Revolutions in Chemical Engineering through the Development of Materials Science and Product Design for Sustainable Energy and Future Applications

Materials science is an interdisciplinary engineering and science area covering the nature of materials and their applications in various fields of science, chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology, engineering, applied physics, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil, and electricity. Its main focus is to explore the key relation between the structure, properties and application of matter. Therefore, it is one of the broadest and most active areas in chemical engineering, involving the discovery, evaluation and manipulation of useful material properties of different substances.

To date, materials science has been expanding the array of materials that have unique characteristics and are useful for the development and fabrication of desirable, imaginative, and revolutionary new products.  Related research has been contributing to great progress towards a sustainable future based on clean energy generation, through the development of ethanol production using syngas fermentation, transmission and distribution, the storage of electrical and chemical energy, energy efficiency, and better energy management systems. These advances aim to fulfill the widescale growing demand for energy in both developed and developing countries. Clean energy policy is also associated with the concerns about the detrimental effects of fossil fuels on the environment. Such environmental concerns have been at the forefront of limiting technological advances in various industrial sectors, prompting the intensive utilization of membrane filters, sensors and catalysts. In addition to the climate change associated with gas emissions from automobiles and factories, access to clean water, consumption of raw materials in the refining and separation processes of fossil fuels, and waste management have become important environmental issues, which scientists and engineers are actively trying to solve for present-day and future life. Innovative biocompatible materials, for instance, have improved the quality of life and lengthened people’s life spans. Chemical engineers have been at the forefront of these advances, creating applicable materials in the fields of biochemistry, thermodynamics and supercritical, nanomaterials and nanotechnology, chemical engineering management, separation and purification, renewable energy, water and waste treatment, food technology and pharmaceuticals, catalysts, chemical reactions, and engineering process systems.

To address the abovementioned issues, the 1^st International Symposium of Indonesian Chemical Engineering 2018 (ISIChem), with the main theme of “Chemical Engineering,” was held from October 4–6, 2018, at Kyriad Bumiminang Hotel, Padang, Sumatra Barat, Indonesia. The symposium, which was organized by Asosiasi Pendidikan Tinggi Teknik Kimia Indonesia (APTEKIM), facilitated researchers, academics and industry practitioners to present and discuss their research in scientific forums in the field of chemical engineering and to share their  knowledge. In the symposium, twenty papers from various countries across the globe, including Japan, Libya, Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia, were presented.  This Insight discusses the latest advances in materials science, which may boost the transition to a more sustainable environment and energy systems.

In this issue of the International Journal of Technology, we provide coverage of the 1st International Symposium of Indonesian Chemical Engineering 2018 (ISIChem). At the symposium, the participants updated the current trends in new materials and approaches to the reuse of energy and waste, providing a space for discussion focusing on the methodology, technology, and empirical work of tropical renewable energy. Publishing information on the conference via traditional printed media, however, takes time and, for several reasons, the discussion presented might remain unknown to a wider audience. In this current special issue of the International Journal of Technology, we would therefore like to present the discussions in the form of research papers, thereby making them available to a wider readership. We are pleased to present 20 papers and, through the availability of the published materials, enrich and extend the ISIChem symposium reports.