A team of Thursina IIBS students made a brilliant achievement at the Applied Science Project Olympiad (I2ASPO), securing the coveted gold medal. In a feat of double excellence, the team also won the Malaysia Invention, Innovation, and Creativity Association (MIICA) special award.
The winning team consisted of Alif Pirata Muhammad, M. Dhonan Chilmi, M. Yusuf Ibrahim Hermawan, M. Naufal Adqaury Ibnu Syaifa, and Fatih Firdaus.
  
Their proposed project was centered around the topics of banana peel waste management and protection against intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This idea came to be after Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) released a public warning on the rising of UV Index in certain areas of the country.Â
One of the team’s members, Alif Pirata Muhammad explained that through their projects, he and his teammate aimed to tackle two different problems; the waste management of banana peel and daily skin protection against intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The team then formulated a sunscreen product using the peel of Musa acuminata × balbisiana (Saba) bananas.
  
“Freshly thrown out banana peel is extracted using ethanol, methanol, and acetone using a distillation process,†Alif revealed.Â
Next, the extracted banana peel is mixed with a combination of stearic acid, cetyl alcohol, propylparaben, triethanolamine, glycerol, methylparaben, and distilled water to make a cream. UV-Vis absorbance measurements in the UV-B range, together with SPF calculations, indicate that the sunscreen cream provided maximum protection, with a pH range of 7.5 to 7.8.
  
“The main goal of this research is to reduce the environmental effect of banana peel waste and to give daily skin protection against ultraviolet (UV) radiation,†added Alif.
This accomplishment marked Thursina IIBS students’ success on presenting innovative solutions for environmental and skincare issues, while also earning international recognition at prestigious events like I2ASPO and MIICA.
