IEM Shout Out - One-day Course on Plastics for Automotive Applications (21st November 2012)

This is a shout out for IEM. The Chemical Engineering Technical Division will be organizing an 'One-day Course on Plastics for Automotive Applications' on the 21st November, 2012 (Wed.) at Wisma IEM, PJ. The session is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. (registration at 8.30 a.m.) and end around 5 p.m. Participant will be granted 6 CPD/ PDP hours at the end of the day.

This course is specially designed for people interested to gain knowledge on the plastics usage for automotive applications. This course will cover the basic theory of polymer properties and characterization as well as the processing technology. It is followed by exploring the plastic reinforcement technology and their competition in the automotive industry. In addition, environmental and safety requirement based on the customer demand of the automotive industry will be discussed. Finally, the examples of the use of plastics for specific components and systems will be covered.
At the end of the course, the participants will be able to:

• Analyse laboratory data to determine the performance of the plastic materials.
• Select plastic materials based on application requirements.
• Synthesis the reinforcement package for automotive application.
• Determine the safety specifications to fulfill the international standards.

Ir. Assoc. Prof. Dr Tee Tiam Ting is an associate professor in Chemical Engineering Department of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). He has more than 30 years of teaching and research experiences in the field of Plastics in the university. He was the former vice president of IEM and currently the fellow member of IEM. He still plays an active role as a committee member of Chemical Engineering Technical Division (CETD) of IEM. He graduated with PhD from McGill University, Canada and was working on developing an oscillatory rheometer in 1970s to measure the viscoelastic property of polymer melts. He had worked as plant manager in an international Injection Moulding company at Montreal, Canada. He is currently an active consultant for Commercial Polymers Sdn. Bhd. to develop crosslinked polyethylene for cable application. He also had served as technical adviser to Malaysian Plastics Manufacturing Association of Malaysia for many years. He plays an active role in designing the polymer engineering curriculum of UTAR for undergraduate program.

Engr. Dr Lee Tin Sin is an assistant professor in Chemical Engineering Department of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). He graduated from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) with First Class Honours in Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical-Polymer) and PhD in Polymer Engineering. He completed his PhD in two years’ time with 10 papers publications in international journals and book chapter about the characterization of biopolymer. His PhD research was focus on developing injection mouldable biodegradable cassava starch polymer compound which has won silver medal award in Malaysia Technology Expo 2010. Moreover, he has received IEM Young Engineers Award 2012. Previously, he worked as a R&D Process Engineer in Superlon Worldwide Sdn. Bhd. which is one of the largest nitrile insulation manufacturers in Malaysia. Currently, he plays active roles in designing the polymer engineering curriculum of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman for undergraduate program. Besides, he also serves as a committee member of the Chemical Engineering Technical Division (CETD) of IEM. In March 2012, the Young Engineer Award was conferred on him by the IEM Council in recognition of his outstanding works and achievements as an inspired young engineer.

Register & pay online by 18th November to secure your place! IEM members please log in for exclusive member rates.

IEM Chemical Engineering Design Competition 2012

Attention Chemical Engineering students!
How are your chemical engineering design skills? Enter our competition to find out! Aweeeeesome prizes await!

IEM Chemical Engineering Design Competition 2012

Design of a Biogas Plant — Production & Utilization

Organized by Chemical Engineering Technical Division (CETD)

Registration Closing Date: 22 June 2012

Registration Fee: RM200/ team (maximum 5 members per team, incl. 1 team leader)

BACKGROUND

The design competition is initiated by Chemical Engineering Technical Division (CETD) of the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM) with the objective of enhancing the design competency practically and methodologically. This competition is open to all chemical engineering students, particularly those in the senior years. It will provide an excellent opportunity for the students to meet and exchange ideas pertaining to the profession with practicing engineers. 

ELIGIBILITY

• All active Chemical Engineering Students at Diploma and Degree levels from Public and Private Institutions are eligible to participate in the competition.
• The participating team may comprise members from the same or different institutions.

