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Thursina International Islamic Boarding School (IIBS) has once more made achievements in the international level for joining in the Global Competition for Life Sciences (GLOCOLIS), organized by Indonesian Young Scientist Association (IYSA) 2024. The team consists of five talented female students from class 11 of Sciencepreneurs, namely Aqila Nayyara Setiawati, Airinia Adhitya Puteri, Arsy Haffaf Amara, Nasywa Nafisatunnisaa Hidayat, and Talitha Syafa Kamila. They encourage innovation in the field of renewable energy with the project of "BioBank: Harnessing the Hidden Energy of Coffee Grounds and Banana Peels Musa Acuminata through Bioethanol Innovation."

The project is driven by the need for alternative energy sources which is more environmentally friendly and the urge to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. It uses organic waste which is almost produced every day, banana peels and coffee grounds, as raw materials for processing bioethanol. The innovation is considered an effective solution for reducing organic waste while providing a new sustainable energy resource. "This initiative is in line with the vision of a circular economy, where garbage is converted into an energy source. The program is beneficial for society and helps reduce the carbon footprint," explained Ustadzah Narendra Ichiputra Hariyanto, S.Sc., S.Pd., M.Biomed., as a supervisor for the project and Biology teacher in Thursina IIBS.

The execution of the plan was barely easy. One of the challenges was finding an institution to do laboratory tests on the bioethanol. Following the hard work, finally, they established a partnership with Malang State Polytechnic laboratory (Polinema) to test the quality of bioethanol. "The school greatly supports by allowing to produce bioethanol in the school laboratory, while the parents assist morally and financially," he added.

The team expects the bioethanol produced has great potential as sustainable and qualified alternative fuel. The idea will transform organic waste and reduce subordination to Fossil fuels. "We hope the results are able to progress further. Following the event, they would focus on improving bioethanol production process, increase efficiency, and collaborate with related parties to expand the scale of  its application," said Ustadzah Narendra.

"Besides, the team plans to seek policy support and infrastructure investment for this renewable fuel to be adopted widely in Indonesia. They are committed to fight for green energy which is more earth-concious in order to achieve more sustainable future," concluded Ustadzah Narendra hopefully. The participation of Thursina IIBS in GLOCOLIS IYSA 2024 has proved dedication to create scientific, useful, as well as  impactful innovation on society at large. (rnw)