TIMES AUSTRALIA, MALANG – Baktiar Fuadi, a student of Mechanical Engineering at the State Polytechnic of Malang (Polinema) developed a plastic waste shredder with economical and practical materials and tools.

The problem of plastic waste has become an unresolvable issue until now. In Indonesia, almost all people use plastic for their needs. The high number of enthusiasts causes excessive accumulation. 

"Plastic waste is known to decompose in up to 100 years. The accumulation causes pollution and damages the ecosystem. This tool is expected to minimize the accumulation of waste, especially plastic waste," he said to TIMES Indonesia, Thursday (4/7/2024).

This plastic shredding machine has specifications such as six cutting knives, consisting of two static knives and four dynamic knives run by a pertalite-type gasoline engine. 

In this research, Baktiar applies hardfacing technology to the cutting knife to improve its durability. The engine performance of this tool is tested by modifying the tilt angle of the blade position, which is 2°, 4°, and 6°. The test involves measuring the fuel consumption and chopping capacity of the machine.

This plastic shredding machine uses a feeler gauge to measure the gap between blades, a protractor to adjust the blade tilt angle, and a tachometer to measure the blade rotation speed. 

In addition, there are supporting tools such as a stopwatch to measure the chopping time, and a measuring cup to determine the amount of fuel needed.

The test used plastic waste of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic glass type. As a result, at an angle of 6°, the machine achieved the highest shredding capacity of 6.06 kg/hour with a fuel consumption of 0.71 l/hour. 

In comparison, at an angle of 2°, the lowest shredding capacity was recorded at 5.16 kg/hour with a fuel consumption of 0.57 l/hour. This data shows that the greater the blade inclination angle, the higher the shredding capacity and fuel consumption.

This machine not only generates useful empirical data for plastic shredding, but also provides important insights into the factors that influence its efficiency. 

This plastic waste shredder offers a practical and economical solution to the problem of plastic waste. Baktiar Fuadi hopes that this plastic shredding machine can be widely adopted and contribute to creating a cleaner and healthier environment. The success of this research also shows the great potential possessed by Malang State Polytechnic students in producing technological solutions that are beneficial to society.

"This tool can reduce the volume of plastic waste and facilitate the recycling process, this innovation can have a big positive impact on the environment and society," the student of the State Polytechnic of Malang said. (*)