InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Accidents always happens in high way when the way is slippery that might be caused of the lack of asphalt roughness. To solve it, a team of students of Engineering Department, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) developed innovation to manufacture worn out - lastons layers. The goal is about to escalate the power and roughness of the asphalt ways.

Chairman team, Bahrul Ilmi Mubarak said that the idea was from the needs to get emission reduction from asphalt materials that mostly massively contributed to air pollution. By engineering palm oil fiber wastes and hot mud from Sidoarjo, East Java Province to asphalt composition, the team wanted to create more environmental asphalt layers.

As InfoSAWIT quoted from the official page of ITS, the innovative approach also involved aerogel as the extraction output from the hot mud in Sidoarjo because it has the ability to absorb ferro (III) oxide (Fe2O3) from hot mud as asphalt pigment modification. Besides, adding mastic split with adaptive palm oil fiber would be about to escalate asphalt roughness and ability to absorb the water.

Through the good cooperation with many parties, such as, Lapindo Brantas Inc, Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN), and PT Sinar Mas Agro, the team also hoped to implement their innovation in wider scale. The innovation would escalate not only the safety in the way but also be the potential mainstay asphalt for construction companies, such as, PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk.

The Team - Reswara 64 in ADHI Innovation for Construction 2024 got the third rank and showed that their innovation would have big potential. It is hoped the further and deeper research and development would become the better solution to develop safe and sustainable ways for the future. (T2)