Indonesian students created the Electrees

Five students of the Faculty of Engineering, Brawijaya University (Universitas Brawijaya/UB) in Malang created the electress or electronic trees, the prototype of solar powered electronic tree device as the solution to air absorption by using silica aerogel.

Concerned about the air pollution caused by forest fires in some areas of the country, students of Faculty of Engineering, Brawijaya University in Malang was inspired to make the Electrees (Electronic Trees), a solar powered electronic tree device as a solution to absorb air pollution by using silica aerogel. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1b0pE7)

"Discovery of electrees originated from our concerns against air pollution caused by forest fires in a number of areas in Indonesia. Because of similar conditions continue to repeat itself, we were inspired to create this electronic trees," said Muhammad Fatahilah, the team leader of electrees researchers in Malang, East Java on Sunday, June 5, 2016.

Besides Fatahillah, another four students of the Faculty of Engineering who joined the team is Hasan (Electrical Engineering), Rosihan Arby Harahap (Electrical Engineering), Lutfiyatul Maftukhah (Industrial Engineering), and Hafiz Tandiyanto Putra (Chemical Engineering).

Five students of Brawijaya University included in the team named Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa-Karsa Cipta (PKM-KC) who created the electric trees and funded by Higher Education (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1b0pE7)

Besides Fatahillah, another four students of the Faculty of Engineering who joined the team is Hasan (Electrical Engineering), Rosihan Arby Harahap (Electrical Engineering), Lutfiyatul Maftukhah (Industrial Engineering), and Hafiz Tandiyanto Putra (Chemical Engineering). The students included in the team named Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa-Karsa Cipta (PKM-KC), which creates the electric trees and funded by Higher Education.

This photosynthetic systems, he added, consisting of a solar panel that functions convert sunlight into electrical power. The electrical power is used to provide power to the device and the output power generated by the device is about 30 Watts.

Electrees are also equipped with the lamps serves as lighting at night. While the second system is the respiration system consisting of granular aerogel silica functioned as an absorbtion media. Its function is to absorb and precipitate CO2 or other air pollutants and allow free air went out through it.

He presented, the silica aerogel has the absorption capacity of 1.2 gCO2/gadsorbent. Compared to other substances that work similarly, such as activated carbon and zeolite, and silica aerogel has greater absorbency. 

The electrees prototype has 500 grams of silica aerogel," said Hafiz, a member of the team responsible for the development of the respiratory system. Furthermore, Hafiz said another plus is, when the silica aerogel has absorbed CO2 to the point of saturation, users only need reheating and ready to be used again.

Currently, he said, the team is working hard to develop a device's tracking system for the energy captured from the Sun more effectively. And the team was optimistic that in the near future the 'tracking system' can be functioned.

"When the morning, it will be tracking and facing east, then follows the sun until late afternoon. When the afternoon, it going straight up. When the upright position, the lights will turn on for one night," said Hasan, another team member.

For the prototype development, Hasan said, so far the team has spent Rp.4 million (approx US. $305.37). "For applications in the field might take a larger size again," said another team member, Rosihan.

The team's lecturer Ir. Nurusaadah, MT. is hoping to cooperate with the government and apply electrees on a highway or industrial centers to reduce the levels of air pollution, as well as fuctioned as the highway lightings.

"Especially with the abundance of motor vehicles, as now, certainly air pollution is increasing," said a team member, Lutfiyatul. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | UNIVERSITAS BRAWIJAYA | ANTARA]

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