UTAR staff wins Best Paper Award at CENVIRON 2024

From second right: Dr Yip receiving the certificate

UTAR is proud to announce that Ir Ts Dr Yip Chun Chieh from the Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) has been awarded the Best Paper Award at the 7th International Conference on Civil, Environmental, and Waste Management (CENVIRON 2024), held from 2 to 3 September 2024 in Penang.

Dr Yip’s award-winning paper, titled Correlation of Sustainable Material in Pozzolanic Composite Fly Ash Concrete, explored the use of waste materials, including Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and Metakaolin fly ash, in concrete mixes to reduce plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. His research, which combined these sustainable materials, presented a promising solution for eco-friendly construction practices, enhancing concrete strength while lowering environmental impact​​.

The study identified the optimal mix of PET-10 + MK-7.5, which achieved a 27% increase in compressive strength, making it both sustainable and practical for construction applications. Dr Yip stated that the cost of doing nothing to restore the environment will far exceed the cost of cutting emissions. “Love the Earth so that future generations can still live on it to highlight the urgency of addressing climate change and the long-term costs of inaction,” he said.

This research supports the global call for innovative materials in construction that are both environmentally responsible and structurally robust​.

Dr Yip’s certificate

About CENVIRON 2024

CENVIRON 2024, themed Environmental Innovation: Shaping a Cleaner Tomorrow, aimed to address the diverse interests of professionals worldwide in civil and environmental engineering. This year’s conference focused on key themes that underscored the importance of innovation, promoting research that aligned technology with sustainability to improve societal well-being. In line with the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), CENVIRON 2024 emphasised the urgent need for collective action to advance sustainable development while preserving the earth.