Prof. Dr. Ir. Yulia Nuraini Designs Biorem-Lok Technique to Reduce Heavy Metal Pollution

Prof. Dr. Ir. Yulia Nuraini, MS

Prof. Dr. Ir. Yulia Nuraini, MS was inaugurated as a professor in the field of Soil Microbiology at the Faculty of Agriculture (FP), Thursday, December 19, 2024, at the Samantha Krida Building.

She is the 32nd active Professor at FP, and the 225th active Professor at UB, as well as the 400th Professor of all Professors produced by UB.

She delivered a speech entitled “Biorem-Lok Technique: Efforts to Reduce Heavy Metal Pollution and Increase Soil Fertility”.

This topic was chosen because of environmental pollution due to heavy metals has become a serious problem, especially with the increasing industrialization and downstream activities in the agricultural and mining sectors. Heavy metal pollutants in the environment, especially in soil, are difficult to degrade naturally, unlike organic compounds that can be decomposed through oxidation or microbial activity.

The Biorem-Lok technique is an innovative bioremediation approach that uses microbes to overcome the accumulation of heavy metals in the soil due to agricultural intensification. This is in line with the increasing use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides that cause the accumulation of heavy metals such as Pb, Hg, and Cd in the soil, reducing soil fertility, inhibiting plant growth, and risking entering the human and animal food chain which threatening health.

Previously, heavy metal pollution control methods such as chemical washing and precipitation tend to be expensive and not environmentally friendly. Isolated heavy metal-resistant microbes such as bacteria, fungi or actinomycetes have the potential to be used as bioremidiators, reducing heavy metals with the additional function of providing nutrients for plants and controlling soil pathogens.

This approach offers the advantage of an environmentally friendly solution for sustainable agriculture, supporting the restoration of soil fertility, and maintaining ecosystem balance. Meanwhile, the weakness in the BIOREM-LOK formulation technique still requires further development with more specific land conditions and various types of fertilizers and pesticides. [Irene/UB PR/ Trans. Iir]