Year: 2021

Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University have developed a manufacturing technology of coal pellets for the benefit of a customer from Kemerovo. The work of shift to industrial manufacturing is in progress. The technology is planned to be introduced.

The feature of the technology lies in the ratio of additive binders in the form of bran and coal dust. The development received a patent for invention, the results are confirmed by an independent laboratory and certified. The main feature of the obtained pellets is high physical strength that allows shipping them for long distances.

“European countries are refusing a coal-fired power industry, the same process is beginning in Russia too, however, not so rapid. Due to these factors, the price is declining and there is a need to manufacture products and not to sell raw material. Pellets are very convenient for domestic and automatic boilers in this respect,” Roman Tabakaev, Research Fellow of the TPU Butakov Research Center, says.

The main task of the researchers lay in obtaining solid pellets resistant to failure during shipping, at the same time, an additive binder would not afflict environmental damage during combustion and would not considerably increase the cost of a finished product. The pellets are manufactured by a briquetting plant. Capacity is 1 t per hour. Scientists are currently adjusting the technology for industrial manufacturing. The major challenge lies in a complete shift of laboratory to industrial conditions with the preservation of capacity and volumes.

“We adjust our technology to already existing plants. As a result, we could preserve the volumes in the manufacturing, however, one more stage was added — deliquefaction of a finished product. The pellets are simultaneously heated and moulded in laboratory conditions. The process takes 5 minutes per 1 pellet on average. The processing time reduces in the industrial conditions and the finished product has not enough time to dry.

We managed to find such a manufacturing algorithm, applying that the processing time does not increase and the volume remains the same. According to the preliminary calculations, the capacity of an industrial plant might be 10 t per hour,” Roman Tabakaev explains.

The scientists passed the obtained results to the customer, who will select equipment and design a manufacturing line.

Large-scale environmental disasters, both caused by manufacturing enterprises and brought by natural calamities, happen each year. Such incidents take place in Russia, too. What can be done to prevent them, though? This is what Svetlana Lemanova, St. Petersburg Mining University’s graduate, is working on. 

Svetlana, now heading the Department of Environmental Protection at Polymetal Group, notes that in Russia, ecology-related matters had not interested the authorities and public for long. Universities had not offered specialised programmes; organisations had neither established corresponding departments nor offered respective positions. 

“When I entered Mining University (then St. Petersburg Mining Institute) in 1997, I chose the Mining Environmental Studies programme taught at the Faculty of Mining Engineering. I did not quite understand what I would do once I graduate; it was a new study field, opened only a year before. I guess no one knew then how relevant the speciality would become. Twenty years ago, at least in Russia, environmental responsibility was something only rare activists would care for. Nowadays, it is a global issue of concern for everyone – from schoolchildren to Hollywood celebrities and international corporations. At school, children are taught the rules of waste sorting and told about energy-saving technologies. Ecological surveys are as much in demand as geodetic ones,” says Svetlana.

According to her, no university had advanced field-specific laboratories at the time, not even the Mining Institute until opening its first one in the early 00s. Therefore the main focus of studies was on field trips and activities. Teachers gave lectures and then went on with their students to quarries, mine sites, sewage works. Therein they were provided with in-depth explanations of potential environmental impacts and told what could trigger them.

New environmental policies, new mentality are being shaped now. To be an environmental engineer has become unprecedentedly prestigious, and there is a catch in it. The topic is so much spoken about that people with neither knowledge of nor experience in it start discussing environmental issues. Ecology is used as a tool for political and economic leverage on the global stage.

“Climate campaigners demand humanity completely abandon oil & gas extraction. But what would happen if we shut down all factories, mines, and power plants? How can we ensure our development? Who will supply us with water, what will we eat, and how will we keep ourselves warm?” asks Mining University’s graduate.

There are still places where giving up on nuclear energy, coal, or diesel fuel is impossible. 

“For instance, we have facilities in the Far East, and we are building solar plants there. Yet, they can’t generate as much energy as is required. Their capabilities are limited,” explains Polymetal’s environmental expert.

Svetlana earned a Specialist’s degree at the first higher technical university in Russia, continuing with PhD studies. After graduating, she was offered the position of an environmental engineer at Polymetal. The company was commissioning a new facility back then – the Khakanjinskoye gold-silver deposit in Okhotsky District.

“When I started working, we had no ecology department; hence, I was admitted to the technical engineering department. But now, each of our mine sites and each of our regional branches has its own environmental department. And in St. Petersburg, we have the Department of Environmental Protection, which I headed in 2015 and have been working at ever since. I am functionally responsible for the operational activities of our facilities in terms of their environmental impact. I am also in charge of the work done by all of the company’s ecologists,” says Svetlana.

