Nalareksa is an art and science project that focus on sustainable creativity, research practical work, generic infrastructure, physical and chemical engineering in relations to hydro environmental issues. This project took the same name from a method of air analysis by using water as a mediator for the research innovated by Prof. Hardjoso Projopangarso, a Civil Engineer who intensively works in hydro-sustainability and construction in Indonesia. Nalareksa method is simply to get aerated water samples from sites to analyze air conditions of the locations. The water samples will then be analyzed for laboratory works using several chemical elements and formula to identify air conditions variables that will be used by Civil Engineers as a guidance to design air circulations and ventilation system.Nalareksa method became part of Environmental Engineering for Civil Engineer practical work, implemented in the national curriculum for Civil Engineer studies.
The method is taking from the theory developed by Prof. Ir. Hardjoso Projopangarso: “If gas encounters water, then some part of the gas will be absorbed to water. Eventually, there will be an equilibrium, which means the amount of elements carried within gas will be equal to the amount of elements that absorbed by water.” This theory is used for nalareksa method to discover air condition in the atmosphere.
Nalareksa instrument for taking aerated water sample (in-site method)
In the creation of Nalareksa, the instruments for direct analyzing elements in the air are still rare. As for hydro laboratory are more common to the society and have good analyzing capabilities. To analyze CO2 and O2 inside water are pretty easy to do and the chemical elements are easy enough to get. The amount time to do this analyze are also very short. It only took 5 to 15 minutes for analyzing elements inside of water.
Using simple lists and formulas, elements parts per million (ppm) inside of water could be converted into elements contains by air in % volume. By comparing with the elements limitation in certain air condition, we could analyze air condition in our environments.
On global advance technology development, industries and also housing, we produces waste that up until present days have been major issues on how they were processed and what negative effects on the environment they are causing. Mainly rivers and oceans are used as their final waste disposal sites while emission of transportations and working process are causing air pollution which more or less of a quarter of it will be absorbed by surface water on earth.
Prof. Ir. Hardjoso Projopangarso working in his hydrolab Yogyakarta
The name Nalareksa came from ‘old Javanese’, the word Nala means beloved ones and the word Reksa means nourishing. Literally, Nalareksa represent the world as a beloved one that needs nourishing from humans. In this case, taking precautions to pollutants that may cause destruction to the world. Every equipments, sciences and technologies for Nalareksa were created by the simplest approach so common people could reach it. That is why all the instruments in Nalareksa are made using easy-to-find materials in Indonesia. The instruments for direct analyzing elements in the air are still rare. As for hydro laboratory are more common to the society and have good analyzing capabilities. To analyze CO2 and O2 inside water are pretty easy to do and the chemical elements are easy enough to get. The amount time to do this analyze are also very short. It only took 5 to 15 minutes for analyzing elements inside of water.
The invention of Nalareksa method was created from simple facts of natural phenomenons:
1. Water is a very strong solvent, referred to as the universal solvent, dissolving many types of substances. Substances that will mix well and dissolve in water, e.g. salts, sugars, acids, alkalis, and some gases: especially oxygen, carbon dioxide (carbonation), are known as “hydrophilic” (water-loving) substances, while those that do not mix well with water (e.g. fats and oils), are known as “hydrophobic” (water-fearing) substances. All the major components in cells (proteins, DNA and polysaccharides) are also dissolved in water.
2. An environmental phenomenon called “Ocen Acidification”. It is a the name given to the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth’s oceans, caused by their uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Dissolving CO2 in seawater also increases the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration in the ocean, and thus decreases ocean pH. Ocean Acidification has negative impacts on oceans calcifying organisms that use the calcite or aragonite polymorphs of calcium carbonate to construct cell coverings or skeletons. As marine organisms is providing 99% organic matters used by the food webs in marine ecosystem.
3. Thermodynamics and Le Chatelier’s principle explain the characteristics of the dynamic equilibrium of a gas in solution such as the vast amount of CO2 held in solution in the world’s oceans moving into and returning from the atmosphere. These principles can be observed as bubbles, which rise in a pot of water heated on a stove, or in a glass of cold beer allowed to sit at room temperature; gases dissolved in liquids are released under certain circumstances.
several other instruments for analyzing water quality
old chemicals dan formulas (attached on the box) used for CO2 analyzing using Nalareksa method in Prof. Ir. Hardjoso's hydrolab. He and his students have used it in the past. I considered it as an ancient artifact.
The core of Nalareksa installation is a sonification of aerated water samples with the absorption of elements (O2/CO2) carried within the air of the location. Theoretically; if gas encounters water, then some part of the gas will be absorbed to water. Eventually, there will be an equilibrium (equal state), which means the amount of elements released by the water to the air will be equal to the amount of elements that absorbed by air and water.
Please follow the sub-pages links bellow for more information on several installations and creations taken from Nalareksa method and theory.
This page has the following sub pages.
