Climate change has become a major global issue, with rising temperatures becoming increasingly significant each year, reaching 1.2 degrees Celsius. Firm commitment and targeted strategies are needed to reduce carbon production.
As part of the younger generation’s contribution to combating climate change, a team of UGM students has developed an innovative Carbon Capture technology from corncob waste.
The Zifacture team, participating in the Student Creativity Program–Exact Science Research (PKM-RE), successfully utilized a composite material of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 doped with activated carbon from corncob waste to adsorb CO2. The research was conducted through experimental studies and density functional theory (DFT).
The Zifacture team, supervised by Dr. Fajar Inggit Pambudi, a lecturer from UGM’s Department of Chemistry, comprises five students from various study programs.
The team is led by Agatha Novi Febriyanti (Chemistry, class of 2022), with members Ahmad Mahat Madani (Chemistry, 2022), Risma Khoirunnisa Supriadi (Chemistry, 2022), Reza Pramban Danu (Chemical Engineering, 2022), and Dave Alexander Natanael (Chemical Engineering, 2023).
Agatha Novi Febriyanti explained that Carbon Capture technology is designed to help trap carbon gases before they reach the atmosphere.
“We saw the potential of corncob waste, which is often overlooked. We combined it with ZIF-8 because research on metal-organic frameworks is currently trending in material synthesis,” Febriyanti said in an interview on Thursday (Aug. 22) at the UGM Campus.
Febriyanti added that the Zifacture team discovered the potential of corncob waste to become activated carbon, which can function as an adsorbent. However, the combination of corncob waste with ZIF-8 to produce carbon capture has not been explored.
According to the Zifacture team, this innovation has high potential due to the abundant availability of corncob waste.
“ZIF-8 has a zeolite-like topology with a high specific surface area, microporous structure, and good chemical and thermal stability,” she stated.
Ahmad Mahat Madani, another team member, mentioned that while adsorbent innovations have been developed in various products, such as zeolite, activated charcoal, tea waste, and peanuts, the use of ZIF-8 and corncob waste is considered more environmentally friendly because it requires less energy compared to other adsorbents.
“Its ability to absorb heat and its stable content also makes it more favorable,” Madani explained.
The research was not only conducted in the laboratory. The Zifacture team also applied computational input using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method. This step was undertaken to study the research at a molecular level.
“The research has been completed experimentally, and the computational analysis is in the final stages. We hope this research can contribute to future carbon capture technology development,” Reza Danu added.
Climate change is primarily driven by the excessive release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, generated by human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and industrial emissions.
CO2 absorbs radiation at infrared wavelengths, leading to increased atmospheric carbon and, consequently, higher temperatures trapped on Earth.
The Zifacture team’s findings represent a contribution from the younger generation to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in addressing climate change.
Author: Tasya
Editor: Gusti Grehenson