NCID-1406
Tonni Kurniawan
JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow
United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies of Sustainability
Education/Degree:
1 Applied Chemical Technology (Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
About
Dr. Kurniawan's research focuses on wastewater treatment and water purification, specifically applications of water technologies to remove heavy metals from contaminated water. His work seeks to capture water directly from non-traditional sources such as municipal wastewater and restore it to near drinking water quality, using low-cost absorbents to remove aquatic pollutants. Heavy metals are highly toxic and tend to accumulate in the food chain as they are not biodegradable. His most cited paper is ?Low-cost absorbents for heavy metals uptake from contaminated water; a review? in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Current Work
In recent years, Dr. Kurniawan has confronted municipal solid waste (MSW) with a partnership with Kitakyushu city (Japan) for the use of the Takakura Home Composting (THC) method. A large number of Takakura bins have been distributed to households and cadres have been involved in educating local households about organic waste reduction through the method. In the past decade (2005-2013), the city has reduced organic waste through many diverse composting methods such as THC and about 30% of GHG emissions could be reduced annually. By adapting the THC method, Dr. Kurniawan has made positive changes to its MSW management practices. This kind of city-to-city technological cooperation has facilitated larger processes in other cities in Indonesia and elsewhere. This project draws important lessons learned pertaining to the adaptation of the THC method in Dr. Kurniawan to understand how city-to-city cooperation can work to boost climate co-benefits in urban areas, particularly in the waste sector.
Research Area Keyword(s)
Environmental Engineering