Mining companies are starting to pay more attention to the quality of specialists they hire. I am inclined to choose graduates of Mining University. Unlike graduates of other universities, mostly studying urban ecology, they receive a field-oriented education. They are familiar with work processes. They know what corporate economics is and are aware of the market situation,” sums up Svetlana.

As Malaysia continues to control the spread of Covid-19 cases, UiTM Perlis Branch earned pride and wowed the nation by setting the Malaysian Book of Records as the most number of handmade face shields produced over the course of 24 hours.

The two-day event “Face shield for Front liners 2.0” began on 27^th November 2020 at Dewan Cengal, UiTM Perlis Branch. This community-driven project was organized by Division of Research, Industry, Community, Alumni and Entrepreneurship (RICAEN), UiTM Perlis Branch, Students Representative Council and College Representative Council.

Over 12,000 face shields were made by a proactive team consisting of 354 volunteers including 143 staffs and 211 students of UiTM Perlis Branch. This effort was made possible with donations worth RM 11,000 raised from UiTM Perlis Branch employees and many helping hands such as Islamic Religious Council and Perlis Malay Custom Council (MAIPs), Malaysian Surveyors Association, Ancom Corp. Care Sdn. Bhd, Geomatics Alumni Association of UiTM Perlis Branch, Semenza Alumni Association, Alumni Association of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Skudai, Academic Staff Club (KKA) UiTM Perlis Branch, and Badan Integrasi Anak-anak Kelantan Perlis (BIAAK).

This event also receives co-operation from the Malaysian Air Force (Air Operations Command) and Malaysian Navy (30^th Bridged Infantry) whom were responsible to distribute the face shields to the Health Department of Sabah. This endeavor highlights the corporate social responsibility for the welfare of the health personnel and front liners.

The Rector of UiTM Perlis Branch, Prof. Dr. Hj Khudzir Bin Hj Ismail in his speech, said that this community program is in line UiTM’s concern for the front liners whom are battling the pandemic.

“We never intended to break the record, however, we are extremely proud with the achievements and are delighted to serve more to our community,” he added.

The rector addressed his special token of appreciation to Sr. Gs. Dr. Fazly Amri Mohd, the Coordinator of Industry, Community, Alumni and Network (ICAN), UiTM Perlis branch, who led the project and to all UiTM Perlis staffs and students, for their moral support and contributions towards the front liners.

He believes UiTM Perlis branch will organize more community-driven projects in the future that benefits the front liners and health personnel.

“Ozone Sterilizer” has been created by a team of student and professors of Thammasat School of Engineering (TSE). This innovation is another alternative way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The innovation is a collaborative work of Mr Sorawit Likhitpruekpisan and Mr Itthikorn Prakaisak, who are both 3rd-year students at the Mechanical Engineering Department. Asst.Prof.Dr. Pradya Prempaneerach from Mechanical Engineering Department is the project’s advisor.

Ozone Sterilizer can inactivate Coronavirus 2019 and bacteria by sterilizing these in a sealed room. Ozone gas will be produced from Corona Discharge until it has enough concentration for sterilization.

The sterilizer machine is equipped with a blower fan to circulate the produced Ozone across the sealed room, including hidden spots, such as under the table, small corner, or blind spot.

After ozone sterilization for a specified period of time, the machine will stop autonomically and ozone gas will naturally dissipate in 50-60 minutes at room temperature. However, it is recommended to open the room for air circulation for at least 30 minutes before entering the room safely.

To utilize Ozone Sterilizer, the users have to choose wind speed on the machine which has 3 levels: low, medium, and high, respectively to obtain the desired air strength to be dispersed for each size of the room. After that, turn on the switch next to wind speed to set the countdown timer and the machine will produce ozone. After the countdown timer is on, we then turn on the middle switch button on the machine to start the countdown timer before Ozone Sterilizer starting to produce ozone gas for 50 minutes.

It takes 4-5 months to produce 6 Ozone Sterilizers. The process includes the study from national and international reliable sources. We built 2 versions of Ozone Sterilizers with different fans. We explored the production of ozone gas in different room sizes. We determined the amount of produced ozone gas and the distance that ozone can travel in each location effectively to produce the prototype of 6 Ozone Sterilizers (third version).

According to the study from national and international source and various types of experiment, the average amount of ozone gas used in inactivating the virus is 0.5-1.5 ppm for more than 4 minutes.

From the experiment that Ozone Sterilizer was on for 50 minutes, the average Ozone concentration that can be measured in the sealed classroom was 0.75 – 1.4 ppm depending on the location and size of the classroom. It means that the value was within the standard that can potentially kill the virus. Therefore, the innovation assures us of its effectiveness.

