University of Palangka Raya

The disposal of construction and demolition waste (CDW) poses a critical global environmental challenge, driven by the low recyclability of concrete due to the limitations of recycled aggregates (RA). These aggregates suffer from the high porosity of attached mortar, resulting in elevated water absorption, reduced density, and diminished mechanical performance, restricting their application in structural concrete. This comprehensive review examines innovative treatment methodologies—either removing or strengthening the attached mortar layer—aimed at mitigating these issues. The paper synthesizes findings from over 150 studies, offering a critical analysis of treatment effects on physical, mechanical, and durability properties of RAs and their corresponding concretes. The review highlights the most effective removal treatment methods, including ball milling and autogenous cleaning, and strengthening methods such as carbonation, polymer impregnation, and nano-silica treatments, demonstrating significant improvements in density, strength, and chloride resistance. Recommendations are provided for scaling these treatments, integrating durability testing, and exploring life-cycle assessment to ensure the environmental and economic feasibility of RA applications. This work underscores the transformative potential of RA treatments in advancing circular economy principles, making recycled concrete a sustainable solution for structural and non-structural applications.

Pollution from mining waste poses a threat to environmental preservation, including the clean water provision in Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. This paper analyzes the management of river water resources that are polluted by mining waste, as there is a need for constructive handling to resolve this issue. One of the methods is to formulate a legal policy that can integrate the values of social justice for all levels of society. This paper employed the non-doctrinal method with the statute approach, sociological approach, and philosophical approach. It integrated constructive thought in four ideal aspects to formulate a social justice-based legal policy, i.e., the philosophical, sociological, juridical, and cultural aspects of the formulation of policies on water quality management and water pollution control. This solution is ideal as it emphasizes the Indonesian nation’s legal principles and ideals amid environmental pollution and degradation due to mining waste that threatens the life and health of society. This paper contributes by proposing a social justice-based legal policy concept to resolve the issue of water pollution due to mining waste.

Indigenous communities worldwide have traditionally employed fire as a land management tool to promote ecological enhancement. However, these practices are increasingly threatened by socio-economic changes, leading to a rise in uncontrolled wildfires. This research seeks to understand the traditional burning practices of the Kanume people utilizing a traditional ecological knowledge framework. A qualitative case study design was employed, with data gathered through in-depth interviews, observation, and document analysis. Participants included customary elders and fire practitioners within the Kanume community. The results reveal that fire is an integral component of the Kanume people's traditional farming, land management, and hunting practices. Shifts in these fire practices related to hunting now contribute to uncontrolled wildfires, resulting in the degradation of essential natural resources. These wildfires stem from both internal community dynamics and external factors. Addressing the challenges inherent in these indigenous fire practices is critical for the sustainable livelihood of the Kanume people and the ecological, socio-cultural, and economic functions of Wasur National Park

Carbon dots (CDs) are a novel class of carbon-based nanomaterials with diverse applications due to their biocompatibility, optical properties, and chemical stability. This study aims to synthesize CDs from Terung Dayak (Solanum ferox) using a microwave-assisted method and evaluate their optical properties, metal ion sensing capability, and antioxidant activity. The CDs were synthesized with variations in microwave power and citric acid concentration, specifically: CD-a using 1 g citric acid at 600 W, CD-b using 2 g citric acid at 600 W, CD-c using 3 g citric acid at 600 W, and CD-d using 2 g citric acid at 800 W, and then characterized using UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results revealed strong UV absorption with maximum peaks at 250 nm for all CDs synthesized and 275 nm for CD-d, depending on synthesis conditions. The CDs exhibited fluorescence intensity influenced by microwave power, with the highest intensity observed for CDs synthesized at 800 W and 2 g of citric acid. The optical bandgap from UV-Vis spectra, determined via Tauc plot analysis, ranged from 4.03 eV to 4.71 eV, indicating quantum confinement effects for all CDs. Furthermore, CD-d demonstrated selective fluorescence quenching for Fe3+ ions, which quenched the fluorescence of the CD. Antioxidant activity was confirmed via 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, with an IC50 value of 126 ppm for CD-d. These findings highlight the potential of Terung Dayak-derived CDs as multifunctional materials for sensing and antioxidant applications.

