ITS Campus, ITS News – It is no secret that one of the biggest threats to environmental sustainability is plastic waste. Realizing this, the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November (ITS) students developed an innovative multilayer plastic waste management through polymer separation towards zero waste.

Dr Hendro Juwono, MSi as the team’s supervisor, said that the background for the appointment of this research was due to the high number of plastic waste in the world, especially multilayer plastics. “There is a lot of accumulation of this waste due to the low number of recycling industries that can take advantage of the multilayer plastic waste,” he said.

Multilayer plastic is formed from more than one type of polymer. This results in a low recycling rate and post-consumption waste value compared to other types of waste. Interestingly, in this study, the team tried to break down this layer so that it can be utilized further.

ITS student team while participating in the International Invention & Innovation (I3c) in Malaysia online

This research was carried out for approximately four months. It starts with extracting the plastic packaging that has been prepared using two variations of solvents, namely N-Hexane and Pertalite, for 180 minutes at a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius.

After extraction, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were tested to determine the type of polymer in the plastic layer. The results show that the highest metals contained in the coating are Titanium, Chromium, and Aluminum. While the type of plastic collected is polypropylene.

Furthermore, testing was carried out using SEM-EDX Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-Ray to see the physical quality of the separated layer. “The result shows that the separation with pertalite solution is better than n-Hexane,” he said.

Illustration of multilayer plastic from plastic packaging waste that is often found in the community (Sourced from Google)

Hendro said the advantage of this research is that this multilayer waste treatment is aimed at zero waste. Namely it does not produce new waste. In this case, the plastic layer is used as a hydrocarbon fraction, while the metal layer can be distributed to the secondary metal production industry.

In addition, he continued, this research can be a source of study for new studies, especially regarding multilayer waste treatment. It can be a solution for the accumulation of plastic waste that harms the environment, both land and sea. “And allow the recycling industry to add new methods,” he said.

Visualization of AFT the idea of ​​​​the ITS student team to help preserve cultural heritage in Surabaya

Thanks to this innovation, the team, under Dr Hendro Juwono MSi, won a gold medal in the Environment category at the International Invention & Innovation Competition (I3c) in Malaysia some time ago. The team consisted of Shofiyah Nada, Safana Zahra Harmaini, Farich Al-Machmudi, Ina Nurfia, and Akila K from the ITS Chemistry Department.

When the ITS student team was announced to have won a gold medal in the Environment category at the International Invention and Innovation Competition (I3c) a> from Malaysia

Finally, Hendro hopes that this research can be a source of renewable research for further use. He also hopes that the team’s achievements can motivate other ITS students to continue to excel and care more about the environment, one of which is through waste management. (ITS Public Relation)

Reporter: Shinta Ulwiya