Designing POME Recycling Innovations, IPB Student Wins 1st Place in 2018 Indonesian Young Green Award

Student of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Danty Oktiana Prastiwi won 1st place in the 2018 Indonesian Young Green Award held by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia (KLHK RI), Saturday (11/4). This award was given by the Indonesian Minister of LHK, Dr. Ir. Siti Nurbaya Bakar, MSc for research and innovation in green technology. The topic brought by Danty Oktiana Prastiwi is the innovation of palm oil mill effluent through the system of empire cycles. "Imperium-cycle integrates mushroom-based bioremediation of POME with the use of reed inducers. The basis of this innovation is the result of Field Work Practices at LIPI Cibinong for approximately two months. The data obtained is used as a basis for initiating tea-pack-systems in the application of compost inducers and fungal for the management of side products, " said Dianty.

This innovation was under the guidance of Drs. John B Subowo MSi and Dr. Dimas Andrianto SSi, MSi. Dianty said that the advantage of the empire-cycle is the remediation of land savings of up to 87.5 percent of the production of Penicillium sp mushrooms with a dry weight of 6 kilograms per 1000 cubic meters of POME and inducers which can be used repeatedly. Thus, this system is considered efficient and economical to be applied in the palm oil bio-industry. In terms of research, the development of reeds as an inducer is a new alternative to the CuSO4 inducer which has been used conventionally in POME delignification. Danty said, "Management of palm oil wastewater is important to be developed, because every year Indonesia produces POME with a total weight equivalent to 624 Titanic vessels. This sector can be an important source of foreign exchange. Moreover, Indonesia is the largest palm oil producer. But the abundant amount of waste is a problem in itself. This is our shared responsibility. "Dianty further said, the basis of his biochemical knowledge is expected to contribute to efforts to improve green technology/ (jhn)