DELIVERABLES
A. Progress Report I (to be submitted end of September 2012)

• Feasibility report
• Process flow diagram and equipment selection
• Overall mass and energy balances
• Demonstration of zero emission concept

B. Progress Report II (to be submitted end of November 2012)

• Equipment design
• Process and instrumentation diagram

C. Final Report (to be submitted end of January 2013)

• Proper definition of basis, criteria and limits of design, and economic performance
• The final report should be at most 100 pages long (not including appendices)

D. Presentation (February 2013)

Presentation of final design if and upon being shortlisted

* Details of deliverables are made available upon registration.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

• Feasibility report: 10%
• Process flow diagram and equipment selection: 15%
• Complete mass and energy balance: 15%
• Demonstration of zero emission concepts: 5%
• Equipment design: 15%
• Process and instrumentation diagram: 15%
• Proper definition of basis, criteria and limits of design, and economic performance: 15%
• Presentation: 10%

TOTAL 100%

PRIZES (with IEM CERTIFICATES)

1st Placing: RM3,000

2nd Placing: RM2,000

3rd Placing: RM1,000

Consolation Prize: RM500

TERMS & CONDITIONS

The design submitted shall be original and have not been previously submitted or published.

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Engr. Noor Zuraihan Mohamad Noor (P & G)

Ir. Assoc. Prof. Dr Thomas Choong Shean Yaw (UPM)

Ir. Prof. Dr Dominic Foo Chwan Yee (Nottingham)

Ir. Assoc. Prof. Dr Aziz Abdul Raman (UM)

Ir. Hj Tunai Shamsidi (Minconsult)

Ir. Juares Rizal bin Abdul Hamid (MECIP Global Engineers)

Ir. Mohamad Fadzil bin Adnan @ Nan (Petronas)

Ir. Razmahwata bin Mohamad Razalli (Synergy Oil & Gas Engineering)

Question?

Contact the secretariat, Ms. Kek Mei Tzy at 03 – 7968 4014 or meitzy@iem.org.my

Decided to join the 'battle'?

Act NOW! Download the brochure from IEM webpage here (take a look at our attractive poster too!) and fill up the registration form in it. Submit and make the payment of registration fee to us by 22 June 2012. We look forward to meeting you in the 'battle field' then!

IEM Shout Out – CETD 26th AGM

The Chemical Engineering Technical Division AGM will be held at 3rd Floor, TUS lecture room, Wisma IEM, 21 Jalan Selangor, Petaling Jaya.

It will be held at 11am on Saturday, 6th October 2012.

Flyers for the above and other events may be obtained here. A map to Wisma IEM is presented here.

IEM Shout Out - Talk on Green Energy Potential in the Palm Oil Industry

This is a shout out for the IEM. The Chemical Engineering Technical Division (know as CETD to friends) will be having a talk on Saturday, 6th October, 2011.

The Palm Oil industry in Malaysia had attracted much negative publicity mostly from European NGOs on the issue of sustainability. As part of the measure to mitigate this issue, the Malaysian Government is encouraging the Palm Oil industry to reduce its carbon footprint.
Therefore all Mills in Malaysia are encouraged to convert the palm oil mill effluent into biogas by 2020. Conventional biogas technology had been around for more than 20 years but with the world’s energy prices going higher and with the Malaysian Government’s Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) program, there is a need to develop higher efficiency Biogas system.
Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors is a fairly new development around the world and recently these anaerobic membrane bioreactors (An-MBR) had been used for the first time in the world for treating palm oil wastewater. As a result, more difficult processes such as thermophilic digestion with An-MBR system can become a reality and it had resulted in superior biogas yield. Through the latest technology, the green energy from the Mill can be harvested and potentially converted into other form of fuel.

As for the speaker:

Mr. B. P. Chow is a Chemical Engineering graduate from the University of Birmingham. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) as well as a Chartered Engineer. Presently he is the Deputy Chairman of IChemE Malaysia and the Managing Director of Aquakimia Sdn. Bhd. He had more than 34 years of working experience primarily in the Palm Oil, Water & Wastewater business. He had been instrumental in bringing the Kubota Membrane Bioreactor technology from Japan to use local engineering to adapt it for the Palm Oil Industry

Water pinch sounds interesting. Please come along, and partake of the food (both intellectual and physical).

