As a Lecturer at the Center for Standardization of Sustainable Forest Management Instruments at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Prof. Adi explained that nanoscience is one of the science branches that study phenomena or properties of objects or materials on a nanometer scale. Nanotechnology is a technology that utilizes materials with very small dimensions with a tolerance of 0.1 nm – 100 nm.

Nanoscience is engineering at the molecular level to design and manufacture very small components and systems built on the laws of quantum mechanics, not on the laws of classical physics and chemistry as in the engineering of objects on a large scale.

“The unique properties of nanomaterials will be passed on to all composite objects of a material when nanomaterials are added. Materials in nano size with unique properties produce machines and devices with extreme and extraordinary capabilities,” said Prof. Adi.

He said that Indonesia has various natural resources, including forests as a storehouse of carbon and fiber, lots of iron sand minerals, quartz, mining, copper, perka, and gold. However, the need for natural resources is increasing, but nature is increasingly being eroded.

“Nano technology is able to answer existing problems from various sectors as efficiently as possible, by consuming materials as efficiently as possible, so that the availability of natural resources and the survival of living things are maintained,” he explained.

Several tools are commonly used to analyze nanoproducts. Among them are Particle Size Analyzer (PSA), Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), Thermal Conductivity Analysis (TCA), and others.

It is hoped that with nanotechnology, people can maximize the utilization of natural resources by encouraging the application of zero waste in industry and increasing energy use efficiency. In addition, it can provide economic and social benefits for the natural resource processing industry and encourage the application of nanotechnology in the treatment of other biomass wastes as advanced materials.

“If you want to maximize the nanotechnology sector, there must be a synergy from all,” said Prof. Adi.

Not only focused on natural resources, but human resources in Indonesia are also not inferior in quality. Among them are science and technology experts from domestic and foreign universities, the younger generation, science olympiad champions from various science and technology fields, business people in various fields, investors, to workers with adequate competence.

Reporter: Najma Shafiya (Postharvest Technology, 2020)

Translator: Billy Akbar Prabowo