Two teams from UTAR Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering & Science (LKC FES) received gold medals, certificates and special awards at the 33rd International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX) 2022 held on 26 and 27 May 2022 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia.

The first team consisted of LKC FES academics Ts Dr Yew Ming Kun, LAr Ts Dr Beh Jing Han, Assoc Prof Ir Ts Dr Yew Ming Chian, Assoc Prof Ir Ts Dr Bernard Saw Lip Huat and Master of Engineering Science student Yong Zi Cong. They won a Gold Medal Award, a certificate and a Special Award— Japan Intellectual Property Association (JIPA) Award for the Best Invention in Green Technology under the Building and Construction category. Their project was titled “Eco Green Ultra-Lightweight Foam Floating Concrete”.

The second team consisted of LKC FES academics Ir Prof Dr Lim Yun Seng, Dr Hau Lee Cheun, Ir Dr Chua Kein Huat, Assoc Prof Ir Dr Wong Jianhui, and Dr Chong Lee Wai. They walked away with a Gold Medal Award, a certificate and a Special Award— World Invention Intellectual Property Associations (WIIPA) Award for Best Invention under the Environment and Energy category. Their project was titled “Minimal Forecasting Reliant Controller for Energy Storage Device to Mitigate Peak Demand”.

Ts Dr Yew said, “This novel “ECO GREEN ultra-lightweight foam floating concrete (ULWFFC)” comes from the usage of renewable oil palm shell (OPS) as a bio-based lightweight aggregate and recycled solid polyurethane foam (PUF) as a cavity filler. It can be used to solve the increasingly stringent requirements for environmentally-friendly products imposed by various developed countries. This invention has fulfilled the 3R: recycle, reusable and renewable and it complies with the RoHS. Thus, this invention can be used to benefit various industries.”

“The ITEX competition gives participants a platform to gain recognition for their inventions by competing against other international inventors for local and international awards. In addition, the ITEX competition also provides the platform to attract the right target group in the science and technology industry. ITEX competition is where the commercialisation of inventions/new products happens. The inventors can seek out potential investors here and convince them why funding their invention can benefit all the various industries. This invention has proved to be more cost-effective, eco-friendly, lighter, floatable, durable and sustainable and it can be produced locally. It’s wonderful to receive the Gold Medal Award recognition, and the international recognition Special Award— Japan Intellectual Property Association (JIPA) Award for The Best Invention in Green Technology. These awards and recognitions have played an important role in my career, offering positive impacts on my teaching, research, consultancy works and international collaborations. In addition, it opens up more opportunities for me to approach investors, venture capitalists, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, distributors and corporate sectors for the commercialisation of this IP invention,” enthused Ts Dr Yew.

Highlighting their winning entries and project “Minimal Forecasting Reliant Controller for Energy Storage Device to Mitigate Peak Demand”, the second team said, “An affordable and reliable electricity supply plays a vital role in economic growth. Promoting Renewable Energy (RE) is another essential aspect nowadays for environmental sustainability. However, the electricity tariffs constantly increase every year due to increased power generation and upgrades in power networks to cater to the growing maximum demands (MD). Therefore, a 400 kW/ 677 kWh ESS with the invention has been set up at UTAR Sungai Long Campus to reduce MD on the power grid, providing savings to C&I such as UTAR and power companies such as TNB. At a system cost of around RM650,000, our invention and the ESS can achieve an ROI between three to five years with savings and CO2 emission reduction of around RM209,000 and 16 tons per year respectively. The invention, thus, brings a positive impact to SDG 7 and SDG 13 in ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all and combating climate change and its effects.”

The team expressed their gratitude and mentioned that they are thankful to those who have contributed to the development of the invention. Furthermore, they are sincerely grateful to be able to receive the awards because it shows that the industry recognises the significance and value of their invention. The researchers also thanked UTAR and LKC FES for consistently supporting the team with the opportunity to materialise their research.”