Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) students Naufal Bayu Prasetyo, Laila Firtriyani and Tiana Rafmiwati have developed an antibacterial bamboo doormat that is capable of absorbing moisture on top of being a decorative household item.

The mat’s antibacterial properties are owed to it containing chemicals, namely flavonoid, tannin pennyquinone and alcohol, which hamper the growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

Given Indonesia’s abundance of bamboo, the students decided to harness technology to put this valuable plant to better use. According to tempo.co, Naufal expressed hopes that bamboo would be utilized for other household purposes, rather than only being used as support shafts at construction sites.

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"Going forward, we will develop the antibacterial properties of the mat so that it can be resistant to other forms of microbes as well," said Naufal, adding that they would need to research potential substances that could be used to increase the quality of the mat.

The antibacterial mat reportedly received recognition as the “Best Paper” during the 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment and Biological Sciences (ICAEBS-16) hosted by the International Academy of Arts, Science and Technology in Pattaya, Thailand, in April. (sab/kes)