The Waste of Oil Palms Delivers UB’s Students to IYC Competition


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The Waste of Oil Palms Delivers UB’s Students to IYC Competition

The big effect of oil palms’ waste on water pollution brings the student of Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPIK) Universitas Brawijaya (UB), Muhammad Asary, to go forward on the Competition of Indonesia Youth Conference (IYC) on 3-6 July in Jakarta. Asary said that the disposed oil palms’ waste can contaminate aquatic ecosystems, threatening public health, also will increase the content of Pb (lead) in soil. This effect will get bigger if it occurs in Central Kalimantan where the soil condition is dominated by peatlands. ''Most of the land in Central Kalimantan is peatland which contains very little nutrients. If oil palms’ waste which contains lead contaminate peatlands, the soil will become less fertile for growing crops,'' said Asary. In his essay presentation, Asyari also provides the solutions to address the pollution from the waste of Palm Oil which is generally caused by large companies. The offered solutions from the sixth semester student are two things. First, the government should be more selective to the companies that deal directly with the processing of palm oil. ''The government should be more selective against the companies relating to oil palm. Government must be smarter to choose between companies that do not damage the environment and more responsible,'' said Asyari. The second solution is waste treatment process in order to become more efficient, such as, by utilizing the waste into nutrients for the plants. ''The peat is lack of nutrients, using the waste of empty bunches of processed oil palm can obtain nutrients which are needed by the plants,'' he said. As stated by Asyari through the processes of processing, refining, and keeping will gain 25% of soil nutrients. The content of empty bunches that can enrich the soil contains Magenesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca) and Phosphorus (P). To advance to national level, he must be able to set aside 500 contestants from universities across East Java. In addition to UB, East Java itself for IYC 2012 also sends the participants from Universitas Airlangga Surabaya. “In addition as a medium of ideas exchange, IYC 2012 Forum is also for cultural exchange. Because later in Jakarta, I also had to perform a traditional dance Tanjung Putih (white cape) from Central Kalimantan,'' he said.
Although it is from Central Kalimantan, but in IYC competition, he will become a representative of UB in presenting the projects of environment conservation. In addition to concern in the problems of oil palm’s waste, currently Asyari is active in Indonesia Youth Water (IYW) community. IYW is a community concerning to environment, particularly water issues, such as, how to maintain water wellspring resources. Currently, the members have spread outside Malang. [Oky]

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