The widespread use of plastic materials globally has sparked concerns regarding microplastic (MP) pollution, which is prevalent in water bodies worldwide and poses threats to aquatic life. Despite this, there remain uncertainties regarding the quantity, types and chemical makeup of MP, particularly in tropical urban lakes. This study aimed to examine the presence, distribution, types and chemical composition of MP in both the surface water and sediment of Air Hitam Lake, located in Samarinda City, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Field sampling was conducted in February 2023 at 10 sites within the lake. The average concentration of MP in water was measured at 0.91 particles per litre, while sediment concentrations reached 375 particles per kilogram of dried sediment. Higher concentrations were observed near the lake inlet. Fibres were the most commonly observed type of MP in both surface water (79%) and sediment (76%) samples, followed by fragments and films. There was no significant correlation between MP concentrations in water and sediment. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis revealed the presence of polyester, polypropylene, nylon fibres, polyethylene, polystyrene polyvinylchloride in the samples, with polyethylene being the predominant compound, accounting for 46% of all surface water and sediment samples. The presence of MP derived from the degradation of larger plastic debris originating from visitors and the local community who dispose of plastic trash improperly highlights the importance of implementing effective plastic waste management strategies in communities surrounding the lake. This is crucial for preserving the ecosystem benefits provided by the lake. This study contributes to addressing knowledge gaps regarding MP pollution in tropical urban lakes and lays the groundwork for further research into inland freshwater environments.

Peat fires generate significant greenhouse gas emissions, thereby posing considerable environmental challenges arising from smoke pollution, health hazards, and ecological impacts. Water alone is inefficient for extinguishing peat fires because it cannot immediately penetrate the soil. Therefore, firefighting agents with high penetrative capabilities are used. This study evaluated an environmentally friendly soap-based firefighting agent against peat fires in Palangka Raya, Indonesia. A 1.5 m × 1.5 m peat area was burned for 24 h to simulate a peat fire. The fire was then extinguished either with groundwater or a 1 vol.% soap-based firefighting agent solution. With groundwater, the volumes required to extinguish the fire were 16.0 and 23.9 L/m², whereas with the soap-based solution, the volumes used were 3.8 and 7.4 L/m². Furthermore, the time to extinguish the fire with the soap-based solution was approximately one-third of the requirement when using water alone. The soap-based firefighting agent was proven to be more effective against peat fires than water alone, reducing both the amount of agent used and the time required for extinguishing the fire. Given the increased severity of fires in recent years, this agent can facilitate the efficient management of peat fires.