Register here or download the form here. A map to Wisma IEM is presented here.

IEM Shout Out - Talk on Green Energy Potential in the Palm Oil Industry

This is a shout out for the IEM. The Chemical Engineering Technical Division (know as CETD to friends) will be having a talk on Saturday, 6th October, 2011.

The Palm Oil industry in Malaysia had attracted much negative publicity mostly from European NGOs on the issue of sustainability. As part of the measure to mitigate this issue, the Malaysian Government is encouraging the Palm Oil industry to reduce its carbon footprint.
Therefore all Mills in Malaysia are encouraged to convert the palm oil mill effluent into biogas by 2020. Conventional biogas technology had been around for more than 20 years but with the world’s energy prices going higher and with the Malaysian Government’s Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) program, there is a need to develop higher efficiency Biogas system.
Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors is a fairly new development around the world and recently these anaerobic membrane bioreactors (An-MBR) had been used for the first time in the world for treating palm oil wastewater. As a result, more difficult processes such as thermophilic digestion with An-MBR system can become a reality and it had resulted in superior biogas yield. Through the latest technology, the green energy from the Mill can be harvested and potentially converted into other form of fuel.

As for the speaker:

Mr. B. P. Chow is a Chemical Engineering graduate from the University of Birmingham. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) as well as a Chartered Engineer. Presently he is the Deputy Chairman of IChemE Malaysia and the Managing Director of Aquakimia Sdn. Bhd. He had more than 34 years of working experience primarily in the Palm Oil, Water & Wastewater business. He had been instrumental in bringing the Kubota Membrane Bioreactor technology from Japan to use local engineering to adapt it for the Palm Oil Industry

Water pinch sounds interesting. Please come along, and partake of the food (both intellectual and physical).

Register here or download the form here. A map to Wisma IEM is presented here.

IEM Shout Out – CETD 26th AGM

The Chemical Engineering Technical Division AGM will be held at 3rd Floor, TUS lecture room, Wisma IEM, 21 Jalan Selangor, Petaling Jaya.

It will be held at 11am on Saturday, 6th October 2012.

Flyers for the above and other events may be obtained here. A map to Wisma IEM is presented here.

IEM Shout Out - Half-day Workshop on the Source for Innovation (in conjunction with IEM Engineering Week 2012)

This is a shout out for IEM. The Chemical Engineering Technical Division will be organizing a 'Half-day Workshop on the Source for Innovation' on the 8th September, 2012 (Sat.) at Wisma IEM, PJ. The session is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. (registration at 8.30 a.m.) and end around 1 p.m. It will entitle the participant to 4 CPD/ PDP hours.

Innovate or Die. So it is said. But what is innovation and how do you innovate? What are the barriers to innovation and what are the key factors necessary to promote effective innovation? These are poignant questions which hold the key to unlocking our innovation capacity. After nearly a decade experimenting with the different approaches to teaching the art and science of innovation, the speaker believes that the key to unlocking your innovation capacity lies in your mindset. This workshop is designed with 3 objectives as follows.

• Introduce participants to a definition of innovation as is commonly defined by most innovation practitioners;
• Introduce participants to a framework for innovation based on Design Thinking and some of it underlying tools/ techniques; and
• Review the underlying intent of design processes and how they are link to the source of innovation.

The speaker, Dr Edwin Chung Chin Yau is the Deputy Dean (Innovation and Enterprise) for the School of Engineering at Taylor’s University and the Head for Taylor’s Technology Innovation Centre. He holds Bachelor of Science majoring in Computer Science; a Bachelor of Engineering with first class honours majoring in Electrical & Computer Systems Engineering and a PhD from Monash University (Clayton). His academic research interest is in the area of asynchronous circuit design while his other intellectual research interests lies mainly in the art and science of innovation including the mental and organisational factors surrounding the learning and practise of innovation. He started his career in the semiconductor industry and has worked on various products design including a 3G baseband processor, a 32 bit microRISC controller core, an I/O control hub and a USB keyboard hub while he was with NEC Australia, Motorola Adelaide, Intel and Atmel respectively.

