The University of Indonesia (UI) inaugurated Prof. Yuni Krisyuningsih Krisnandi, S.Si., M.Sc. Ph.D., as a professor in the field of Inorganic Network Materials Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) at the Convention Hall, UI Depok Campus, this morning. During the ceremony, she delivered an inaugural speech entitled “Natural Materials as Precursors of Superior Inorganic Network Materials for Environmental, Energy, and Health Applications.”
In her presentation, Prof. Yuni said that Indonesia is a country crossed by the Mediterranean and Pacific circum-routes, so it has many mountains containing abundant non-metallic mineral natural materials, as much as more than 770 M tons, and is still valued relatively cheaply (around Rp. 35,000/ton). The non-metallic mineral natural material that has been widely utilized is aluminasilicate material (a derivative of silicate), a material composed of the smallest units in the form of tetrahedral silicates that are periodically combined to form a complex structure in the form of a network (framework).
Aluminosilicate materials that have been widely used by the public are kaolin, bentonite/clay, and natural zeolite. “We are quite familiar with cat litter and media for reptile pets, whose main components are bentonite and natural zeolite. In addition, stomach ache medication, whitening clay, and ceramics are examples of the use of clay. Aluminosilicate materials have been used in various applications, such as water purification, adsorption, and heterogeneous catalysts to accelerate the occurrence of a chemical reaction,” said Prof. Yuni.
He further said that natural aluminosilicate has several weaknesses, including high temperature resistance, non-uniform crystal phase, and pore blocking by quartz and other impurities, so pre-treatment is necessary before use. Therefore, researchers developed a method for synthesizing aluminosilicate materials using pro-analytical materials that are quite expensive and need to be imported with a relatively long time (2-3 months indent) and are less environmentally friendly. With high abundance in nature, and relatively cheap prices, the use of natural minerals as precursors for the synthesis of aluminosilicate materials can answer these problems.
Before being used as a precursor for the synthesis of superior inorganic network materials, natural aluminosilicate is given pre-treatment, such as activation, purification, fragmentation, and extraction. This stage is the most important part in the preparation of precursors from natural materials, because the geographical location of the origin of the natural material will affect the composition, structure, hardness and impurities in the natural material, so that pre-treatment cannot be generalized for all natural materials. After the precursor from natural materials is obtained, the material synthesis can be carried out, as in the synthesis using pro-analytical precursors.
Then, Prof. Yuni explained the use of superior inorganic network materials as environmentally friendly catalysts in biomass waste conversion. The compound 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is one of 12 priority chemicals where one of its most popular applications is the synthesis of environmentally friendly polyethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate (PEF) and is projected to replace polyethylene terephthalate (PET). “In our research, FDCA was synthesized from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) by oxidation with the help of
“CuO/ZSM-5 and NiO/ZSM-5 catalysts from natural precursors. Delignified cellulose was successfully converted into FDCA in a one-pot process with a yield of 12.7%,” said Prof. Yuni.
He also explained the use of superior inorganic network materials in energy, namely natural mineral-based NaY zeolite as a catalyst for cracking n-hexadecane. He also discussed the use of superior inorganic network materials in health, namely the engineering of locally loaded RNA extraction kits and the use of waste as a precursor source for superior inorganic network materials.
Prof. Yuni stated that there are three challenges in developing natural precursors for the synthesis of superior network materials. First, synthetic zeolite from China is much cheaper than the cost of synthesizing superior inorganic network materials from natural materials in Indonesia. Second, the extraction of natural materials and biomass waste, if not monitored, can disrupt the balance of the ecosystem and deplete essential elements in nature over time. Third, scaling up the material synthesis process requires collaboration with many parties, such as researchers from engineering and industrial faculties.
“The use of natural materials as precursors for superior inorganic tissue materials must continue to be improved, as they can provide added value, support national independence by increasing the percentage of domestic component levels (TKDN), as well as resilience in the environmental, energy, and health sectors. Of course, by following scientific developments, market needs and sustainable ecosystem balance. Finally, collaboration with universities and research institutions at home and abroad, and support from UI are needed to accelerate the achievement of research targets and outputs that impact the wider community,” said Prof. Yuni, broadcast live on the University of Indonesia YouTube channel and UI TV.
In the inauguration process, the Dean of FMIPA UI (1994-1998 Period) Prof. Dr. Endang Asijati; Head of Human Resources Division of PT Mowilex Emenda Brahmana; Head of Internal Supervisory Unit of Bogor City Hospital dr. Marthino Robinson, SpPD-KHOM; Regional Business Director of PT IMCD Kristian Hartono, S.Si., MBA; and Director of PT Ecomindo Saranacipta Wahyu Setiaji were present.
Prof. Yuni completed her undergraduate education at the Department of Chemistry, FMIPA UI in 1997. Then, she continued her Master’s education at the School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Australia and graduated in 2001. In 2005, she successfully obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) from the Department of Chemistry, The School of Natural and Computing Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. Some of her scientific works are entitled Comparative study of microwave-assisted versus conventional heated reactions of biomass conversion into levulinic acid over hierarchical Mn3O4/ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts (2023); Significance of ZSM-5 hierarchical structure on catalytic cracking: Intra- vs inter-crystalline mesoporosity (2023); and Metal-organic framework derived ZnO/porous carbon-13X zeolite composite modified with chitosan and silver nanoparticles as versatile antibacterial agent (2022).
