UNAIR NEWS – Patients with kidney failure in Indonesia keep growing in number. Most of them are from complications of hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM). According to data from the Indonesian Nephrology Association (PERNEFRI), there are currently about 300,000 people with renal failure in Indonesia, and the number increases 10% annually.

Kidney failure happens as kidneys can not function normally to clean up the waste of metabolism in the body, such as creatinine, toxic substances that exist in the blood of patients with kidney failure, so it needs filtering.

In the last decade, hemodialysis (HD) is a kidney therapy rapidly developed in many countries. It increases the life expectancy of the patients. Hemodialysis requires a dialysis machine and a special filter called a dializer (a semipermeable membrane ) to cleanse the blood, where the blood is removed from the patient’s body and fed into an out-of-body machine.

Semipermeabel membrane commonly used is hollow fiber membrane , which is a commercial membrane used and unfortunately has less optimal performance, so many patients with kidney failure experience fatality (died).

This fact then encouraged students of the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) of Universitas Airlangga to seek innovations potential to improve the performance of hemodialysis membranes used today. The four students are Bella Prelina (team leader), Januardi Wardana, Ahya Isyatir Rodliyah, and Zakiyatus Syukriyah.

Their research then written as a proposal for Student Creativity Program Exacta Research (PKM-PE) titled “Innovation of Hollow Fiber Polietersulfon (PES) Membrane  with Zeolite Modification for Creatinine Hemodialysis”. This proposal passed the selection and granted them the research grants from the Kemenristekdikti in 2017 PKM program.

According to Bella Prelina, this study provides a renewable innovation in the manufacture of hollow fiber membranes . The basic material used is the form of composite materials, polietersulfon modified with zeolite . Both materials have good qualities for hemodialysis membranes because of their non-toxic properties. In addition, zeolites also have the ability as an adsorbent, so it is expected to give better performance,” said Bella.

This study was conducted in Universitas Airlangga and AMTEC Malaysia. The process started with zeolite production using the hydrothermal method at 100 ^° C. The next process was to make dope solution added with zeolite, then printed with a membrane-printing device.

“The dope solution is a polyethersulfone  dissolved in dimethyl formamide. The membrane printing uses inversion method, which is changing the polymer phase from solution (dope) into solid membrane, “added Januardi and Zakiyatus.

Then the membrane printed then received a post treatment to maintain the quality of the membrane. Then there is the filtration test. The membrane has high flux and rejection value. In addition, zeolite modification can also alter the chemical characteristics of polyethersulfone so it improves the membrane performance.

“The hollow fiber membrane formed then tested for filtration using creatinine solution. The filtration process was performed for 15 minutes, then its flux and creatinine rejection capability was measured, and test results showed that the average time produced was faster than the commercial membranes, and the membrane was able to withstand creatinine at 91.92%, a considerable number , ” said Bella.

Thus it is clear that the administration of zeolite as a modification of the membrane can affect the speed of filtration and rejection for creatinine hemodialysis, thus it has the potential for creatinine hemodialysis. (*)

Editor: Bambang Bes.