Placement is on a first-come, first-served basis. Register & pay online by 5th September to secure your seat! IEM members please remember to login first for exclusive member rates. Question? Ask here.

IEM Shout Out - Half-day Workshop on the Source for Innovation (in conjunction with IEM Engineering Week 2012)

This is a shout out for IEM. The Chemical Engineering Technical Division will be organizing a 'Half-day Workshop on the Source for Innovation' on the 8th September, 2012 (Sat.) at Wisma IEM, PJ. The session is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. (registration at 8.30 a.m.) and end around 1 p.m. It will entitle the participant to 4 CPD/ PDP hours.

Innovate or Die. So it is said. But what is innovation and how do you innovate? What are the barriers to innovation and what are the key factors necessary to promote effective innovation? These are poignant questions which hold the key to unlocking our innovation capacity. After nearly a decade experimenting with the different approaches to teaching the art and science of innovation, the speaker believes that the key to unlocking your innovation capacity lies in your mindset. This workshop is designed with 3 objectives as follows.

• Introduce participants to a definition of innovation as is commonly defined by most innovation practitioners;
• Introduce participants to a framework for innovation based on Design Thinking and some of it underlying tools/ techniques; and
• Review the underlying intent of design processes and how they are link to the source of innovation.

The speaker, Dr Edwin Chung Chin Yau is the Deputy Dean (Innovation and Enterprise) for the School of Engineering at Taylor’s University and the Head for Taylor’s Technology Innovation Centre. He holds Bachelor of Science majoring in Computer Science; a Bachelor of Engineering with first class honours majoring in Electrical & Computer Systems Engineering and a PhD from Monash University (Clayton). His academic research interest is in the area of asynchronous circuit design while his other intellectual research interests lies mainly in the art and science of innovation including the mental and organisational factors surrounding the learning and practise of innovation. He started his career in the semiconductor industry and has worked on various products design including a 3G baseband processor, a 32 bit microRISC controller core, an I/O control hub and a USB keyboard hub while he was with NEC Australia, Motorola Adelaide, Intel and Atmel respectively.

Placement is on a first-come, first-served basis. Register & pay online by 5th September to secure your seat! IEM members please remember to login first for exclusive member rates. Question? Ask here.

IEM Shout Out - Visit to MPOB Headquarters, Bandar Baru Bangi,

This is a shout out for the IEM. My technical division will be hosting a trip to the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) at Bandar Baru Bangi, Kajang, on the 28th August, 2012. You will be anointed with 2.5 CPD / PDP hours.

The oil palm industry forms the economic backbone of Malaysia and continues to face new challenges in the face of globalization. Rapid responses are needed to meet the increasing challenges of the industry as they unfold. MPOB as the custodian of the oil palm industry is entrusted with meeting these challenges through excellence in R&D and services. MPOB has more than three decades of concerted effort in research and development along the entire value chain. Several technologies have made the transition from the laboratory to the market place. Ecologically and economically sustainable development has become the guiding philosophy of the oil palm industry and MPOB is playing a facilitating role in this endeavor. MPOB’s commitment has been recognized and rewarded through numerous awards, the latest of which is the 2010 Frost & Sullivan Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation. MPOB’s contributions are diverse, yet they serve a single goal, as expressed by its mission statement: “To enhance the well-being of the Malaysian oil palm industry through research, development and excellent services.”
Participants of this visit will also be briefed on MPOB’s latest development in addition to the pilot plant tours at MPOB’s premises.
TENTATIVE PROGRAMME
Time Programme
9.45 a.m. Gathering & registration at Bactris Hall
10.00 a.m. Briefing & Corporate Video
10.15 a.m. Discussion with research officers
10.35 a.m. Tour to margarine pilot plant
11.10 a.m. Tour to palm biodiesel pilot plant
11.45 a.m. Palm gallery
12.00 p.m. Refreshment & end of visit

Get the form here.  Flyers for the above and other events may be obtained here.

IEM Shout Out - Visit to MPOB Headquarters, Bandar Baru Bangi,

This is a shout out for the IEM. My technical division will be hosting a trip to the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) at Bandar Baru Bangi, Kajang, on the 28th August, 2012. You will be anointed with 2.5 CPD / PDP hours.

