Students of the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI) have once again achieved national recognition. Two student teams from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (DTMM) FTUI—Team CLEANers and Team GREENers—successfully secured 1st Place and 3rd Place in the Scientific Poster Competition at MINERBA Convex 2025, organized by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM).
The competition, held over two months (August–October 2025), was part of MINERBA CONVEX 2025: Mineral & Coal Convention-Expo. The event brought together university students from across Indonesia to showcase innovations in the energy and mineral sectors. Out of more than 50 participating teams (around 150 students), both FTUI teams advanced to the final round and earned national recognition.
Team CLEANers—comprising Josafat Pasaribu, Benaya Obednego Sirait, and Brillian Mozza (Metallurgical and Materials Engineering 2022)—presented an innovation titled “CLEAN: Sustainable Scandium Extraction Strategy from Red Mud Waste to Support Mineral Downstreaming and SDGs in Indonesia.”
Through the C.L.E.A.N. approach (Circular, Low-emission, Efficient, Affordable, and Natural), the team developed a sustainable scandium extraction strategy using empty oil palm fruit bunches (EFB) as an eco-friendly reductant. Their study demonstrated an impressive extraction efficiency of 99.3%, supported by purification and material regeneration processes that create a sustainable closed-loop system.
“This innovation proves that industrial waste can actually become a new resource that supports the circular economy,” said Josafat, the CLEANers team leader.
Meanwhile, Team GREENers, consisting of Josafat Pasaribu and Renanda Wafi Fakhri (Metallurgical and Materials Engineering 2022), presented their work titled “GREEN: Optimum Red Mud Processing for Gas Desulfurization and Sustainable Geopolymer Synthesis.”
Their research proposes a zero-residue solution, in which red mud is optimally utilized to significantly absorb SO₂ gas and subsequently processed into environmentally friendly geopolymers. The resulting geopolymer product exhibits compressive strength comparable to conventional cement while producing significantly lower CO₂ emissions—positioning it as a superior alternative for sustainable construction materials.
According to Renanda, “We want to show that interdisciplinary and sustainability-driven approaches can go hand in hand, even in a highly technical field like materials engineering.”
The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering UI, Prof. Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., expressed his appreciation for the students’ achievements.
“This accomplishment demonstrates that FTUI students excel not only academically, but also show strong awareness of sustainability issues and the future of the green industry. Their innovations reflect the spirit of engineering for sustainability, which is at the core of engineering education at FTUI,” said Prof. Kemas.
He also added that such research contributes meaningfully to Indonesia’s national energy transition efforts and sustainable natural resource management.
***
Public Communications Office
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia
