste to reduce waste. Can be planted directly into the ground with chili seedlings, in contrast to polybags. Its shape is unique and easy to apply. This product has good nutrition for the growth of cayenne pepper. Bio pots, cassava bark and husk charcoal are quickly destroyed and decomposed by the soil so that they do not damage the soil compared to polybags that are difficult to decompose.
The awarding ceremony was held online. Alhamdulillah, Andika Prastika and his team won the Bronze Medal in the Environmental Science category by eliminating competitors from various countries. Hopefully this can make a real contribution and make our beloved Alma Mater, the S1 Chemical Engineering Study Program of Jember University and also the State of Indonesia in the international arena, and can inspire and motivate fellow S1 Chemical Engineering students of Jember University.
source from :https://chemeng.teknik.unej.ac.id/mahasiswa-teknik-kimia-mendapatkan-bronze-medal-dalam-ajang-world-youth-invention-and-innovation-award-wyiia-2021/