Researching Fungi Persistently

KOMPAS/MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO

Ratna Stia Dewi

Ratna Stia Dewi, 39, is concerned about the river water around the batik centers in Pekalongan and Banyumas, Central Java, which are contaminated by various batik dye waste. For more than 13 years, Ratna has been persistently researching the fungus "Aspergillus sp.3" as a decomposer of batik dye waste.

"I grow concern every time I go to Pekalongan and see the centers of the batik industry. The river is full of waste. I want to understand how the waste has polluted the environment," said Ratna, Tuesday (10/12/2019), in Purwokerto, Banyumas, Central Java.

Ratna, who is a lecturer at the School of Biology, specializing in microbiology and mycology, Jenderal Soedirman University, Purwokerto, has experienced irritated skin when making batik in Sokaraja, Banyumas. "At that time, I dyed batik cloth without wearing gloves. My hands were itchy. If a small amount of waste can damage the skin, what could happen to our environment [with that big amount of waste]?"said Ratna.

KOMPAS/WILIBRORDUS MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO

Sosok Ratna Stia Dewi

She then decided to research fungi. While researching the fungi related to textile industry waste for her final paper, Ratna wandered into a batik home industry in Banyumas. She looked for samples of dye waste that had been dumped into the ground or river.

From various literature, Ratna understands, fungi as a biological agent has a lot of potential that can be used.

From various literature, Ratna understands, fungi as a biological agent has a lot of potential that can be used. The Aspergillus fungus is known as a destructive agent for food, cloth and wood. "Then it comes to the idea that it can damage the things we use. Why don\'t we use them? I make use of negative things -- the destructive power – of the fungus to damage the things that harm us. Fungi has the ability to decompose," she said. Over the years, Ratn has studied and tried to find which fungi has the devastating power to decompose batik dye waste. She has tried to use the waste from baglog or the pearl oyster mushroom that is mostly dumped by mushroom farmers. Then, the fungi from the baglog waste is isolated and examined at the laboratory. It turns out it can actually decolorize. "Initially, I used the baglog waste. I just sprinkled it onto the batik-dye waste. Indeed, it can reduce the river water color within around 2.5-day incubation research. Then, I applied it to the waste in the batik home industry in Sokaraja. But 2.5 days is considered too long," she said.

KOMPAS/WILIBRORDUS MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO

Ratna Stia Dewi

Ratna then continued her master and doctoral studies at the School of Biology, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, focusing on fungi. From her studies, she concluded the fungus Aspergillus sp.3 has the strongest damage power on the batik-dye waste. The fungus was found after examining nearly 1,000 fungus which were then selected step by step into 108 fungus, then 40 fungus, 7 fungus, 3 fungus and then she got the fungus with the strongest decomposing agent.

"The destructive power can be seen from 99 percent of the color that is gone, decolorized to clear. It takes 24 hours," she said.

According to Ratna, removing batik dyes was more complex because the coloring process was repeated and it also used wax, containing heavy, metallic elements. With this fungi, batik coloring agents can be decomposed. There are two mechanisms that occur, namely the power of absorption and biodegradation of the fungi. "Absorption occurs outside and inside cells. "In the cell it is used as food, the poison is torn apart for the nutrition of the fungi itself," she said.

This work is in the form of a waterwheel that has fungi placed on each fan to purify the wastewater.

Through fungi research, Ratna and her students teamed up to win the D’Mushwheel Silver Prize at the 2019 Seoul International Invention Fair competition, November 2019. They submitted their work titled “D’Mushwheel: Decolorization of Batik Wastewater using Mushroom Wheel”.

KOMPAS/WILIBRORDUS MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO

Sosok Ratna Stia Dewi

This work is in the form of a waterwheel that has fungi placed on each fan to purify the wastewater. "The tool rotates in a pond of waste and is given mold. "In the first week, the waste can be reduced by 60 percent, then after 14 days it can go down to 93 percent," Ratna said.

For Ratna, fungi has been regarded as friends. To identify fungi, Ratna had to visit and explore the slopes of Mount Slamet, and traverse the difficult locations to find wild mushrooms.

The limitations of research tools are a challenge. However, Ratna persevered in researching fungi, even to stay in the laboratory to observe mushrooms every hour. The destructive power of the fungus is used to save the environment. The results of Ratna\'s research are still being developed so that they can be applied directly to batik artisans.

KOMPAS/MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO

Ratna Stia Dewi

Ratna Stia Dewi

Born: Jakarta, 5 September 1980

Education:

- SDN Kranji 2 Purwokerto (1993)

- SMPN 8 Purwokerto (1996)

- SMAN 1 Purwokerto (1999)

- Bachelor degree from Faculty of Biology, Jenderal Soedirman University, Purwokerto (2004)

- Master degree from Faculty of Biology UGM (2010)

– Doctoral degree from Faculty of Biology, UGM (2019).

Husband: Grangsang D Prakosa

Job: Lecturer at Faculty of Biology, Department of Microbiology, Mycology Laboratory, Jenderal Soedirman University