Belajar Science Writing

Tanaman penyembuh luka Jatropha multifida L.

Pakai getah tanaman pinisilin Jatropha multifida L adalah langkah awal untuk menyembuhkan luka. Menulis adalah langkah awal untuk memecah ketidaktahuan. 

Apakah itu analogi yang cocok? wkwk.

Sudah berjalan seminggu lebih, aku bergabung di kelas online Discovering Science: Science Writing yang diadakan oleh University of Leeds di FutureLearn.

Sebenernya, sebelumnya aku udah pernah ikut course ini, karna kehabisan waktu (ada batasan waktu jika tidak upgrade course). Dengan kata lain, course ini berbayar kalau mau di akses tanpa batasan waktu atau kalau mau dapat sertifikat setelah selesai coursenya.

Di postingan ini, aku mau membagikan latihan penulisan artikel sains pertamaku. Meskipun latar pendidikanku Biologi, tapi aku disini akan membahas tentang pertambangan dan kimia-kimia gitu, sesuai sama topik yang diinstruksikan sama coursenya. Mungkin akan sedikit jauh dari yang bisa disebut 'artikel yang bagus', tapi mencoba menulis adalah aksi pertama yang bisa dilakukan. Jadi, ini dia:

The oil and Gas Fracking method could lead to contaminated drinking water supplies in Indonesia

Efforts to increase oil production in Indonesia using the Hydraulic Fracturing method, will even contaminate the drinking water sources?

Indonesia as the 10th country with the largest potential for shale oil reserves in the world has tried the Hydraulic Fraturing method in 2010 to extract shale oil from rocks. Hydraulic fracturing can be defined as the process of extracting oil and natural gas by giving a high-pressure liquid injection horizontally to the bottom of the rock layer where the gas and oil are trapped. Generally, the materials used for injection are water, sand/special ceramic granules, and chemicals.

However, until now, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia explained that the method is still being considered, one of which is because of the large environmental impact it causes.

One of the environmental impacts that may occur is the contamination of drinking water sources that were thought to come from the residual liquid of the fracturing method, as reported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which conducted research in several locations of drinking water sources close to the location where the method was carried out.

Wastewater from Hydraulic Fractured wells and coal-fired power plants that use flue-gas desulfurization are the main source of supply of Bromide concentrations to public drinking water intakes on the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania. EPA also found the data indicating that dissolved methane is naturally present through-out the Raton Basin and EPA detected it in all samples collected from the domestic wells. Likewise, brine and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) were found at several monitoring locations which the data performed that the only potential source consistent with those substances' chemicals was the blowout during hydraulic fracturing that occurred in Killdeer, ND. In addition, although two locations in Wise County, Texas, did not show impacts to groundwater, there were areas where water was found to be contaminated with brines.

Although there have been no follow-up studies by EPA on the health effects of chemical contamination at the site, does not rule out the possibility of those chemicals can be harmful to humans. If these chemicals are consumed through the water we drink, they can interfere with our health because water that is good for drinking is water that looks clear, has no odor, has no taste, and is not contaminated with germs and chemicals.

Therefore, the government or the related company needs further consideration if they want to apply this method in Indonesia. Further research also needs to be done to reduce the environmental impact of this method so that it can be used to maximize oil and gas production.