UNS — Students from the Faculty of Engineering (FT) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta built a solar-powered reverse osmosis installation at the Tahfidz Qur’an Islamic Boarding School (PPTQ) Al-Madinah, Ngemplak, Boyolali. This installation utilizes solar energy and integrates it with the Internet of Things (IoT) to purify well water, making it clean, healthy, and safe to drink.
They are part of a Student Creativity Program (PKM) team that includes Rahmad Rizki Nur Arifin, Agus Prihatno, Anas Hibatullah Djoko Susilo, Kalimaya Qolbi Sani, and Aqila Ekaputri Ghaisani. This project began in June 2023. The UNS students received guidance from Prof. Ir. Ubaidillah, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., IPM.
“PPTQ Al-Madinah often experiences problems in providing clean water. Some of these include delays in the supply of drinking water and the low quality of refill drinking water, which does not meet drinking water standards. This makes it difficult for some Islamic students to access suitable drinking water every day,” Kalimaya Qolbi Sani explained on Tuesday (31/10/2023).
The operational costs and the supply of gallon-sized drinking water are relatively expensive. PPTQ Al-Madinah requires an average of 18 gallons, costing IDR 108,000 per day. Cumulatively, this requirement reaches IDR 19 million per semester. These expenses are substantial and create a high budget burden for the Islamic boarding schools.
The PKM PM FT UNS team successfully addressed this issue with the solar-powered reverse osmosis installation. Drinking water can now be obtained wherever needed; the quality of the produced drinking water meets the standards, and the students at PPTQ Al-Madinah have a sufficient supply of suitable drinking water. This has drastically reduced the cost burden to only IDR 360,000 for electricity every six months, and an additional filter replacement costs IDR 400,000 every six months.
“Furthermore, the operational and maintenance costs of the reverse osmosis installation are relatively affordable, and there is no need for additional expenses for the supply of gallon-sized drinking water,” he added.
In this installation, the power source comes from solar cells and PLN (state electricity grid) installations. This ensures that during the rainy season and low sunlight, the PLN can replace the reverse osmosis machine’s operation.
“With this program, we hope that local communities facing similar problems can independently implement this program with the support of our partners and guidelines prepared by our team. Our hope is that people can easily and affordably access clean water,” Kalimaya concluded.
The installation of this drinking water system is expected to overcome the partner’s problems. Islamic students who previously had limited access to drinking water can now consume drinking water at PPTQ Al-Madinah without concern for its quality. Humas UNS
Reporter: R. P. Adji
Editor: Dwi Hastuti