TEMPO.CO, Malang – A team of students of Brawijaya University, Malang, East Java, has assembled a device to process liquid wastes produced by batik industry into fuel gas. Platinum Inert Electrolysis Technology And Activated Carbon, the name of the device, is claimed to be an eco-friendly device.
Agus and his colleagues made the device to work by absorbing heavy metals contained in the liquid wastes such as copper, lead, chrome, and zinc via an electrolysis process. The waste that comes out of the device turns clear.
“The waste threatens water organisms and reduces nutrients contained in the soil,” said Agus Setyawan, a member or the team.
A batik maker averagely produces three sheets of batik and 50 liters of liquid waste each week. In a month, there are 200 liters of unprocessed waste flushed into the river.
On the other hand, the number of batik makers continue to grow. There are around 50,000 batik makers in Indonesia, 230 of whom domicile in Malang. Therefore, there is a considerable amount of waste produced from the industry.