PI2TH: Riding the Future with Life Sciences and Technology
BANDUNG, itb.ac.id-Posters showing the research activity done by students from School of Life Science and Technology (SITH) ITB are orderly put in ITB East Campus Center. There are also some booths demonstrating and presenting technological application they have successfully inventing. The exhibition is one of some series of event for Life Science and Technology Innovation Week (PI2TH), held by Biology Student Association SITH "Nymphaea ITB" on Friday (19/11/10).
A lot of students' research are publicized in posters, in the exhibition. Among them, there was one interesting poster titled "Nata de Banana". Seven students of SITH ITB conducted the experiment to produce nata (white chewy bacterial cellulose) using the essence of banana peel.
To produce "nata de banana", sugar and ammonium sulphate is added to banana peel's essence. After that, the Acetobacter xylinum is added to the mix. The mix is then incubated for 14 days without light, and with limited air. Fermentation will take place and will turn into some floating, white nata.
Environmentally-friendly Compos
In the exhibition, there was a compos that is said to be more environmentally friendly, than the other compos currently available. Named vermikompos, the compos consists of wormwaste mixed with its medium. Vermikompos contains a great amount of important substances that a plantation needs in order to grow.
To produce vermikompos, organic waste such as straw, vegetations, or food waste are cut into small shape and is mixed with the cattle waste. The mix is then stirred once in every three days, so that basic compos is formed. The basic compos that is formed is mixed with the worm and is left for several weeks until it is ready to use.
Aside from the exhibition, paper competition and talkshow whose topic is "Indonesian Bioindustry: Chances, Prospects, and Challenges" was also held.
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