The Importance of Environmental Materials in Indonesian Language Learning

The environment is very important for human life. However, there are many issues regarding the environment. These environmental problems are a result of the low awareness of the environment. Therefore, environmental materials are needed in learning. Environmental material can be inserted in various materials such as in writing argumentative texts. This can make students not only care about the environment but also able to write argumentative texts well. In addition, environmental materials can also be integrated with persuasive speech writing materials. Persuasive speech can influence other people to protect the environment. Finally, environmental materials can be included in poetry writing materials. Students can write poetry with environmental themes.

The Importance of Environmental Material in Indonesian Language Learning

The environment has both positive and negative impacts on humans. Positive impacts if the environment is well maintained and negative impacts if the environment is not maintained. The environment has an impact on humans in the health sector and also affects the community's economy. An untreated environment can also cause disasters that will harm humans for their lives. It is the environment that influences the good or bad of human behavior. This is because the influence of the environment is very large in everyday life.

The Relation of Environmental Material in Indonesian Language Learning

In the teaching and learning process in schools, Indonesian language learning must be learned by all students. Indonesian language learning aims to help students have good and correct Indonesian language skills to use in their lives. The use of Indonesian makes it easier for teachers and students when applied to environmental materials. Environmental materials are also difficult to apply in Indonesian language learning, if the people themselves are less concerned and aware of the environment. Students who learn about the environment will have a positive effect on their knowledge, values and attitudes related to the environment. Ramadhan et al (2019) say that environmental problems are inherently inseparable from people's awareness, values, and attitudes. Therefore, knowledge and awareness are needed to bring up positive values and attitudes that will encourage actions to make lifestyle adjustments and bad habits to the environment.

Adsorption Behavior of Hydroquinone by Diatomite-based Porous Ceramsite

Diatomite-based porous ceramsite is a new kind of environmental material. In this study, ceramsite was prepared by wet grinding, a rolling-ball method, and high temperature-calcination using diatomite as the main raw material with the addition of a pore-forming agent and sintering assistant. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and mercury injection, were used to analyze the structure and characteristics of the prepared materials. Using hydroquinone as the target pollutant, the adsorption behavior of diatomite-based porous ceramsite was investigated. Results indicated that the diatomite-based porous ceramsite had a pore size ranging from 500 to 3000 nm, a specific surface area of 6.14 m2.g-1, and a porosity of 47.8%. When pH was 7, the removal rate and adsorption capacity of the hydroquinone by the diatomite-based porous ceramsite was 91.2% and 4.56 m2.g-1, respectively. In the adsorption process of hydroquinone by diatomite-based porous ceramsite, the diffusion of a liquid membrane was dominant, which could be better described by the quasi-first-order kinetic equation. The Langmuir and Koble-Corrigan equations had a higher fitting degree of data for the adsorption isotherms. The adsorption characteristics of the diatomite-based porous ceramsite are in accordance with the fixed-point adsorption of a single molecular layer and belong to a heterogeneous composite adsorption system. The correlation coefficient R2 and k value of hydroquinone adsorption by the diatomite-based porous ceramsite determined by the liquid film diffusion model were 0.848 and 0.0417, respectively.

Use of Environmental Material in Learning Indonesian at School

teach children as early as possible to always take care of the surrounding environment

Naira note: Potential Environmental Material for Transmitting Bacterial Pathogens among Food Dealers in Umuahia, Nigeria

Inanimate objects can serve as environmental vehicles for transmitting pathogenic bacteria among individuals in the population. Our study revealed that of the 72 naira notes examined, 58 samples representing 80.6% had bacterial contaminants. The bacterial isolates were Staphylococcus aureus (70.8%), Salmonella spp. (51.4%), Escherichia coli (44.4%), Shigella spp. (22.2%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa. (18.1%), and Proteus spp. (1.4%). The naira notes examined were all obtained from food dealers particularly fish sellers, food vendors, and meat sellers. The presence of these bacterial pathogens on naira notes handled by those food dealers is an important public health hazard as they can contaminate food leading to foodborne diseases and intoxications. Our study found that lower denominations of currency notes (naira), were mostly contaminated by these pathogens and this could be as a result of their frequent use in daily transactions.

Detection of pathogens from environmental samples for the evaluation of the health status of laboratory animals

Pathogens present in the environment are the biggest source of diseases and epidemics in the breeding of laboratory animals. The presence of microorganisms, in fact, can critically influence the animal health status and consequently the validity and reproducibility of experimental data. In accordance with the 3Rs principle, this study fits into the Refinement and Reduction concepts. The development of a health surveillance plan on environmental material from animal housing would have an important impact not only on maintaining an adequate state of health and on the generation of quality experimental data, but also on reducing the number of animals to be sacrificed.

Assessment of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) in Mining Residues and Environmental Material from Sefwi, Awaso Bauxite Mine

Gamma ray spectrometry was used to quantify level of NORM in mining residues sampled at Awaso bauxite mine and surrounding communities. The radionuclides of interest were 238U, 232Th and 40K and the radioactivity levels were determined in soil, bauxite ore, red mud and water samples from wells. The radioactivity concentrations in soil, bauxite ore and red mud 238U, 232Th and 40K were 18.01±1.96 Bqkg-1, 19.07±2.12 Bqkg-1 and 103.21±1.74 Bqkg-1; 39.42±4.18 Bqkg-1, 97.32±10.63 Bqkg-1 and 14.68±1.82 Bqkg-1; 44.85±4.79, 64.23±6.58 and 125.30±18.72 Bqkg-1. The activity levels for both 232U and 232Th were above world-wide average values while Potassium-40 levels were lower. The mean activity concentration values of 238U, 232Th and 40K in water samples were 1.49±0.45 Bql-1, 3.68±0.69 Bql-1 and 15.69±0.28 Bql-1 respectively and were within the world average activity concentrations except for bauxite ore and red mud. The committed effective dose was 0.74 mSv and annual effective dose estimated to be 0.136 mSv which is below recommended dose limit of 1 mSvyear-1 for public exposure.