Falling Walls Lab Indonesia was held again this year. Falling Walls Lab is a world-class competition that is participated in by around 60 countries annually. The FWL was initiated by the German Academic Exchange Service or Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD). It is the 7th year that the Falling Walls Lab has been held in Indonesia. Universitas Pembangunan Jaya (UPJ) was appointed host for the 2022 FWL Indonesia final, which was held on Thursday (1/9) at Theater 1 Building A Universitas Pembangunan Jaya.
One of the lecturers of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Amaliyah Rohsari Indah Utami, with her idea of ??Breaking The Wall of Inefficient Waste Pretreatment, won second place in the Falling Walls Lab (FWL) Indonesia 2022 competition.
Amaliyah explained that HBR is an innovation to process organic waste in 25 days, about five days faster than the natural decomposition process. It is designed to optimize aerobic and anaerobic processes in one system producing solid nanocomposites and liquid fertilizer. Five kilograms of organic waste can be converted into 12% solid Nano Compost and 88% liquid fertilizer.
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“In my research, applying Nano Compost and a mixture of liquid fertilizer on infertile soil in a one-to-one ratio resulted in a 63% increase in healthier tomatoes, eggplants, chilies, compared to synthetic fertilizers and infertile soils in the same ratio,” he explained.
Amaliyah added that according to the United Nations Environment Program, by 2021, Indonesia will produce nearly 21 million tons of organic waste, the highest in East Asia. So far, the community manages organic waste with an inefficient initial processing process.
Some people burn organic waste without knowing it can produce harmful gas emissions. Others dispose of organic trash to decompose naturally. Unfortunately, this natural process takes more than one month and results in piles of organic waste and untreated gas emissions.
“People need a solution to speed up the safe decomposition of organic waste. I give HBR innovation, Hybrid Bioreactor. In this way, HBR is environmentally friendly and can be the best alternative solution for managing organic waste.”
Aaliyah hopes this innovation can break down the wall of inefficient waste management in Indonesia and is expected worldwide.