KUCHING: Chemical engineering students from Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus (Swinburne Sarawak) have once again won the IChemE POPSIG Outstanding Final Year Design Project Award, marking their second consecutive victory.
Swinburne Sarawak said the award, presented by the Palm Oil Processing Special Interest Group (POPSIG) recently, was given for the student’s winning project, titled “Valorization of Green Glycerol from Palm-Oil Derived Biodiesel Plant into 1,3-Propanediol via Catalytic Hydrogenation”.
The project highlights the sustainable approach to palm-oil by-products.
Comprising of Tiffany Ang, Juliana Kiu, Selena Song, Clarence Lau, and Kumaraunnehelage Anupaja, the team worked under the guidance of Ir Dr How Bing Shen, a senior lecturer in Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering and Science.
Their innovative project focused on converting crude glycerol, a by-product from biodiesel production, into 1,3-propanediol, a valuable chemical, with the goal of fostering a circular economy to improve the overall efficiency of resource utilisation.
Meanwhile, Clarence expressed his pride in the team’s accomplishment, stating that their hard work and dedication to advancing sustainability in the palm oil industry had paid off.
Team member, Juliana, added they are grateful to Swinburne, their supervisors and the teaching staff of the university for their unwavering guidance.
“Receiving this award is truly an honour,” she said.
The entire team also credited their success to the support they received from Swinburne Sarawak.
Ir Dr How also commented that it is essential that graduates are prepared with cutting-edge skills beyond the textbook.
“I’m therefore proud to see our efforts in the classroom translated into such external recognition,” he said.
