Universitas Indonesia (UI) inaugurated Prof. Dr. Ir. Donanta Dhaneswara, M.Si., as Professor of Ceramic Functional Material Science from the Faculty of Engineering (FT). The inauguration was led by UI Rector, Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D., at the UI Council Hall, Depok Campus, and broadcast live on the UI Youtube channel and UI Teve, on Wednesday (30/8). The UI Rector said that Prof. Donanta is the 41st professor to be inaugurated this year and the total number of UI professors currently reaches 389.
In his scientific speech titled “Potential of Agricultural Biomass Waste as Advanced Functional Ceramic Material”, Prof. Donanta recounted his research and exploration journey related to the potential of agricultural biomass waste to be utilized in various advanced functional ceramic material applications. In the research that has been conducted since 2017, he sees the potential of agricultural biomass waste as an alternative source of silica to create mesoporous silica materials that are much more economical and lead to an increase in the added value of agricultural biomass waste.
“The utilization rate of agricultural waste in Indonesia is still low, so an appropriate and efficient strategy is needed to increase its usability. One of the great potentials possessed by agricultural waste is its high silica content, so it can be used as an alternative candidate for raw materials for making ceramic materials. Utilizing agricultural waste as an alternative raw material, certainly has various advantages, such as increasing added value, reducing raw material costs, and supporting the circular economy,” said the lecturer at the FTUI Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department who also served as Director of General and Facilities for the 2006 – 2012 period.
According to him, various efforts have been made to utilize silica in agricultural waste, one of which is mesoporous material. Agricultural waste-based mesoporous silica materials can be an alternative solution to create economical materials with competitive performance, which can be applied in various applications such as drug delivery systems, adsorbents, and photocatalysis.
Of the various applications, one of his concerns is how to utilize agricultural waste to overcome other waste problems. “This is the rationale for conducting research related to the application of agricultural waste-based mesoporous silica as a dye adsorbent in textile industry waste. The textile industry has contributed about 20% of global water pollution, most of which comes from azo dyes that are carcinogenic and mutagenic. This must certainly be considered because the presence of azo dyes in textile waste can threaten ecosystems and the environment,” he said again.
The fabrication and optimization of mesoporous silica material based on agricultural waste that has been carried out by Prof. Donanta and his research team has produced satisfactory results with good adsorption performance and can compete with conventional mesoporous silica material based on tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). This is evidenced by the removal rate of azo methylene blue dye reaching 77% in 3 hours of adsorption time. The application of agricultural waste-based mesoporous silica as a dye adsorbent is proven to increase the efficiency of textile waste purification and has prospects as a good candidate material for handling waste problems and water quality standards.
In addition to his research, some of Prof. Donanta’s research includes the Adsorption Capacity of Mesoporous SBA-15 Particles Synthesized from Corncobs and Rice Husk at Different CTAB/P123 Ratios and Their Application for Dyes Adsorbent. Evergreen – Joint Journal of Novel Carbon Resource Sciences & Green Asia Strategy, 10(2) (2023); Spherical SBA-16 particles synthesized from rice husk ash and corn cob ash for efficient organic dye adsorbent. Journal of Cleaner Production (2022); and Synthesis of amorphous silica from rice husk ash: comparing HCl and CH3COOH acidification methods and various alkaline concentrations. Journal of Technology (2020).
Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU expressed his pride for Prof. Donanta’s inauguration. “Prof. Donanta’s speech highlighted the great potential of agricultural biomass waste as an alternative raw material in ceramic production. In an era that increasingly demands sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions, research like this has a very positive impact. Utilizing agricultural biomass waste to produce ceramic materials can reduce our dependence on finite and non-renewable natural resources. In addition, it can also help in reducing the accumulation of agricultural waste that often becomes an environmental problem.”
Prof. Donanta’s inauguration ceremony was also attended by Professor of Sepuluh November Institute of Technology (ITS), Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Triwikantoro, M.Sc.; Professor of the Indonesian Institute of Technology (ITI), Prof. Ir. Krishna Mochtar, ST, MSCE, PhD, IPU; Representative of the Metallurgical Research Center, National Research and Innovation Agency, Prof. Dr. Florentinus Firdiyono; President Director of PT Rhason Global Corpora, Ir. Irvan K Hakim, MBA; President Director of PT Integra Mining Nusantara, Ir. Shelby Ikhsan Saleh; and President Commissioner of PT Indonesia Advisory, Ir. Chandra Tirtawijaya.
Prof. Donanta completed his undergraduate to doctoral studies at UI. He completed his undergraduate studies in Metallurgical Engineering, at FT UI (1989), and then in 1995 he completed his Masters in Materials Science at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) UI. In 2006, he earned his doctorate in Materials Science at FMIPA UI. Currently, he also serves as Head of the Process Metallurgy Laboratory of the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering FTUI and the Formulation Team of the UI Integrated Personality Development Course (MPKT).
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Public Communication Bureau
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia