UNS – Students from the Faculty of Engineering (FT) at Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, forming Team Cocegil, have successfully secured first place in the EcoFIA National Essay Competition 2024 at Universitas Brawijaya, Malang. The competition, which took place from May to June 2024, had its essay assessment period from May 29 to June 1, 2024.
The UNS representative team consisted of three Industrial Engineering students: Sarah Amelia Azzahra, Zakiya Al-Hayaah, and Dian Rahmad Renaldi, a student of Environmental Science from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA). The EcoFIA 2024 essay competition serves as a platform for students to express their ideas and thoughts in the fields of environmental management, creative economy, and tourism. This year’s theme was “The Role of Students in Sustainable Development for the Realization of Indonesia Emas 2045.”
Team Cocegil focused on the potential of Boyolali Regency as the largest producer of milk and beef in Java. However, Boyolali cattle farmers currently face challenges in managing environmental pollution caused by livestock waste. Therefore, Team Cocegil proposed utilizing cattle manure to produce biogas, which is then purified into biohydrogen using steam reforming technology and Pressure Swing Adsorber (PSA).
Team Cocegil implemented an integrated livestock waste management system combining biogas digesters and biohydrogen production as a solution for Indonesia’s decarbonization.
The team noted that cattle farming in Boyolali produces significant greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O). Each cow generates 30 kg of manure daily, which can be processed into biogas through anaerobic fermentation. Biogas has lower carbon emissions (50-450 gCO2 eq/kWh) compared to coal (1.000 gCO2/kWh). Using biogas can reduce LPG import costs and subsidies, enhance raw material efficiency, and decrease fossil fuel consumption. Steam reforming technology for biohydrogen and Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) can further improve biogas production efficiency.
“With a daily production of 2.007,8 kWh from cattle manure, biogas can meet the electricity needs of over 2.000 households, reduce carbon emissions by 52%, and cut CO2 emissions to 0,184 kgCO2/kWh at a production cost of 0,06 USD/kWh. Team Cocegil concludes that this integrated waste management system is effective for decarbonization, energy security, carbon emission reduction, and public health improvement,” Dian explained, as quoted from ft.uns.ac.id, Monday (24/6/2024).
The essay, titled “Implementation of an Integrated Livestock Waste Management System Using Biogas Digesters and Biohydrogen Production as a Decarbonization Solution in Indonesia,” aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing cattle manure in Boyolali Regency to support the transition to clean energy.
The team was pleasantly surprised by their victory, given that they are still in the early semesters of their studies and faced competition from top universities in Indonesia and seasoned essay writers. However, they take great pride in being able to compete and achieve a rewarding outcome for UNS.
“We extend our gratitude to the Faculty of Engineering UNS for their support,” Dian concluded.
HUMAS UNS
Editor: Dwi Hastuti