Purpose Bricks and roof tiles are commonly employed in construction, posing environmental challenges due to their substantial use of natural resources. Efforts to mitigate these concerns include the integration of recycled materials. However, within the framework of life cycle assessment (LCA), it is imperative to ascertain that the incorporation of recycled materials enhances the sustainability of the product across its entire life cycle. This research presents a thorough cradle-to-cradle LCA of concrete bricks and roof tiles integrated with waste materials utilized in Australia housing construction compared to conventional Portland cement-based concrete products. The research also examines how the selection of allocation methods for raw materials impacts the results of the LCA during the manufacture stage of the concrete products. Methods This study conducts a cradle-to-cradle LCA of waste-integrated concrete bricks and roof tiles, using pond ash and unwashed recycled glass sand due to their widespread availability and proven performance. It examines three allocation methods (no allocation, mass, and economic allocation) for the initial raw waste materials for a cradle-to-gate boundary application (the allocation method is excluded from the secondary use of the recycled materials). LCA modelling is performed using SimaPro 9.3.0.3 software, with data support from Ecoinvent v.3.8 (2021) and AusLCI v.1.42 (2023) databases with system models based on the cut-off approach. Results and discussion The study highlights that integrating waste materials into bricks and roof tiles reduces environmental impacts across most categories compared to conventional products. The combination of pond ash and recycled glass sand can reduce GWP by 9.86% and 8.21% for roof tiles for bricks within the cradle-to-gate scenario. Mass and economic allocation contribute to slightly higher impacts, approximately 0.789–1.188% and 0.061–0.138%, respectively. Waste-integrated concrete products generally exhibit lower environmental impacts across midpoint categories compared to conventional products in the cradle-to-cradle boundary. GWP waste-integrated bricks and roof tiles are lower than those of conventional products by 8.00–8.72% and 5.51–6.35%, respectively. Moreover, among the three post-demolition scenarios, when credits for waste material substitution are not considered, recycling demolished material into recycled aggregates utilizing the standard recycling method emerges as the most environmentally advantageous approach, outperforming landfilling and recycled demolished aggregate using the advanced recycling method. However, when credits are assigned for the utilization of recycled materials, Scenario 3 demonstrates lower environmental impacts than Scenario 2, except for ODP in WCB and WCR. The production of ultrafine powders as SCMs in Scenario 3 reduces GP cement demand, further lowering the impacts and emphasizing the importance of adopting a lifecycle perspective in LCA to fully capture the benefits of recycling. Conclusions and recommendations Incorporating pond ash and unwashed recycled glass sand holds promise for mitigating environmental impacts. Recycling demolished concrete as recycled aggregate for concrete using standard recycling methods was found to be the best scenario at end-of-life compared with sending to landfill and using advanced recycling methods. A deliberate selection of raw materials, coupled with exploring the advantages of integrating innovative cementitious materials and substituting aggregates, is crucial for advancing an environmentally conscious recycling process. Additional research and development are vital to identify the most effective combinations for utilizing waste materials in concrete products, thereby improving sustainability without compromising performance.

Aerosols have been recognized as an important indicator for air quality research, gaining significant attention over recent decades. These complex substances affect not only air quality but also weather and climate. In Malaysia, considerable air pollution issues are often attributed to a substantial amount of aerosols generated by open biomass burning activities. This study analyzes the recent spatial and temporal variations of aerosols in the Malaysian Borneo region from 2019 to 2021, using the aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from MERRA-2. It also clarifies how synoptic meteorological conditions influence pollutant distribution. Additionally, the research examines the impact of biomass burning activities by utilizing daily fire records from FIRMS and employs the HYSPLIT backward air mass trajectory model to identify aerosol emission sources. The highest AOD values were recorded in September 2019, reaching 0.65, 1.40, and 3.08 in the northern, central, and southern regions of Malaysian Borneo, respectively. Overall, AOD levels in the Malaysian Borneo region showed a strong correlation with biomass burning activities, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.87 to 0.97. This study identified Kalimantan and Sumatra as the two main sources of aerosol pollution. Although the transport of aerosols from burning in Sumatra was less pronounced in northern Malaysian Borneo, significant increases in aerosol levels were observed in the central and southern regions. Stagnant weather conditions were found to be responsible for elevated AOD levels due to short-range transport. The study indicated that aerosols from biomass burning activities dispersed near Malaysian Borneo and were closely associated with synoptic circulation patterns.

Globally, freshwater scarcity has become critical due to the spiraling demand created by an increasing global population. Hence, seawater desalination was rapidly becoming a key solution for significant growth. One of desalination technologies was membrane distillation (MD). Fluorination techniques have traditionally created hydrophobic membranes for MD. Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) serve as an intriguing alternative to enterprise nonfluorination approaches. We examined the influence of selected SFA (lauric, myristic, palmitic and stearic acids) on properties as well membrane performance in MD process for polyvinine fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membranes. Membranes were prepared by dip coating the as-synthesized membrane in 1% SFA solution. The characterization included scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy as well as tests of liquid entry pressure, coating stability, and the performance in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). Membranes coated with myristic, palmitic and stearic acid exhibited water contact angles > 90°, illustrating anti-wettability improvements. The stearic acid-coated membrane displayed the largest water vapor flux (18.4 L/m2 h) and almost 100% salt rejection, being worthy to mention among others. The corresponding results confirm that the stearic acid may well be a better coating for PVDF membrane modification in DCMD desalination of seawater.

