The Indonesia Chemical Engineering Challenge (IChEC) is a chemical engineering competition in Southeast Asia held by the Chemical Engineering Student Association ITB (HIMATEK-ITB) in collaboration with the Chemical Engineering Study Program at ITB. At this year’s IChEC, the 2019 IChEC, marked the 20th IChEC implementation previously known as the National Factory Design Competition (LRPTN). The theme raised at IChEC 2019 is “BIOFUTURE: Be Involved in Our Findings Upon The Untouched Potential of Bioresources”. This theme was raised because of the large potential of plant resources in Indonesia which are still not well utilized, especially in the fulfillment of domestic energy and chemical products.

IChEC 2019 consists of two main events, namely competitions and seminars. In the IChEC 2019 competition there were more than 200 participants spread into five categories, namely: plant design, problem solving, essays, posters and videos. Plant design, problem solving, and essay contests are present at the IChEC 2019 Grand Final while posters and videos only consist of one selection stage. At this year’s IChEC ITB won all competitions. In the plant design competition ITB won 1st place on behalf of Haditya Kukuh Purwanto (13016057), Farhan Hadi Taskaya (13016070), and Safikri Aji Pratama (13016083). Then in the ITB problem solving competition won the second position on behalf of Qusairi Wardana Harahap (13016073) and Muhammad Raihan Sirhindi (13016003). Then, in the eyes of the ITB essay contest won 1st and 2nd place in the name of Ivant septiawarman (13016028) and Putri Bunga Addini (13016107). Furthermore, in the ITB poster competition won the 3rd place on behalf of Aulia Salsyabil (13016027) and Habibah Triannisa (13016102). And in the eyes of the ITB video contest won 3rd place on behalf of Zoealya Nabilla Zafra (13016095), Vincent Augusta Primayudha (13017033), and Odara Eka Aptari (13017102) and People’s Choice on behalf of Reyhan Fitri Ananda (13016215), Habibah Triannisa (13016102), and Odara Eka Aptari (13017102) and People’s Choice on behalf of Reyhan Fitri Ananda (13016215), Habibah Triannisa (13016102), Arief Rachman Widyanto (15117059).

At the seminar session, the topic raised was “The Development of Bioresources for Indonesia’s Sovereignity and Prosperity”. The seminar was filled by speakers from government and industry practitioners of vegetable processing for chemical and energy products. Speakers from the government came from BAPPENAS, namely Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti who is an Expert Staff on Economic Synergy and Funding. In this session the subtopic raised was regarding “Indonesia’s Plan for Increasing Utilization of Vegetable Raw Materials”. The industrial practitioner in processing vegetable materials into chemical products is Mr. Abun Lie, who is the Manager of Technical Research and Development Services at PT Ecogreen Oleochemicals. He filled the second session of the seminar with the subtopic, “Utilization of Vegetable Raw Materials in the Oleochemical Industry”. And the 3rd session of the seminar was filled by Mr. Andianto Hidayat who was Vice President of Commercial Planning, Pertamina Research and Technology Center and Mr. Bayu Prabowo who was Pertamina’s Renewable Energy Expert. Both of these speakers filled in a subtopic on “Utilization of Vegetable Raw Materials into Biofuels”. The IChEC Seminar was held on Saturday, October 26, 2019 in the 3rd floor CRCS Building Multipurpose Hall. The 2019 IChEC event was closed with a Gala dinner and announcement of the winners at the Harris Hotel Ballroom on the same day as the seminar.