Three FST Students Use Cocoa Pods to Reduce Lead Pollution

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Three FST Students Use Cocoa Pods to Reduce Lead Pollution
The PKMPE team after the experiment. (Photo: By courtesy)

UNAIR NEWS – Lead (Pb) is one type of metal which is dangerous for living things because it is carcinogenic. It can cause mutations, and it decomposes for an extended period with stable toxicity. To overcome this problem, students of the Environmental Engineering Department, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangga succeeded in researching cocoa pods as adsorbent of Pb (II) in water. The research was one of the projects of Student Creativity Program (PKM) funded by the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education (Kemristek Dikti).

The study was conducted using a sample taken from the wells of Banjardowo village, Jombang. The research location is located near the Banjardowo trash disposal site (TPA), which has the potential to be polluted by heavy metal waste, such as lead (Pb). This research was conducted by Mega Soekarno S, Rifqi Wisnu P, and Niswatun Indana Jariyah with supervision by Dr. Eko Prasetyo K, ST, DEA.  

Mega, the team leader, said that everyday people around TPA Banjardowo Jombang use water for basic needs such as eating, drinking, and washing. Well water has the potential to be exposed to seepage of the trash disposal site, so it is necessary to examine the heavy metal content in the well water.

“The residents’ houses with TPA is very close, and residents prefer using well water to PDAM water, if the water contains heavy metal lead, it can be dangerous after long term consumption,” she said.

The other team members, Rifqi, said that the cocoa fruit pod based on prior research contains protein, cellulose, pectin, and lignin, so it could potentially bind heavy metals such as lead metal (Pb) from solution. The cocoa processing industry, he continued, produces cocoa fruit pod waste reaching 75% of the total production of chocolate it will pose a risk of waste if it is not utilized.

“Hopefully we can find a cheap and efficient solution to reduce the levels of heavy metals in the wells of residents,” said Rifqi.

From the research carried out by three Environmental Engineering students of FST UNAIR, he continued, he hoped they could find a new solution to cocoa pod waste as an adsorbent for heavy metals Pb (II) to provide alternative solutions to lead (Pb) groundwater contamination.

Author: PKM Cocoa Adsorbent Team

Editor: Nuri Hermawan

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