Three students from the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (UI), won 1st place in the “Essay Competition Pertamina Goes to Campus (PGTC)”, which Pertamina organised from November 12–15, 2024, in Samarinda, East Kalimantan. The Team AKSEN students were Rawhillah Zaydanul Fitran, Delfito Syafi Umar, and Fariz Thufail Afaf. They outperformed 1,103 other participants who presented various sustainable innovations in the energy sector.
In the competition, Team AKSEN presented an innovation titled “Utilisation of Livestock Manure through Microbial Fuel Cells and Sodium-Ion Batteries to Increase Sustainable Electricity Availability in 3T Regions.” The idea focuses on an innovative solution to improve access to renewable energy in Indonesia’s 3T regions (Disadvantaged, Frontier, Outermost), which face limited electricity supply.
“This project uses Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) technology by utilising livestock manure as an energy source. The system is designed to distribute electricity through a battery swap method, providing an efficient and sustainable solution for communities in 3T regions,” said Rawhillah.
The MFC system—used to convert livestock manure into energy—operates on a continuous flow system, where manure is repeatedly cycled in and out of multiple MFC units. In the process, organic substrates, such as cellulose, are broken down into simpler compounds like glucose, which Pseudomonas sp. microorganisms oxidise to produce electrons. These electrons are then harnessed to generate electrical energy, turning organic waste into a sustainable energy solution.
According to Rawhillah, each MFC stack can generate 56.5 Wh/day, and approximately 72 MFC stacks are required to meet a household’s electricity needs. The energy produced is stored in sodium-ion batteries with a storage efficiency of up to 90%, generating up to 549.18 Wh/day. The stored energy is then converted into alternating current (AC) using a 1.5% kW pure sine wave inverter with 90% efficiency, producing an output power of 494.26 Wh/day.
The UI Rector, Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU, highly praised Team AKSEN’s achievement. According to him, this accomplishment proves that UI students possess excellent academic abilities and are concerned about world issues, particularly renewable energy.
“Their innovation in utilising livestock manure through Microbial Fuel Cell technology and sodium-ion batteries demonstrates how science can be applied to create sustainable solutions that significantly impact society in 3T regions. We are proud of their dedication and hope this achievement inspires all UI students to continue innovating and making positive contributions to the nation,” said Prof. Heri.
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Office of Public Communication
Faculty of Engineering Universitas Indonesia
