Sri Wulandari, Lecturer of the Agricultural Industrial Technology Study Program, Unib with UNPARI Lecturer Educating the Community of Benua Raja Lahat Village in the Making of Bioethanol from Sweet Potatoes

Benua Raja Village, Lahat Regency, South Sumatra Province is one of the potential villages to carry out community service because it is one of the areas that has abundant sweet potato products. Community service activities on the manufacture of bioethanol from sweet potatoes were carried out from August to September 2024. This Community Service was carried out by lecturers at PGRI Silampari University in collaboration with Lecturers at the University of Bengkulu. The members of the activity were Endang Lovisia (lecturer of the Physics Education Study Program, Faculty of Science and Technology, PGRI Silampari University), Syabawaihi (lecturer of the Agricultural Socio-Economics Study Program, Faculty of Economics and Business, PGRI Silampari University), and Sri Wulandari (lecturer of the Agricultural Industrial Technology Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Bengkulu). This activity was attended by residents of Benua Raja village, South Sumatra which is a group of Setia Jaya Farmers.

This community service activity is funded by DRTPM Kemendikbutristek and focuses on the potential of areas that have abundant sweet potato yields, namely in Benua Raja Village, South Sumatra.

In its implementation, socialization was first carried out on the production of bioethanol from sweet potatoes along with the distillation of the results of sweet potato fermentation so as to produce bioethanol. In addition, an approach was also carried out by socializing with the local government and the community about the activity of making bioethanol from sweet potatoes as an alternative to renewable energy. The next activity is sweet potato fermentation training and permentation distillation stage training. In community service activities, there are 2 technologies, namely a fermentation device called a fermenter (a tool to fermenate sweet potatoes into alcohol) and a distillation device (a device to distill sweet potatoes that have been fermented into alcohol called bioethanol). After the implementation, mentoring and evaluation are also carried out.