The eruption of Mount Galunggung in 1822 resulted in the deaths of 4,011 people and the destruction of 114 villages. A subsequent eruption in 1894 caused further devastation, destroying 50 villages. In 1982, Mount Galunggung erupted for a period of nine months. Currently, the area surrounding Mount Galunggung is a center for coffee and palm plantations with a dense population. This study aims to identify the disaster mitigation implemented by local communities in response volcanic disaster. The research was conducted between August and November 2023 and employed an ethnographic approach to assess community preparedness and disaster mitigation strategies. The respondents’ knowledge level regarding the Mount Galunggung eruption disaster falls within the moderate category, with an average score of 2.86. In contrast, the respondents’ preparedness for volcanic disasters is classified as low, with an average score of 1.96. Disaster mitigation efforts based on local wisdom in Mount Galunggung include: 1) the use of the kentongan (a traditional wooden alarm instrument), 2) local knowledge of natural disaster signs, and 43) mystical beliefs associated with Mount Galunggung. The implication of this study is the necessity for multi-stakeholder collaboration in building community knowledge and preparedness in facing volcanic disasters around Mount Galunggung.

This study reviews the utilization and effectiveness of green building assessment tools in Indonesia by systematically analyzing four primary tools: EDGE, Greenship Existing Building, Greenship New Building, and MAGC. Using the PRISMA methodology, articles published between 2019 and 2024 were selected, and a bibliometric analysis was conducted with VOSviewer. Analyzing 34 case studies reveals a predominant focus on the operational phase of green building implementation, which accounts for 47% of the research, highlighting the importance of energy efficiency and resource management. The comparative analysis identifies that while Greenship tools dominate the planning and construction phases, EDGE excels in operational energy efficiency for educational and medical buildings, whereas MAGC is preferred for commercial buildings and public facilities. These findings suggest that no single tool is universally applicable across all contexts, emphasizing the need for tailored assessments based on specific project types. For policymakers, it is crucial to promote these assessment tools through incentives and resources. Developers and practitioners should enhance their understanding and training on these tools. Additionally, significant research gaps remain in underrepresented sectors, such as transportation and sports facilities, indicating that future studies should explore these areas for a comprehensive integration of the building lifecycle phases.

Bakas Lewu is a group of elders in the Dayak Ngaju language of Central Kalimantan. Previous studies have been more oriented towards mapping brokers in mobilizing material resources to influence voters. The purpose of this article is to explore the role of Bakas Lewu as political brokers, especially how they work, involving culture and social power, which has been discussed to a limited extent. This study was conducted qualitatively and the main data source came from interviews with key informants who knew about the village head election (Pilkades) cases in Manduing Taheta, then analyzed in depth and interactively. This study shows that Bakas Lewu as political brokers play an important role in mobilizing political support based on social relations, kinship, and local Dayak culture by relying on interpersonal communication, narrative control, and social networks to build community trust and loyalty. This phenomenon emphasizes that political power in the village is more influenced by personal and social relationships than material transactions. This study challenges the dominant approach that sees political brokers in Indonesia as transactional actors, by highlighting the importance of local social and cultural dynamics. These findings indicate the diversity of political brokerage practices and suggest more research on how social relations, such as kinship and loyalty, play a role in mobilizing political support, opening up new perspectives in the study of local politics in Indonesia.

