UNAIR NEWS – Seven students from Universitas Airlangga made another wonderful achievement. The team which consisted of Bernika Citra (Faculty of Social and Political Sciences), Ria Chusnita and Zhafira Khansa (Faculty of Dental Medicine), Marikke Nawang and Zahra Ashila (Faculty of Pharmacy), Khuril Malail and Intan Fairuz (Faculty of Medicine) won silver medal in the Indonesia Inventors Day (IID) international competition at the Werdhi Budaya Art Centre, Denpasar, Bali.
Bernika Citra Dwi Prasetya, Information and Library Science student, told UNAIR NEWS that her team has passed multiple selection stages. To achieve the victory, they had submitted an abstract, designed the prototypes, and made the innovations.
Processing fruit and vegetable waste
They made a T-Paper Soap for the competition. T-Paper Soap is a paper soap made from fruit and veggie waste. The idea first arises from the high amount of fruit and veggie waste in Asia, especially Indonesia.
It is a serious concern that needs to be addressed promptly as it impacts the balance of nature. They conducted fermentation on fruit and veggie waste to ensure its safety for human skin. Microbial tests are also conducted to examine its antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysenteriae, and Escherichia coli.
“We are well aware that implementing this innovation was difficult. Thanks to the support and determination of the team, we were able to refine our innovation without losing sight of our goal,” she said.
Collaboration Among Faculties
The innovation is a collaborative result among faculties. The collaboration improved the innovation. They have faced several difficulties in determining the right time to conduct research together. However, these time constraints did not bug their determination to create T-Paper Soap.
“This achievement is the result of our hard work. We are not only striving to win, it’s also a way to demonstrate students’ concern for the environment in the future,” she said.
Author: Mutiara Rachmi Karenina
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
