Plastic waste has become one of the most threatening environmental pollutants. It not only contaminates ecosystems but is also challenging to decompose, and its microplastic residues can harm human health. In response, a team of students from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has developed Stivalution, an eco-friendly industrial bio-pellet fuel made from Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) plastic waste and rice husks through the Student Creativity Program for Entrepreneurship (PKM-K).
The team consists of Gayuh Dewi Mahesa (Agricultural Industrial Technology, 2023) as team leader, along with Ikhsan Setiawan (Agricultural Industrial Technology, 2023), Octavia Riezqi Yusandra (Plant Protection, 2023), Vanky Agrinda Tama (Mechanical Engineering, 2024), and Muchammad Zakky Pratama (Public Policy and Management, 2024), under the supervision of Dr. Novita Erma Kristanti, from the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FTP UGM).
Gayuh Dewi Mahesa explained that using plastic waste and rice husks as raw materials aims to reduce the growing volume of plastic waste in Indonesia, particularly in the Yogyakarta Special Region, and to better utilize underutilized rice husks.
“We use LDPE plastic waste, such as plastic bags and discarded rice husks, to create eco-friendly fuel with added economic value,” said Mahesa on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025.
Another team member, Octavia Riezqi Yusandra, added that LDPE plastic waste has a high calorific value and produces a stable flame, while rice husks contain lignin compounds that burn with minimal smoke and have an energy value of approximately 3,000 kcal/kg.
“This encouraged us to combine the two materials to produce an alternative fuel source,” explained Yusandra.
Stivalution targets small and medium-sized industries, such as Bakpia Pathok producers, cracker-frying businesses, catering services, and brick makers.
The team hopes this innovation will become a sustainable solution to reduce plastic and rice husk waste in Indonesia while addressing the depletion of non-renewable fuels, such as coal, in the future.
Currently, Stivalution is available for purchase on e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Tokopedia, and Lazada, enabling customers across Indonesia to access the product. Buyers can find it by searching for the store name “stivalution.”
Author: Lintang Andwyna
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Photographs: Stivalution Team