Fisherman is a profession that involves spending a long time at sea looking for fish. While at sea, drinking water is very important to maintain health and stamina so that work can be carried out optimally. However, getting clean water at sea is a big challenge for fishermen in Indonesia. Apart from that, fishermen also face the problem of scarce fuel oil and high price fluctuations. Currently, fishermen still depend on oil-fueled vessels to drive diesel engines and meet the vessel's electricity needs. To overcome this problem, a group of UNY students designed a tool that can process sea water into clean water while meeting energy needs in the sea, which is called Sea Water Desalination. The students consisted of Yanuar Agung Fadlullah and Assadullah al Kaffah Alam from the Mechanical Engineering Education study program, Sahid Ramandhani from the Electronics Engineering Education study program, Bagus Putra Setiyawan from the Mechatronics Education study program, and Khisna Rizqi Fauzia from the Chemistry study program.
According to Team Leader Yanuar Agung Fadlullah, this desalination technology uses a reverse osmosis filter combined with an electrolysis process using an electrochemical compressor. This technology aims to be an environmentally friendly and economical solution to meet fishermen's energy needs, increase accessibility, and overcome difficulties in obtaining drinking water while at sea. "This desalination technology is designed to be portable by considering the golden ratio, so it is suitable for use on the deck or cabin of a fishing boat," said Yanuar on Monday (6/11). This technology completely uses electrical energy from solar panels. The results of the desalination will provide drinking water for fishermen while at sea. The electrolysis process also produces hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O2) which can be used as alternative fuel for ships. Assadullah al Kaffah Alam added that the combination of the concepts of renewable energy, desalination and electrolysis is expected to overcome fishermen's problems and increase the use of appropriate technology in the maritime sector in Yogyakarta.
Sahid Ramadhani explained that this desalination tool is integrated with an electrochemical compressor so that it can produce three outputs at once: drinking water, electricity, and hydrogen and oxygen as ship fuel. "This technology is based on green energy and is environmentally friendly and is capable of producing more clean water than other desalination tools," said Sahid. This tool is equipped with a solar panel integrated with an inverter and battery as a source of electrical energy. The electrical energy in the battery will continue to be charged when the solar panel receives sunlight, providing convenience for users because the battery does not need to be recharged frequently. The design of this tool refers to portable technology which makes it easy to move and use. The main advantage of this desalination tool is that it combines existing technology into one optimal system to solve fishermen's problems.
Bagus Putra Setiyawan explained that the drinking water desalination system is designed to completely use power from solar panels, so it is environmentally friendly. Power from the solar panels flows through the control circuit to the battery, then is converted from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) using an inverter. This AC current allows the operation of reciprocating pumps in the filtration system, providing electrical energy for fishermen, as well as electrolysis installations to produce hydrogen and oxygen as alternative fuels.
Khisna Rizqi Fauzia explained that the way this tool works starts by pumping seawater using a reciprocating pump, then filtering it through a pre-treatment filter to remove unwanted particles. Next, the desalination process is carried out using a reverse osmosis filter to produce drinking water. The remaining seawater from reverse osmosis is passed through an electrochemical compressor to produce oxygen and hydrogen. "Oxygen and hydrogen are stored in storage as alternative fuels for ship motors," said Khisna.
This project was successful in obtaining funding from the Belmawa Directorate of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology through the Student Creativity Program (PKM) in the PKM-KC Sector in 2023.
Author: Dedy
Editor: Sudaryono
