The ITS PKM-RE team while conducting research at the Advanced Functional Materials Laboratory, Department of Engineering Physics ITS

ITS Campus, ITS News – A team of students from Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) successfully made an innovation that transforms aluminum waste into a renewable energy source. Through the Students Creativity Program in Exact Research (or Pekan Kreativitas Mahasiswa Riset Eksakta in Indonesian, and will be referred to as PKM-RE in the latter), they researched how much influence pre-treatment of aluminum metal had on the amount of electrical power produced.

The leader of the ITS PKM-RE team, M Rizki Akbar (known as Kiba), explained that his research was motivated by his concern about junk cans and wasted aluminum foil around his laboratory. As a student from the Department of Engineering Physics ITS, he entitled the research The Effect of Pre-Treating Aluminum Waste Using an HCl/Na2MoO4 Solution on Increasing the Rate of Hydrolysis in Hydrogen Production for Fuel Cell Applications to overcome problems in the laboratory.

This research, carried out at the ITS Advanced Functional Materials Laboratory (or Laboratorium Material Fungsional Maju in Indonesian), examined the effect of aluminum pre-treatment using hydrochloric acid and sodium molybdate on the hydrogen production rate. The hydrolysis reaction in aluminum produces hydrogen gas, which will be broken down into electrical energy using Proton-Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells.

The series of tools the team used successfully turned on a small lightbulb using PEM fuel cells (black box at the right)

Kiba explained that this pre-treatment stage helped to clean the aluminum metal from dirt. With 60 seconds of pre-treatment, it is known that 0.5 grams of aluminum cans can produce 233.93 milliwatts of electrical power. This electrical power is much greater than aluminum cans without going through the pre-treatment stage, producing only 29.78 milliwatts.

Accompanied by a supervisor from the Engineering Physics Department, Dr Ing Doty Dewi Risanti ST MT, this team succeeded in lighting a small lamp for 40 minutes using 4 grams of an aluminum can. Kiba concluded that this research could become a renewable energy source with better processing and free from dangerous chemicals.

The ITS PKM-RE team consists of (from left) Nur Ari Widhayanti, Lucky Adjun, Tasya Resa Pratiwi, M Rizki Akbar, and Raphael Christanto

From the research, the ITS PKM-RE team also won the 36th National Student Science Week (Pimnas) held in November 2024. They brought back two medals at once: a silver medal for the poster category and a bronze medal for the presentation category. This success is a source of immense pride for the team due to successfully enhancing the reputation of our alma mater on the national stage.

The research conducted by this ITS PKM-RE team exemplifies innovation applicable to waste reduction. Furthermore, this initiative contributes to the advancement of renewable energy sources. This breakthrough is anticipated to serve as a solution to address environmental and energy challenges in Indonesia. (ITS Public Relations)

Reporter: Syahidan Nur Habibie Ash-shidieq

Translator: Lael Alphenos Soebakir