The oil palm industry forms the economic backbone of Malaysia and continues to face new challenges in the face of globalization. Rapid responses are needed to meet the increasing challenges of the industry as they unfold. MPOB as the custodian of the oil palm industry is entrusted with meeting these challenges through excellence in R&D and services. MPOB has more than three decades of concerted effort in research and development along the entire value chain. Several technologies have made the transition from the laboratory to the market place. Ecologically and economically sustainable development has become the guiding philosophy of the oil palm industry and MPOB is playing a facilitating role in this endeavor. MPOB’s commitment has been recognized and rewarded through numerous awards, the latest of which is the 2010 Frost & Sullivan Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation. MPOB’s contributions are diverse, yet they serve a single goal, as expressed by its mission statement: “To enhance the well-being of the Malaysian oil palm industry through research, development and excellent services.”
Participants of this visit will also be briefed on MPOB’s latest development in addition to the pilot plant tours at MPOB’s premises.
TENTATIVE PROGRAMME
Time Programme
9.45 a.m. Gathering & registration at Bactris Hall
10.00 a.m. Briefing & Corporate Video
10.15 a.m. Discussion with research officers
10.35 a.m. Tour to margarine pilot plant
11.10 a.m. Tour to palm biodiesel pilot plant
11.45 a.m. Palm gallery
12.00 p.m. Refreshment & end of visit

Get the form here.  Flyers for the above and other events may be obtained here.

This is a shout out for the IEM. My Technical Division will be  hosting a seminar on the 9th July, 2012. It'll start at 9:00 and is worth 7 CPD hours.

The fluctuation of effluent quality is always a challenge for industrial wastewater treatment. Wastewater analysis conducted by competent personnel is very important to provide accurate characteristics of the effluent so that the actual condition of the treatment efficiency can be evaluated effectively. In practice, precise and consistent measurement is sometimes difficult to obtain and is mainly due to the lack of knowledge and experience in analysis for most cases.
The workshop on "Industrial Wastewater Analysis" is aimed to help in capacity building and to build confidence in industrial wastewater monitoring and analysis. Technicians, engineers, chemists, scientists and researchers who work in water and wastewater related areas are greatly welcome. The objective of this workshop is to provide knowledge, introductory training and basic skills on industrial wastewater analysis through lectures and discussion. Some simple hands-on demonstration will be arranged during the workshop.

Ir. Assoc. Prof. Dr Chong Mei Fong obtained her BEng (Chemical) at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and her PhD at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). She received several "Sanggar Sanjung" awards for publications with journals of high impact factor. She joined The University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus as an Assistant Professor to start her professional career. In 2009, she worked as a visiting scholar to Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU), Taiwan. In the same year, the WaterInno Award gold medal was conferred on her for her outstanding works on wastewater treatment.

Register here or download the form here. A map to Wisma IEM is presented here.

This is a shout out for the IEM. My Technical Division will be  hosting a seminar on the 9th July, 2012. It'll start at 9:00 and is worth 7 CPD hours.

The fluctuation of effluent quality is always a challenge for industrial wastewater treatment. Wastewater analysis conducted by competent personnel is very important to provide accurate characteristics of the effluent so that the actual condition of the treatment efficiency can be evaluated effectively. In practice, precise and consistent measurement is sometimes difficult to obtain and is mainly due to the lack of knowledge and experience in analysis for most cases.
The workshop on "Industrial Wastewater Analysis" is aimed to help in capacity building and to build confidence in industrial wastewater monitoring and analysis. Technicians, engineers, chemists, scientists and researchers who work in water and wastewater related areas are greatly welcome. The objective of this workshop is to provide knowledge, introductory training and basic skills on industrial wastewater analysis through lectures and discussion. Some simple hands-on demonstration will be arranged during the workshop.

Ir. Assoc. Prof. Dr Chong Mei Fong obtained her BEng (Chemical) at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and her PhD at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). She received several "Sanggar Sanjung" awards for publications with journals of high impact factor. She joined The University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus as an Assistant Professor to start her professional career. In 2009, she worked as a visiting scholar to Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU), Taiwan. In the same year, the WaterInno Award gold medal was conferred on her for her outstanding works on wastewater treatment.