Membrane distillation (MD) as thermal-driven membrane separation commonly uses hydrophobic membrane, but this membrane has limitation due to wetting issues from low surface tension liquids, such as oils and surfactants. The strategic improvement to overcome the wetting issue is via omniphobic surface modification as it has the ability to repel low surface tension liquids. This research aims to fabricate and evaluate the anti-wetting properties of omniphobic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane modified with ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO Nps) as the re-entrant structure and palmitic acid (PA) as “green material” of the hydrophobic agent. The deposition of ZnO Nps was carried out using dip coating approach with variations of ZnO Nps loadings (1, 2, and 3 wt%) and then followed by palmitic acid surface grafting with various immersion times of 3, 6, 12, and 24 h. The developed omniphobic membrane was characterized using contact angle goniometer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), liquid entry pressure test, and leaching test. The results showed that the modification with ZnO Nps and palmitic acid obtained contact angle above 90° when tested with water, ethylene glycol, and 0.4 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), which meets the omniphobic criteria. The presence of ZnO Nps was confirmed by surface morphology from SEM and surface topography of AFM. The PZ3-PA membrane exhibited remarkable water flux of 7.64 L/m2h for 3 days of operation time under the presence of humic acid, crude oil, and SDS as fouling agent, and high salt rejection which is almost 100%. Therefore, omniphobic surface modification with the combination of ZnO Nps and palmitic acid is very promising, as it imparts excellent anti-wetting properties and desalination performance.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is 1 of the most common problems that present in 80% of people. LBP can be caused by some pathologies, with discogenic pain being 1 source. Pain from LBP can become chronic and also cause disability. Treatment options for LBP varied from conservative to operative, and a novel treatment nowadays is using stem cells therapy to treat with pain from LBP. Methods: Database searches from Pubmed and ScienceDirect from inception to 13 September 2023. A total of 283 discogenic LBP cases from 8 articles. This study measured clinical outcomes using a visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) obtained from each study. Results: Functional outcomes in patients treated with stem cell therapy showed significant improvement ODI and VAS (P < 0.00001). Improvement also showed in Pfirrmann grade before and after treatment with stem cells (P = 0.005). Subgroup analyses using bone marrow aspirate concentrate also showed significant differences in both ODI and VAS (P < 0.00001). Conclusion: Stem cells therapy could be beneficial as an option of treatment for discogenic LBP in improving pain and activity of daily living. Clinical relevance: Intradiscal stem cell therapy is a promising alternative for managing discogenic low back pain, offering improvements in pain and function.

Introduction: Presently, the development of effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 is absolutely necessary, especially regarding the emerging of new variants that cause increasing fatalities. Methods: In the present study we designed a mosaic vaccine targeting the mutational spike protein of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using a bioinformatics approach. Various immunoinformatics tools were utilized to provide the highest potential for a mosaic vaccine that could activate immune responses against COVID-19. Results: The evaluation of the constructed vaccine revealed that it is antigenic and immunogenic as well as nonallergenic. The physicochemical properties also show promising characteristics, including being highly stable and hydrophilic. As expected, the vaccine shows strong interactions with several important receptors including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)2, Toll-like receptor (TLR)3 and TLR8 by the lowest energy level, docking score and binding free energy. The vaccine binds to receptors via certain amino acids using various types of binding including salt bridges, hydrogen bonds and other means. As shown in computationally derived models, the interactions promote activation of the immune response by eliciting the release of various cytokines, antibodies, memory B and T cells, as well as increasing of natural killer cell and dendrite cell counts. Conclusion: Therefore, the novel designed mosaic vaccine could be considered as a potential vaccine candidate for immediate production to stem the continuing and tragic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, several advanced experimental studies should be conducted to ensure and verify the effectivity and safety against SARS‑CoV‑2 in vivo.

Pembangunan proyek konstruksi memiliki dampak positif dan negatif. Dampak negatif untuk lingkungan antara lain limbah hasil proyek konstruksi. Limbah konstruksi merupakan material yang tidak terpakai atau sisa yang dihasilkan selama proses konstruksi. Untuk meminimalisir dampak negatif terhadap lingkungan, maka perlu dilakukan pengelolaan limbah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kategori dominan dalam pengelolaan limbah pada tahap konstruksi dan menganalisis perbedaan pengelolaan limbah pada proyek rumah toko dan perumahan. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode survei dan wawancara terhadap pengembang perumahan dan pemilik proyek rumah toko di kota Palangka Raya. Penelitian dilaksanakan selama 3 bulan dari bulan November 2023 – Januari 2024. Kuesioner disebarkan kepada 62 responden, terdiri dari direktur, project manager, site manager, site engineer, supervisor, pemilik. Teknik analisis data menggunakan bantuan SPSS. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pengelolaan limbah pada tahap konstruksi memiliki indikator paling dominan yang sama pada proyek rumah toko dan perumahan, yaitu: konstruksi dan desain melalui material berdasarkan standar. Hasil uji beda Mann-Whitney adalah = < nilai = 1,96 yang menunjukkan bahwa tidak ada perbedaan dalam pengelolaan limbah pada proyek rumah toko dan perumahan pada tahap konstruksi.

