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With the theme "Empowering Industry Innovation: Cultivating Sustainable Future for the Green Economy," POISE UGM 2024 aimed to drive innovation among students from chemical engineering and other disciplines to tackle sustainability-related issues, especially the negative impacts of industry on human health and the environment.

The POWISON Team comprised four ITB Chemical Engineering students—Irma Srimulyati, Rasela Vania Putri Denanti, Naila Deviana Putri, and Margareta Vidya Riswanti. They emerged as champions after outperforming teams from various Indonesian universities on November 10, 2024, in the UGM GIK Building.

The team set out to address carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the oil and gas industry, resulting in their solution titled "Utilization of Chlorella vulgaris Microalgae in Carbon Capture and Utilization Technology to Achieve Zero Emissions at Pertamina RU IV Cilacap Refinery."

"Our innovation integrates two recent topics: carbon reduction and new and renewable energy (NRE)," said Irma. The microalgae would act as a carbon capture agent in the refinery, particularly in the flue gas.

The POWISON Team explained how microalgae could reduce carbon dioxide emissions. This process would eventually produce biomass, which could be further converted into bioethanol. In addition to tackling the CO₂ emissions issue, their proposal also provided a renewable energy alternative through its end product.

The competition lasted for three months from July 2024. Ideation and brainstorming took considerable time since they aimed to develop a practical and innovative solution. Furthermore, all team members were taking industrial internships while preparing the abstract, which posed a significant challenge in advancing through the competition.

"Nevertheless, our commitment to this competition gave us the power to push forward, especially when we found out we had made it to the semifinals and even the finals," revealed Naila.

In the finals, the POWISON Team remained steadfast in improving their shortcomings. Their dedication ultimately earned them the champion title at POISE UGM 2024.

The competition taught the four students many valuable life lessons. "Do the best and let God do the rest. If you start something, see it through to the very end. Even when exhausted, you never know what might happen in the end," shared Vidy.

Additionally, they left a few messages for fellow students: never be afraid to try, stay persistent when brainstorming, and always give your absolute best to reach your dreams and goals. Lastly, the team expressed their gratitude to everyone who supported them throughout the competition.

Reporter: Raja Parmonang Manurung (Mining Engineering, Class of 2021)
Indonesian Editor: M. Naufal Hafizh, S.S.
Translator: Ariq Ramadhan Teruna (Chemical Engineering, Class of 2021)

Documentation courtesy of the POWISON Team