Register here or download the form here. A map to Wisma IEM is presented here.

The CETD had its Planning Away Day on June 16th, 2012 at FRIM. Here are some photos of that event.

Half-Day HAZOP Training For Team Members - A Practical Approach

The CETD will be hosting a 1/2 day seminar on the 23rd June, 2012. It is worth 3.5 CPD points, and held at Wisma IEM.

A Hazard and Operability study is a formal and systematic and detailed examination of the process and engineering intentions of new or existing facilities which assesses the hazard potential and effects on the facility as a whole when operation is outside of the design envelope, or individual items of equipment malfunction.

This half-day course is designed to educate participants in the HAZOP process from the perspective of a HAZOP team member. It is meant to provide both instruction and workshop sessions so that the participants:

• Are familiar with the concept of ‘risk’
• Are familiar with the theory behind HAZOP
• Are familiar with the actual HAZOP workshop process
• Have expectations as to what the HAZOP will (and won’t provide)
• Understand what deliverables can be expected from a HAZOP
• Have the opportunity to participate in HAZOP exercise in a safe environment
• Opportunity to share HAZOP experiences

At the end of the session, the participants should:

• Understand the responsibilities of all parties in the HAZOP
• Have experience in a HAZOP session.
• Understand the outcomes from a HAZOP session

Wata has 16 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, in both design and operations.

Register here, or download the form here.

Talk on Plasticizers For Plastics – What, Where, How And Why

The Division will be hosting a talk on the 1st June, 2012. It'll be at 5:30 pm (makan-makan at 5:00).

Plasticizers are additives used in the plastic industry especially for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) manufacturing. It is the softening agent added to polymers to induce flexibility and improve processability. Initially, the plasticizer application is limited to the plastic industry, until the issue boom from Taiwan bubble tea industry, where plasticizer is used as clouding and thickening agent to induce smooth tastes of the beverages. This issue becomes so serious because plasticizers can cause serious health hazard when consumed orally. The most commonly found plasticizer is phathalate-based type. This type of plasticizer includes Diisononyl phthalate, Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, dioctyl phthalate, etc., and has been banned in Europe and western countries, mainly due to its high dose exposure has shown change of hormone levels and cause birth defects. In addition, adding large amount of plasticizer in plastics can increase its fire risk, because plasticizer itself is a high flammable substance. Nevertheless, plasticizers are not added in every plastic product. Some of the plasticizers are produced from the renewable resources such as soy bean oil which has found its usage in medical products as well.

Ir. Dr Tee Tiam Ting is an associate professor in Chemical Engineering Department of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). He has more than 30 years of teaching and research experiences in the university. He was the former vice president of IEM and currently the fellow member of IEM.

Dr Lee Tin Sin is an assistant professor in Chemical Engineering Department of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman. He graduated from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia with First Class Honours in Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical-Polymer) and PhD in Polymer Engineering.

Register here or download the form here. A map to Wisma IEM is presented here.

Talk on Bio-Cosmetics Process and Safety Aspects

This is a shout out for the IEM. My Technical Division will be hosting a talk on the 19th May, 2012. It'll start at 10.00am and is worth 2 CPD hours.

The Chemical Engineering Technical Division (CETD) is planning to organize a talk on Bio-Cosmetics Product Development – From R and D to Market. The talk shall include topics such as extraction, bioactivity studies, safety and toxicology evaluations, product development and efficacy study. The speaker will be sharing her experiences in developing cosmetics products utilizing natural active ingredients sourced from local ginger species from bench scale to commercialization.

Register here or download the form here.

Congratulation: IEM Young Engineers Award 2012

IEM YOUNG ENGINEERS AWARD 2012 

ENGR. DR LEE TIN SIN

Dr Lee Tin Sin is currently an assistant professor in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman. He has completed his PhD in two years time which was fastest graduation of PhD in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. His achievement has been reported by Sin Chew Daily on the 26 March 2011.

