Antibacterial plastic is made by using composites silica gel immobilized EDTA-Ag combined with chitosan. Silica gel was formulated with three variations of Ag concentrations (i.e., 10-3, 10-4, and 10-5 M) and then tested for its antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Result of the antibacterial test showed that the immobilized EDTA-Ag silica gel product could inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli with the diameter of zone inhibition around 15.9 and 15.6 mm respectively at the lowest Ag concentration of 10-5M. This result showed that higher concentration of Ag led to the decrease of antibacterial activity. The obtained products were then synthesized into plastic with variations of chitosan weight of 0.3 and 0.7 grams. The antibacterial test confirmed that the plastic had strong antibacterial properties with the diameter of zone inhibition for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was 16.7 and 15.9 mm, respectively. The percentage of degradation was observed at 6.02 to 63.17% while water absorption test for plastic with 0.3 gram chitosan was 86.51% and for plastic with 0.7 gram chitosan was 16%. This indicated that more chitosan additions were able to expand antibacterial properties and reduce the absorption of plastic against water.
Plastic marine pollution has become a global concern. It brings negative impacts not only on coastal areas but also on remote islands where the production of plastic waste is measly, including in Baolang Village located in Pantar Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. An essential effort to address the problem is initiating the formation of community networks for sustainable plastic marine pollution management in remote islands. In the case of Baolang Village, the community networks were initiated by implementing the 7-strategy method, developed by the research team. The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the 7-strategy method to initiate the establishment of community networks for sustainable plastic marine pollution management in Baolang Village. The 7-strategy method had been exercised against 8 effectiveness parameters. All parameters have reached the expected targets; even some parameters have exceeded the targets. In conclusion, the 7-strategy method can effectively initiate the establishment of community networks for sustainable marine plastic pollution management in the case of Baolang Village. Moreover, an additional essential benefit of the 7-strategy method is that it can strengthen cooperation among various stakeholders in terms of sustainable marine pollution management.
Population growth and limitations of domestic wastewater treatment plant causes pollution of surface water, especially river water. Application of constructed wetlands, biofilter, wastewater garden, and activated sludge to treat domestic wastewater was conducted to know the effectiveness in reducing of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Suspended Solid (TSS). Comparative Performance Index (CPI) method had been used to find out the best technology that could be implemented for reduction efficiency of BOD and TSS from domestic wastewater. The results showed that constructed wetlands are the most effective technologies and applicable to the reduction of BOD and TSS, followed by wastewater garden, biofilter and activated sludge. Effectiveness of constructed wetlands performance was evaluated which indicated good mean reduction efficiency: BOD (50-76%) and TSS (53-78%).
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