UNS — Three students of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta initiate an innovation amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The ongoing two years pandemic triggers students to contribute through a number of innovations actively. One of the students’ innovations was created by Nurani Alawiya, Jeesica Hermayanti, and Achmad Nurul Yaqin. Nurani and Jeesica are students of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science (FMIPA) UNS, while Achmad is a Faculty of Medical Science (FK) UNS student.
The Team, Supervised by Dr. rer. nat. Maulidan Firdaus, S.Si., M. Sc., has participated in the Student Creativity Program in Research (PKM-RE), creates an antivirus coating material. The coating material is made from palm oil bunch waste cellulose that is added with chitosan and silver ion virus agent. The coating material can be applied to various object surfaces such as door handles, elevator buttons, handrails, and many others to reduce and substitutes the use of disinfectants.
Disinfectants use has been inevitable since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020. Disinfectants become a must-have item carried by the community for their ability to sterilize the surface of objects contaminated with the Covid-19 virus. Unfortunately, disinfectants contain Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCI) and alcohol which have side effects such as skin and eye irritation and respiratory system disorders. For long-term usage, disinfectants can have a carcinogenic effect. Disinfectants are also volatile. Hence it is less effective in preventing infection. Considering these situations, three UNS students create surface coating material with more effective antivirus content.
Generally, coating materials use Polyvinyl Acetate (PVAc) dan Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA), which are petroleum-derived polymers, as the primary ingredients. However, the scarcity and high price of petroleum motivate the team to use renewable materials, such as biomass, for surface coating production. “One of the biomass that potentially can be applied as the coating material is cellulose, derived from Oil Palm Empty Bunches (TKKS),” said Nurani.
Palm Oil production in Indonesia is increasing; likewise, its production waste. The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) reported that every year there are approximately 10.1 million ton of TKKS are produced out of 46 million ton of Palm Oil produced in Indonesia.
“TKKS contain high cellulose content, which reaches 43-63%. TKKS cellulose is added with chitosan as reinforcement material. The chitosan is derived from Shrimp shell waste that can be easily found in Indonesia,” Nurani added.
Other than chitosan, the TKKS waste is also added with silver ions from AgNO3 with adjusted concentration. This material serves as an antivirus agent with higher quality compared to other metals. Moreover, silver ion is more affordable economically.
Even though the coating is designed for surface material, this antivirus coating is safe for skin. The team also conducted a material tensile strength test that returned a satisfactory result at 99,4%.
“This antivirus coating can survive well in water. For instance, under rainy conditions or when touched several times, the coating can last for a long time,” Nurani reveals.
Through this innovative research, Nuraini and the team received a total funding of 9.5 million rupiah from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek RI). Additionally, the innovation was currently under application for Intellectual Property Rights (HaKI) and will be disseminated through SANREM 201 conference in Universiti Malaysia, Sabah.
When inquired by the uns.ac.id team, on Friday (17/9/2021), about their wishes for their antivirus coating, Nuraini reveals that they hope for the innovation to contribute to the development of Science and Technology in reducing Covid-19 transmission cases.
“Our hope is to contribute to the development of science and technology by developing a new antivirus coating that can be better in preventing the Covid-19 transmission. Hence, helping the community to reduce the Covid-19 case,” Nurani concluded. Humas UNS
Reporter: Alinda Hardiantoro
Editor: Dwi Hastuti