Biology students at Gadjah Mada University (S1) made another achievement at the national level by winning 1st place in the National Essay Competition. This achievement was achieved by Rima Arvisya Natania Putri, Reny Ras Ninta Br Tarigan, dan Gafra Favian Ratmoro, a student at the Faculty of Biology class of 2022 under guidance of Dr. Miftahul Ilmi . This national-level essay competition was organized by Department of Biology Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo Student Executive Board with the Theme “Optimizing the Role of Smart, Proactive, and Innovative Young Generations in Facing the 5.0 Revolution as an Effort to Realize Indonesia Emas 2045”. The competition opened on 1 July 2023 and the winners were announced on October 24, 2023.
In this competition the team took the subtheme Ecotechnology with the title “ Integration of Activated Sludge Method in the WasteWater Treatment Facility (IPAL) at TPST Piyungan, Yogyakarta”. The team discusses water as a source of life for all living organisms on earth. Unfortunately, the water around Piyungan Wastewater Treatment Facility are contaminated by Leachate from suboptimal processing. Based on Research By Kartikasari et al. (2020), shown that after undergoing aeration treatment, the quality of leachate in the Piyungan Landfill still does not meet the established quality standards. The research results indicate the content of the leachate as follows: TSS 235 mg/L, BOD 241 mg/L, COD 3511 mg/L, TN 700 mg/L, Hg 0.1015 mg/L, Cd 0.035 mg/L, Cr 0.021 mg/L. The standard limits are TSS 100 mg/L, BOD 150 mg/L, COD 300 mg/L, TN 60 mg/L, Hg 0.005 mg/L, Cd 0.1 mg/L, Cr 0.1 mg/L. This comparison of data indicates the suboptimal performance of the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) applied in the Piyungan Landfill. These contents can be highly dangerous when in direct contact with living organisms.
Given this issue, there is a need for the development of the activated sludge method to treat leachate more efficiently and effectively, with the aim of removing organic contaminants and hazardous chemicals contained within it. The innovation brought by this team involves the development of the activated sludge method with the optimization of land use, utilization of flocs, provision of biomass storage tanks, and the use of PAC as a clarifying agent. Thus, it is hoped that this innovation will be able to create a Wastewater Treatment Facility that meets the standards, thereby restoring the quality of water to a better state and enhancing the self-sufficiency of the community in support of the realization of Indonesia Emas 2045. [Author: Reny Ras Ninta Br Tarigan]