Blended Palm Oil Fuel Ash (POFA) concrete has the potential for application in organic acid environments such as peat land. However, there is a need to improve resistance of blended POFA concrete using silica fume as a pozzolanic material. There are limited studies of the blended POFA admixed with silica for organic acid exposure. In this study, compressive strength, porosity, and sorptivity of blended POFA concrete admixed with silica such as silica fume has been investigated by exposing the samples in peat water. Portland Composite Cement (PCC) concrete with similar target strength was used as a control mix. The blended POFA concrete contained 0%, 20% and 40% POFA as a cement substitute. Micro silica or silica fume was added with concentrations of 10% in each mixture. Portland Composite Cement (PCC) with similar target strength was used as a control mix. The resistance of the POFA concrete specimens to organic acid attack were measured by compressive strength, porosity and sorptivity development at 7, 28 and 91 days. Compressive strength of control mix declined, while strength of PCC and PCC-POFA concrete containing silica fume increased at 91 days. Porosity and sorptivity of PCC and blended OFA concrete followed the same trend with the compressive strength. Thus, blended POFA concrete containing silica fume has better resistance in peat water than that of the control mix.

This study presents the effect of utilizing cellulose microfibers obtained through extraction from bamboo as reinforcement on mortar mixtures. The mixture proportions used in this experiment are 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% of bamboo cellulose fiber by weight of cement as additional material in mortar mixture. It was found that the optimum compressive strength of 36.4 MPa was achieved by the sample with 1.5% of bamboo cellulose fiber as additional material with water to binder ratio of 0.5. A similar trend was also found in the result of flexural strength of mortar due to bamboo cellulose fiber addition, reaching the value of 6.31 MPa on the 28th day, which is 52% higher than the flexural strength of control mortar. From the porosity results, the percentage of mortar porosity containing micro-fibers ranged from 4.6-9.1%, lower than the porosity of control mortar, indicating that the addition of fibers led to fill in the pores, resulting in a denser cement matrix. The performances of the cellulose fiber contributed to the strength development and porosity resistance of mortar even with low volume fraction, making it a potential to be used as material building construction, for instance, masonry mortar, repair mortar, rendering mortar, joint filler, waterproof mortar, decorative mortar and for precast elements in construction. The research findings also provide new perspective on the utilization of natural cellulose fibers as a sustainable construction material.

The aim of the study is to construct a model of community resilience using the earthquake in Indonesia as a case study. Indonesia has problems with how the community prepares itself before, during, and after a disaster. The study employs exploratory focus group interviews with respondents grouped into communities from Central Sulawesi and West Java who were affected by the earthquake. The study reveals that there are clear gaps in the community response to the mitigation, preparation, and recovery of humanitarian disasters. There is a lack of disaster awareness, cooperation and coordination between the community and the local government, and the need for strategic steps before a disaster is one of the key findings from the interviews. This study provides a model of strategic mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery for the community so that the dynamics of the disaster management cycle can be understood, and lessons provided to improve their resilience in the case of future emergencies.

Keseimbangan antara bidang sosial dan ekonomi masyarakat pedesaan merupakan sasaran pemerintah Indonesia yakni berkaitan dengan pengembangan sumber daya manusia yang kemudian berdampak pada peningkatan pendapatan masyarakat. Program Kemitraan Masyarakat ini dilakukan pada kelompok PKK di Desa Minanga Timur, Kec. Pusomaen, Kab. Minahasa Tenggara. Latar belakang dari program ini dilandasi oleh adanya masalah lingkungan berupa pencemaran limbah plastik dan persoalan ekonomi masyarakat yang membutuhkan alternatif usaha kreatif. Sebagai material yang tidak mudah terurai, sampah plastik yang umumnya dihasilkan dari konsumsi minuman ataupun makanan dari masyarakat seringkali tertumpuk dan menyumbat aliran drainase penduduk sehingga mengakibatkan banjir. Oleh karena itu tujuan utama program ini adalah untuk mendapatkan solusi penanganan sampah plastik melalui penerapan teknologi dan peningkatan keterampilan masyarakat melalui pembuatan kerajinan dari sampah plastik. Metode yang digunakan bersifat pendekatan community development dimana masyarakat terlibat secara langsung selama program berjalan serta melibatkan peran serta pemerintah dan tentunya mahasiswa dari Jurusan Teknik Mesin dan Teknik Sipil di Politeknik Negeri Manado. Dari hasil program terjadi peningkatan keterampilan kelompok dalam pengolahan limbah plastik menjadi bahan bakar minyak dengan jumlah produksi sebanyak 3-4 kg limbah plastik tipe PP dan LDPE untuk menghasilkan kurang lebih 8 liter bahan bakar pengganti minyak tanah. Selain itu, peningkatan pengetahuan kelompok dalam mengolah limbah plastik menjadi kerajinan tangan merupakan suatu pencapaian yang membuka munculnya kelompok usaha baru yang berdampak pada peningkatan pendapatan keluarga. Diharapkan dari hasil program ini dapat menjadikan Desa Minanga Timur sebagai desa percontohan yang mendorong terdesiminasinya teknologi hasil penelitian guna peningkatan taraf hidup masyarakat yang lebih berkualitas dan sejahtera.

Penelitian yang dilakukan ini berkaitan dengan pengaruh pemanfaatan serat bambu dan metakaolin terhadap sifat mekanik dinding panel yakni kuat tekan dan kuat lentur. Penelitian ini menggunakan variasi serat bambu yang 2%, 4%, 6% dari berat semen dan untuk kuat lentur menggunakan serat bamboo berdasarkan nilai kuat tekan optimum. Dalam pembuatan panel dinding digunakan juga foam agent 1% dari berat air dan Metakaolin sebagai bahan subsitusi 10% dari berat semen. Penelitian ini dilakukan dalam bentuk eksperimen di Laboratorium Material Politeknik Negeri Manado. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, komposisi yang menggunakan serat 2% dari berat semen sebagai bahan tambah memberikan nilai kuat tekan tertinggi yakni 5,4 MPa pada umur 28 hari, dan nilai kuat lentur 3,31MPa pada umur benda uji 14 hari. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa komposisi campuran panel yang dibuat berpotensi untuk digunakan sebagai bagian elemen suatu bangunan karena memiliki kekuatan yang cukup dan memiliki berat yang ringan.