Durian shell powder will help recover coastal spill oil

Dr. S. Kathiresan, a lecturer in the Department of Biotechnology at AIMST University, Malaysia, discovered that durian flour, after being added with some chemicals, can be used to remove oil in the country.

The discovery is believed to be an optimistic signal for the oil nation and cultivate many of these durians.

Dr. S. Kathiresan said that durian shells are an effective oil-absorbing material that can assist in the recovery of oil spills in coastal areas. Kathiresan said that simple experiments with durian shells, agricultural waste, were collected and washed several times with water to remove dirt or residual durian meat. After that, the number of these private deep shells is dried, pulverized and added with a variety of chemicals.

Using kinetic studies and the Freundlich isothermal model , Dr. Kathiresan said the experiment showed that the durian shells with fatty acids were also able to retain its original effect, to absorb the oil. overflow in aqueous solution.

Dr. S. Kathiresan said: ' This biological absorber can be used to clean up oil spill along the coast which causes adverse effects not only for all marine organisms, but also for operations. human economy. '

Currently, synthetic fibers like polypropylene and polyurethane are used to clean up spilled oil and cost about $ 100 / kg, he said. Therefore, if put into production, products from this agricultural waste will have great commercial potential because of its effectiveness in oil absorption, cost effectiveness and biodegradability.

With the new discovery of the effects of durian oil absorption effects, this is a follow-up discovery by Malaysian scientists on the application of this type of agricultural waste. In 2010, a group of Malaysian scientists published research results on the use of durian shells as substances that absorb dyes in water environments.

Meanwhile , the Indonesian team at Selebas Maret University also published research results on the effect of durian pods on colon and rectal cancer prevention.

Dr Kathiresan said the research paper entitled " Private shells supplemented with fatty acids - effective bio-absorbing materials for removing oil spills in water environments" will be presented at the Chemical Conference. The 14th Asia in Bangkok in September 2011.