Semarang (19/10) – This morning the Academic Senate of Diponegoro University held a meeting for the presentation of prospective professors. The meeting which was held in the Undip Academic Senate Meeting Room was attended by the Chair of the Academic Senate, the Secretary of the Academic Senate, and the Board of Professors. The Plenary Meeting of the Board of Professors was opened by the Chair of the Undip Academic Senate.
Undip welcomed two prospective professors from the Faculty of Engineering who presented their research results today. The first presentation was delivered by Dr. -Eng. Suherman, S.T., M.T. with the title “Development of Solar Dryers to Improve the Quality and Quantity of Indonesian Food Products”. Suherman states that drying food is a revolutionary way to reduce waste, minimize crop loss, utilize locally grown food, and have a reliable food supply until the next harvest.
There are many drying methods, both traditional and modern, but the traditional drying method has drawbacks, namely slow drying rate, less hygienic, requires a large space, and depends on the weather. Based on this consideration, Dr. -Eng. Suherman and his team took the initiative to create a closed solar dryer in the form of a hybrid solar dryer. The hybrid solar dryer can dry food effectively and keep it running well in the rainy season. The effectiveness of this tool is proven from a trial at the Tapioca UKM in Pati, where drying tapioca which usually takes two days, can be dried in just two hours using a hybrid solar dryer.
This Undip Chemical Engineering lecturer has also created various prototypes of dryers, his latest innovation is the UNDIP Smart Photovoltaic-Ventilated Solar Dryer with a zero energy concept by utilizing solar panels. He hopes that in the future Undip can establish a Center for Excellence for Solar Dryers, considering the potential for the application of solar dryers in Indonesia is very large so that the development of this technology can be useful for advancing SMEs that use drying technology a lot.
The second presentation was delivered by Nita Aryanti, S.T., M.T., Ph.D. with the theme “Integrated Surfactant-membrane Technology for Separation of Dyes and Its Implementation in Waste Treatment”. The background of his research is the amount of textile waste that endangers the environment and is very dangerous for the ecosystem. Currently 20-35% of dyes used by the textile industry will come out as waste, and the dye waste particles are so small that they can dissolve in water and have a negative impact.
On this basis, Nita Aryanti and her team innovated the Integration of Surfactant-Micelle Membrane Technology (MEUF). This technology uses surfactants added to the particles, then the particles turn into micelles that can trap the dye in the micelle core so that the dye becomes larger, and can be separated from the ultrafiltration membrane. In its development, the integration of this surfactant micellar-membrane technology uses plant-derived surfactants that produce saponins. The concentration of dye decreases with the addition of saponins, which can be obtained from natural surfactants such as lerak plants.
MEUF technology was implemented in one of the Batik SMEs in Pekalongan. The industry uses remazol dye, and processing batik waste with lerak extract is proven to reduce TSS (Total Suspended Solid) and COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) levels. This technology development is also a mobile innovation, where one unit can be used in various locations in an area so that it can be reached by small SMEs.
Closing this event, the Chair of the Academic Senate Prof. Dr. Ir. Sunarso MS expressed hope that the innovations that have been submitted can develop into products that are beneficial to the country. He hopes that the research that has been carried out will bring blessings to researchers, Undip, and the community.