In this work, the effect of peat clay particles (PCP) was investigated as pore former of polysulfone (PSf) hollow fiber membrane properties. Preparation of polysulfone membrane dope solution conducted by phase inversion technique using wet spinning method. A homogeneous dope solution is added with peat clay from four composition variations of 0-6 wt%. Followed by mixed dope until homogeneous for an hour at room temperature (~29 °C). The preparation of peat clay before used is by having it calcinated at 600 °C for 1 hour, then sifted to a size of 120 mesh. The hollow fiber membrane is casted using the wet spinning method with the dope solution flow rate set at 4 mL/min and the bore fluid flow rate at 4 mL/min. The hollow fiber membrane that has been formed is analyzed by FTIR, contact angle, water absorption, and porosity. The characteristics of the membrane show that the functional group in the addition of peat clay in the absorption of Si-OH and Si-O-Si. The specific spectrum of PSf-PEG/PC is indicated by peak wavenumbers 872 – 874 cm⁻¹. Polysulfone hollow fiber membrane mixed with peat clay shows the contact angle on the membrane surface shows hydrophobic characteristics without addiction of peat clay particles and become slightly hydrophilic with peat clay addiction of 71.28°. In addition, water absorption in each sample increases with the addition of peat clay from 0 to 4 wt%. The ability of water absorption increased to 32.51%, and membrane porosity increased from 23.66% to 38.87%. It is concluded that polysulfone hollow fiber membranes are enhanced by adding peat clay as a pore builder and hydrophilic additives and become less fouling in future application for water/wastewater treatment.Keywords: Peat clay, hollow fiber membrane, polysulfone, wet spinning, montmorillonite

Amphotericin B (AMB) is a drug used to treat vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), which is a fungal infection affecting the vagina and vulva. Nevertheless, the substance's limited capacity to dissolve in water leads to poor absorption when taken orally, hence diminishing its therapeutic efficacy. In order to address this limitation, β-cyclodextrin (βCD) was used to create AMB in the form of an inclusion complex. This study aims to enhance the solubility and bioavailability of AMB by formulating it into an inclusion complex with βCD. Subsequently, we developed dissolvable microarray patches (DMP) as a novel drug delivery system, optimizing the formulation for improved retention, penetration, and controlled release of AMB. The stability of the AMB-βCD inclusion complx (IC) structure has been confirmed by employing molecular docking studies. The formulation of DMP involved the incorporation of IC with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The mechanical strength, ability to be inserted, and propensity to irritate Amphotericin B-Inclusion Complex-Dissolvable Microarray Patches (IC-DMP) were evaluated by laboratory experiments utilizing the porcine vaginal mucosal layer. Further investigations, such as Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), were performed to assess the physicochemical characteristics of the IC. The solubility of the pure medication was greatly enhanced up to fourfold by the inclusion complex. The assessment of IC-DMP exhibited exceptional mechanical robustness and insertion abilities, with no indications of discomfort. Among the formulas tested in ex vivo vaginal kinetic experiments, Formula F3 had the most effective retention in the porcine vaginal mucosal layer. It had an AUC value of 208.02 ± 0.33 h.µg/cm3 and the highest Cmax value of 20.05 ± 0.06 µg/cm3. Therefore, Formula F3 was the most efficient formula in terms of vaginal drug delivery. The integration of IC into the DMP system significantly enhances the solubility and bioavailability of AMB, facilitating its absorption in the circulatory system when applied intravaginally for vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment. These promising initial findings support further clinical evaluation of this novel drug delivery system.