JOHOR BAHRU, Nov 1 – Following the success of its debut in 2024, ChemE Cube UTM 2025 made a remarkable return as one of the main highlights of ChemE Day FKT 2025, hosted by The Institution of Chemical Engineers Student Chapter (IChemE UTM SC), Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering (FKT) at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). The program was spearheaded by Program Director, Nur Idlan Abdul Razak under the advisory of Dr. Amnani Shamjuddin.

Recognized as a national-level competition, this year’s ChemE Cube carried the theme “Advancing Water Purification through Innovation,” challenging participants to design a fully functional water purification system within a one cubic foot (1 ft³) prototype. The initiative aimed to promote sustainable solutions and inspire future chemical engineers to develop creative technologies that address real-world environmental challenges. The competition successfully attracted 13 participating teams, including nine teams from UTM, two teams from Taylor’s University, one team from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), and one team from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam. Each team presented its cube design and conducted on-site water analysis demonstrations, showcasing both innovation and practical functionality.

ChemE Cube UTM 2025 was recognized as a Top Bidder Program under the Student Activity and Development Division (BAPP), Department of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni) (JTNCHEPA), UTM with a grant allocation of RM2,000. The event also received external sponsorship from Artisan Capital Sdn. Bhd. (RM4,000) and Saquosen Engineering Sdn. Bhd., which provided technical support and water treatment analysis. A distinguished panel of nine academic and industrial judges evaluated the competition. Industry representatives came from Pacific Oils and Fats Sdn. Bhd., Saquosen Engineering Sdn. Bhd., Kurita Water (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Bunge Loders Croklaan Oils Sdn. Bhd., and Petronas Carigali Sdn. Bhd., alongside academic experts from UiTM and UTM.

The Panel of Judges for ChemE Cube UTM 2025 included both industrial and academic experts. Representing the industry were, Murrali Raj Jeyagapal from Bunge Loders Croklaan Oils, Mohd Idris Shukri Embong from Petronas Carigali, Kishen Kumar Ganesan from Pacific Oils and Fats, Wan Nur Izzah Syahirah Wan Anuar and Muhamad Fadzli Abdull Hadi from Saquosen Engineering, and Ton Rohisham Ton Manan, Yusri Abdul Hamid and Luqman Hakim Nordin from Kurita Water (Malaysia).

The academic panel comprised Ts. Dr. Mohamad Abdullah from UiTM Cawangan Pasir Gudang, and Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Muhammad Arif Ab Aziz from UTM.

One of the industry judges who is currently working as Production & Process Engineer at Pacific Oils & Fats Industries and also UTM alumni, Kishenkumar Ganesan, expressed his appreciation for being part of the judging panel. His words reflect the strong collaborative spirit and positive engagement between academia and industry that ChemE Cube aims to uphold.

“Thank you so much for inviting me to be one of the prototype juries for ChemE Cube UTM 2025. It was a great experience, and I really enjoyed listening to the students’ innovative ideas. I truly appreciate the opportunity. It’s always a pleasure to come back to UTM and be part of the session” – Kishenkumar, Production & Process Engineer at Pacific Oils & Fats Industries Sdn. Bhd.

The prize ceremony was accomplished by Assoc. Prof. Ir. Ts. Dr. Nor Hasrul Akhmal Ngadiman, Director of Student Activity Development, BAPP, who served as the Closing Ceremony Officiator for ChemE Day FKT 2025. He was accompanied by Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Muhammad Arif Ab Aziz, newly appointed as the Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, FKT, UTM.

The winners of ChemE Cube 2025 in the Prototype category were led by WAH Technology from UTM, supervised by Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Norzita Ngadi, who took home the champion title as well as the Most People’s Choice Award. The 1st runner-up was HydroHackers (UTM), supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sani Amril Samsudin, followed by Nero (UTM), supervised by Prof. Ts. Dr. Zainura Zainon Noor, as the 2nd runner up.

In the Poster category, HydroFlare from Taylor’s University, supervised by Dr. Ho Kah Chin, claimed the champion position. The 1st runner-up was Clear Aqua Pioneers (UTM), under the supervision of Dr. Nur Hafizah Ab Hamid, Dr. Amnani Shamjuddin, Dr. Mohd Asmadi Mohammed Yussuf, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Umi Aisah Asli, Dr. Mahadhir Mohamed, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hajar Alias. The 2nd runner-up was HydroHackers (UTM), supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sani Amril Samsudin, who also earned the Most People’s Choice Award for the Poster Category.

Under the leadership of Program Director Nur Idlan Abdul Razak, ChemE Cube 2025 achieved another milestone by fostering collaboration between academia and industry while encouraging participants to think beyond the boundaries of conventional engineering.

“Cube is more than just a competition — it’s a platform for young engineers to test ideas, fail fast, learn, and ultimately create meaningful impact. We are proud to see students not only demonstrating technical excellence but also applying sustainability principles to real-world challenges. This is what future-ready engineering looks like,” said Nur Idlan Abdul Razak, Program Director of ChemE Cube 2025.

By integrating sustainability principles, technical creativity, and experiential learning, ChemE Cube continues to serve as a flagship program that empowers the next generation of engineers to design impactful solutions aligned with global water and environmental sustainability goals. Participants expressed that the event provided a valuable hands-on platform to merge theoretical learning with real-world problem-solving.

“Building the cube pushed us to think creatively under real constraints — one cubic foot sounds small, but it taught us how to engineer efficiently. The best part was testing it live and seeing our concept work as planned,” said Afiq Hakim, leader of WAH Technology (UTM), the champion team for the Prototype Category.

“Working with peers from different universities made the competition even more exciting. We learned so much from each other’s designs and approaches,” shared Elaine Tan, team member of HydroFlare (Taylor’s University), the Poster Category champion.

ChemE Cube UTM 2025 successfully fulfilled its objective of nurturing innovative and sustainable engineering practices among future chemical engineers. By challenging students to design compact, functional water purification systems, the competition strengthened their technical competencies, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork skills—core attributes of high-quality Graduate Engineers. Beyond technical innovation, ChemE Cube also exemplified Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) practices by embedding sustainability, ethical responsibility, and real-world awareness into its learning and assessment framework. Through this initiative, participants not only gained hands-on engineering experience but also developed a deep understanding of how sustainable engineering solutions can drive meaningful impact for society and the environment.

By Beh Jien Chern, Nur Idlan Abdul Razak and Dr. Amnani Shamjuddin