In the future, virus and bacteria inactivation experiment will be conducted in collaboration with the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, in order to get more reliable sterilization proof.

There will definitely be further development of this Ozone Sterilizer as it can inactivate the virus and other bacteria accumulated in the classroom. More functions will be added to Ozone Sterilizer such as filtration of small dust particle and bad odour in the air. Moreover, work will be done to add a function that can get rid of Ozone gas after sterilization in order to be to make it possible to use the classroom or meeting room earlier than 60 minutes.

The 2nd International Conference on Cyber-Physical Systems and Control (CPS&C’2021) will be held on June 29 – July 2, 2021, by the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) together with its strategic partners.

The Conference is planned to be held both in online virtual and in-person modes and the participants will be able to choose their preference at the point of registration. The working language of the conference is English.

CPS&C’2021 is co-organized by SPbPU strategic partners from Great Britain and Germany: City, University of London, and Leibniz University Hannover. The conference will bring together university professors, scientists, graduate and undergraduate students, managers, and specialists of enterprises working in the field of cyber-physical systems and related disciplines.

“The International Conference on Cyber-Physical Systems and Control is a unique event that brings together researchers and practitioners from all over the world and contributes to establishing new and strengthening existing partnerships in relevant and in-demand areas,” said Professor Dmitry ARSENIEV, Vice Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU.

Authors are invited to submit papers under the three main thematic areas (theoretical fundamentals, technologies and applications of CPS and Control), including but not limited to the following topics: Control Theory, System Analysis, Paradigms, Models and Architectures, Methods and Algorithms, Components and Structures, Knowledge Base and Knowledge Management, Engineering, Industrial Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Neural Network Modeling, Cognitive Systems, Real-Time Systems, Safety and Security Systems, Smart Manufacturing, Mechatronics and Robotics, Human-Digital Interfaces, Networking and Telecommunications, Metrology of CPS, Transport and Logistics, Energy and Smart Grid.

The CPS&C’2021 Conference will include keynote and plenary talks, sessions, and discussions. All accepted full papers will be published in a Scopus-indexed book of Conference Proceedings.

Chulalongkorn University‘s Department of Pharmaceutical Science, in collaboration with leading an Austrian institute, came up with a special intensive longan extract formula (P80) for throat and nasal spray that can reduce the number of viruses that attach to the mucous membranes that may enter the body. Helps safely prevent all kinds of viral infections including the COVID-19 virus, with no side effects.

Prof. Dr. Pornanong Aramwit, who developed this herbal nasal and throat spray from longan extract with a special treatment to prevent COVID-19 infection enumerated the reasons for her interest in using longan extract to develop such herbal formulas.  Since longan is an edible fruit, it is very safe.  And traditional medicine textbooks state that longan does have the capacity to kill the virus. Therefore, we pinpointed the study on longan extract and it was found to reduce viral adhesion and is effective against almost all types of viruses that we tested, including flu and herpes viruses.

For the research process, Prof. Dr. Pornanong explained that it started with choosing longan extract that has high active ingredients of polyphenols, derived by low-temperature process under high pressure, and filtered several times until a concentrated extract was obtained.

It was then formulated for nasal and throat spray at optimum viscosity and surface tension so that when sprayed into the nasal cavity and throat, it won’t cause irritation. More importantly, the spray particles must be just right and able to reach the targeted spots.

For example, nasal spray droplets should be enough to coat the nasal cavity but not too small that they enter the lungs, while throat spray should reach the Larynx without sticking to the lips, tongue, or teeth.  Once satisfied, the sprays are put on a clinical trial to test their effectiveness in real patients.

Prof. Dr. Pornanong added that only a small amount of longan extract is needed, and can be used for both throat and nasal passages twice a day, morning and evening. The extract works immediately by physically preventing the virus from adhering to the epithelium, and bioactive blocking the inflammatory chemical mediators.

People who travel to high-risk areas such as crowded places, can use the nasal or throat spray before entering the areas and then wear a mask.

“We have been doing this research for about a year and a half even before the COVID-19 outbreak, by testing with other viruses.  When COVID-19 came about, we started testing with it.  Currently, we are in the clinical trial process on 62 volunteers, in collaboration with Vibharam Chaiprakarn Hospital.  The product is expected to be in the market in the next three months”, Prof. Dr. Pornanong concluded.

As a maritime country, the outcomes of Indonesia’s marine products have not been optimally utilized. Therefore, ITS students from the Department of System and Industrial Engineering, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Alfiyan Rizki Maulidan, Fakhri Ihsan Nalendro, and Hanif Srisubaga Alim, have developed a floating net cage with a feeder system called e-Keramba.

