Battery from Sidoarjo Mud

Lapindo mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java, was run over six years more and leveling the area around Sidoarjo mud puddle. Inversely proportional to the quantity of silt carried by utilization. Departing from the idea that, two Semarang State University (Universitas Negeri Semarang/UNS) student, Aji Christian Bani Adam and Umarudin try to see the benefits of the mud from the side of science. Aji said that, when viewed from the side of science, the mud contains some metals such as manganese and zinc. Both of these metals can be used for a battery.

"There are some points in the mud containing high manganese and zinc. Zinc is highest in the center of the mudflow, the former Porong toll of submerged mud, the puddles in the Panjerokan Village and Jatianom Village in Sidoarjo area. While manganese is located in the former Porong toll, Panjerokan Village, and Renokenongo Village," said student majoring in Pure Chemistry.

Lapindo mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java. (Picture from: http://indah.web.id/)

Sidoarjo mud or Lumpur Sidoarjo (Lusi) Pro Dry Cell is an innovative battery that is triggered by two students of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Battery AA 1.5 volt, in black and blue colors are made using raw materials and some materials Sidoarjo mud additives. Sludge is used in paste form (semisolid) with a ratio of 70 percent. The process of manufacturing dry cell batteries of Lusi Pro Dry Cell made by powder metallurgy method is mixing the raw material powder through the reaction. Processes that occur in this method is the process of calcination and sintering processes.

Lumpur Sidoarjo (Lusi) Pro Dry Cell. (Picture from: http://unnes.ac.id/)

Calcination process, namely the removal of crystal water content, whereas the sintering process or heating below the melting temperature and in solid form. Sintering process to provide heat energy for the process of unification between the particles. Metallurgy method requires heating to the sintering program appropriately.

Lusi Pro Dry Cell Batteries bring Aji and Umarudin won the 2012 Youth Technopreneurship 2nd awarded by the Ministry of Research and Technology of Republic Indonesia. These batteries also have many advantages when compared to other similar batteries.

The main advantage is the raw material resources of most of the Sidoarjo Mud is very abundant. In addition, higher density battery cells, batteries more durable and cheaper production costs due to use of used batteries. Layers of pasta filled wrapper is opened and then closed it with a used battery with a sticker affixed to the machine as suppressors and battery identification. Lusi Pro Dry Cell Batteries has the potential to be applied to electronic equipment such as car batteries require yag, remote control, television, cameras, and others.

Even so, Aji said that currently he and Umarudin of Pure Biology Science majors and two other team members Oki Prisnawan of Economics and Yoga Pratama of Sport Science Faculty from UNS still have difficulties in making Lusi Pro Dry Cell batteries are still done manually.

"Constraints on the instrument, it should use the machine for the manufacture of batteries can produce the same results all the time while we are still made manually by human power. Work with human labor is most likely human error can happen," he said. 

In addition, he also worried that there will be komersialiasi of raw materials from the battery when the Sidoarjo Mud mass produced. For that he and his team have plans to invite the company Lapindo cooperation.

Currently a new battery in a day can be produced as many as a hundred pieces, but his plans in late October 2012 will be launching Lusi Pro Dry Cell in the UNS and will be produced in greater numbers about 500 pieces per day. The hope Lusi Pro Dry Cell is also applicable to mass as a battery characteristic of Sidoarjo.

Production and sales of batteries is also expected to help reduce the suffering of the victims of the mud by helping to provide revenue for the welfare of victims who are displaced. *** [WIDI KUSUMA ANGGRAENI | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 16082012]

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