Prof Yatim Lailun Ni’mah SSi MSi PhD while presenting her scientific oration at the ITS Professor Inauguration Open Session.

ITS Campus, ITS News — The problem of waste in Indonesia remains a serious challenge to environmental sustainability and public health. Answering this issue, the 223rd Professor of the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Prof Yatim Lailun Ni’mah SSi MSi PhD, introduces an innovation for processing waste into an adsorbent to handle hazardous waste.

This lecturer from the ITS Chemistry Department explained that hazardous waste such as heavy metals, synthetic dyes, and industrial chemicals often pollutes waters and triggers ecosystem damage. This condition is worsened by the rapid agricultural and industrial activities in Indonesia, which produce large amounts of organic and inorganic waste that have not been managed properly.

Various waste treatment methods, continued the woman familiarly called Ni’mah, have been widely used before. However, those approaches still face obstacles in terms of cost, infrastructure, and subsequent impacts. Therefore, the lecturer born on May 24, 1984, believes that a cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative solution is needed to answer the challenges of waste management.

Prof Yatim Lailun Ni’mah SSi MSi PhD while conducting a laboratory test for her research.

Seeing this condition, the professor from the ITS Faculty of Science and Data Analytics (SCIENTICS) developed an innovative adsorption-based approach by utilizing waste as a raw material for making adsorbents. Waste is processed into absorbent materials to tackle various types of hazardous waste. “The waste-to-resource approach becomes an important strategy so that waste can become an asset to reduce pollution,” she explained.

The Jombang-born woman explained that the adsorption method utilizes agricultural waste such as rice husks, mangosteen peels, and corn cobs to be processed into activated carbon. Meanwhile, industrial solid waste such as glass bottles and fly ash can be synthesized into silica gel. “Both types of adsorbents are then used to absorb hazardous contaminants such as heavy metals and synthetic dyes,” she stated.

The wife of Agus Karyoso Cahyono also explained that the adsorption method is one of the waste treatment methods that is both effective and inexpensive. The working principle of this method is the absorption of adsorbate on the surface of the adsorbent. In this way, toxic substances contained in wastewater can adhere to the adsorbent, making the water cleaner.

Prof Yatim Lailun Ni’mah SSi MSi PhD with her family after the professor inauguration ceremony

Furthermore, this approach generally utilizes porous materials with a large surface area as adsorbents, such as activated carbon and silica gel, enabling them to absorb a significant amount of pollutant molecules. This process can occur through physical interaction or chemical bonds, depending on the nature of the adsorbent and the type of contaminant being treated, making it flexible for various waste treatment needs.

In her research, Ni’mah successfully synthesized silica gel from glass bottle waste with a purity level of 75.63 percent. This material proved effective in absorbing heavy metals such as copper, zinc, and lead with an absorption efficiency reaching 99 percent under optimum conditions. On the other hand, the utilization of organic waste as a biosorbent and a carbon source for making activated carbon was also able to reduce the concentration of hazardous pollutants by more than 90 percent.

Another advantage of this approach is its ease of application on various scales, from households to industries. This appropriate technology solution is relevant for regions that still have limitations in waste treatment infrastructure. “This research also supports the concept of a circular economy by turning waste into high-value products,” added the Head of the ITS Analytical Science and Chemical Instrumentation Study Program ini.

The innovation developed by Ni’mah is concrete proof of ITS’s contribution to supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially point 6 on clean water and sanitation and point 12 concerning responsible consumption and production. Moreover, the mother of three hopes that waste management can continue to develop into more diverse and appropriate technology products that can be widely marketed to the public. (ITS PUBLIC RELATIONS)

Reporter: Andra Eka Wijayanti