This invention has various high-technology features. The main feature is the feeder system that will automatically feed the fish. This invention is equipped with an Arduino Mega chip to manage the Feeder system, utilize Global Positioning System (GPS), and the engine movement. This invention also has a remote control so that the fisherman can operate the device from a certain distance.

With e-Keramba, Alfiyan and the team took home a gold medal at the ASEAN Innovative and Entrepreneur Fair (AISEEF) 2021. They hope this innovation will improve Indonesian fishermen’s productivity.

Aleksey Kuznetsov, a postgraduate student of the TPU School of Nuclear Science and Engineering and University Burgundy Franche-Comté (France) is conducting fundamental research on spectral characteristics of molecules.

The research findings will be included in the HITRAN molecular spectroscopic database and will help to solve problems of physical and chemical research of planetary atmospheres of the Solar System.

The research work of Aleksey Kuznetsov “Theoretical Research of Spherical Top Spectra Based on Irreducible Tensor Operators” is fundamental research. Professors Olga Gromova from Tomsk Polytechnic University, Claude Leroy and Vincent Boudon from University Burgundy Franche-Comté are leading the research supervision.

Nowadays, high-resolution vibration-rotational spectra give the most complete and reliable information on the nature of intramolecular interactions, states and fundamental properties of molecules.

The development of modern technology of spectroscopy helps to obtain high-accuracy data on parameters of spectral lines and research fine- and hyperfine-structure effects in molecules. These data allow studying the processes and problems interesting for planetary science, astrophysics and atmospheric optics.

“One of the current problems of molecular spectroscopy is the research of vibration-rotational lines and obtaining molecular parameters. From the applied point of view, it is important for obtaining quantitative characteristics of molecule medium: temperature, pressure, concentration and others,” Aleksey Kuznetsov explains.

To study the processes occurring in molecules and their ambient, Aleksey Kuznetsov is researching spectral characteristics and molecular parameters, such as line positions, intensity and half-width. The result will be obtaining physical information on high-resolution spectra of spherical symmetry molecules.

In 2020, Aleksey’s research work “Research on High-Resolution Spectra GeH4 and SiH4: Energy Structure, Intensities and Half-Widths of Vibration-Rotational Lines” was supported by the grant of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research. The project is devoted to quantum-mechanical research of molecules with tetrahedral symmetry: SiH4 and GeH4.

“We are planning to conduct a global analysis of vibration-rotational spectra of GeH4, SiH4, SiD4 and their isotopes. We emphasize our research on studying intensities and half-widths of spectral lines as this information is noteworthy to solve numerous tasks of research the atmosphere of Earth, physical and chemical research of planetary atmospheres of the Solar System and exoplanets, the Interstellar medium and other fields of science,”  the TPU scientist says.

The research findings will be sent to the HITRAN molecular spectroscopic database and allow in the long run conducting astrophysical research.

President University (PresUniv) collaborates with the Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Culture, six national universities and three foreign universities to form a consortium of Indonesia Higher Education Leader (iHiLead) to support the implementation of the Merdeka Belajar-Kampus Merdeka program (MBKM) which is “Independent Campus, Freedom to Learn” program.

The iHiLead Kick Off Meeting was held virtually attended by Prof. Ir. Nizam. M.Sc., DIC., Ph.D., Director General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Culture, HE Vincent Piket, MA, PhD, Ambassador of the European Union to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, and David Dawson. PhD, FCIPD., SHEA., Director of Master of Arts Higher Education Leadership and Management from the University of Gloucestershire (UoG), United Kingdom, who is also the project leader.

The iHiLead consortium aims to improve the quality of higher education in Indonesia through leadership reforms in higher education. Through this reform, it is hoped that university graduates will be increasingly able to answer the needs of the Business and Industrial.

Prof. Nizam explained that the Ministry of Education and Culture has created an MBKM program to improve the quality of higher education in accordance with industry needs. In order to make this program a success, it is necessary to increase leadership capacity in Indonesian universities.

“Leadership transformation is very important. Especially at this time where change is happening dynamically. For that, leaders are required to always learn, be creative and adapt to change,” said Prof. Nizam. He highly appreciated the iHiLead consortium which focuses on leadership transformation.

Dawson in his report explained that this project aims to help higher education leaders to find out their skills and how to develop their skills. He explained the leaders here include the rector, vice-rector, deans and heads of study programs, other academic leaders, senior management, including leaders in non-academic fields.

Meanwhile, Piket appreciates the collaboration between universities and the government. He also emphasized, “Higher education must be able to solve the needs of the community. The success of higher education depends on how they can listen to the community.”