He involved in developing the biodegradable starch-based bio-plastic during his PhD study. The biodegradable bio-plastic is the blending of polyvinyl alcohol – a fully natural degradable polymer incorporation with tapioca starch. Such bio-plastic is a sustainable and environmental friendly material which can reduce the plastic wastes in landfill. Moreover, this material also can be applied as biomedical scaffolding material. He started his research of the bio-plastic right from the basis by conducting molecular simulation using quantum mechanics method and reached the finished products level. In other words, his findings can be easily adapted into the industrial with mass production ability.

The developed starch-based bio-plastic can be applied in many plastic industries without further modification of existing machineries. Again, this invention is recognized of its value through the winning of silver medal in Malaysia Technology Expo 2010 held in PWTC, Kuala Lumpur. Besides, Dr Lee Tin Sin has 30 publications in international journals, conference, book chapter and 3 patents in polymer field. One of these works has been published in international refereed journal POLYMER. [Lee Tin Sin, W. A. W. A. Rahman, A. R. Rahmat, A. A. Samad (2010). Computational modeling and experimental infrared spectroscopy of hydrogen bonding interactions in polyvinyl alcohol-starch blends. Polymer, 51, 1206-1211. (Impact Factor: 3.573)] which has been selected as the collection for the first VIRTUAL SPECIAL ISSUE of POLYMER (Published by Elsevier ScienceDirect). According to the Editorial of POLYMER, the collections were selected by POLYMER editors to present a set of excellent contributions to POLYMER. Moreover, he has filed three patents about the starch-based bio-plastic technology.

Historically, Dr Lee Tin Sin graduated with Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical-Polymer) with First Class Honours which his first degree was sponsored by Bursa Malaysia Foundation. After graduation, he works as a R&D process engineer in Superlon Worldwide Sdn. Bhd. In year 2008, he pursued PhD in Polymer Engineering under the sponsorship of National Science Fellowship of Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations. During the 46^th Convocation of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, he was honoured with two awards, i.e. Best Postgraduate Student with a gold medal and Publication Award which was conferred by the Her Majesty The Sultanah of Johor.

Dr Lee Tin Sin is currently serves as the committee member of Chemical Engineering Technical Division of IEM. He has delivered talks in IEM to share his experience on polymer field. He is an active reviewer for seven international journals. Early of this year, he was awarded a research grant from Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations to develop antimicrobial plastic packaging films.

His working teams comprise of those with depth experience in polymer field, to name some Ir. Assoc. Prof. Dr Tee Tiam Ting, Dr Abdul Razak Rahmat, Dr Wan Aizan Wan Abdul Rahman and etc. His research group has involved international collaboration with Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, China to explore the researches in polymer composite field. Finally, he always believes that a good engineer should work ethnically, efficiently, generous with knowledge and time to contribute actively for the goodwill of society.

The IEM Council at its meeting on 19 March 2012 unanimously confer the Young Engineer Award upon Engr. Dr Lee Tin Sin.

 

IEM Shout Out - Technical Visit to Sirim Berhad Bio-Cosmetics Facility, Shah Alam

This is a shout out for the IEM. My Technical Division will be hosting a visit on the 16th May, 2012. It'll start at 2:30pm and is worth 2 CPD hours.

This technical visit will provide participants insights to the bio-cosmetics research and testing conducted by SIRIM Berhad to ensure safety of the users. The visit will highlight the complete lab and facilities available at the Center to develop cosmetic and topical products starting from lab scale to pilot production. The facilities include the extraction and purification labs, the safety and biocompatibility lab, the product formulation lab, the extraction and fermentation pilot plant facilities and the Cosmetic GMP Pilot Plant.

Register here or download the form here.

7th Malaysian Chem-E-Car Competition 2012

Are you ready for the 7th Malaysian Chem-E-Car Competition? It will be held on the 11th and 12th April, 2012 at UMS. You can visit the official website for details.

The main objective of the competition is to construct a shoebox-sized car powered by a chemical reaction. The car must be able to carry a certain load of water and stop within 2 minutes at a specified distance. The closest car is the winner. Here, the students have to apply their knowledge in chemistry and reaction engineering as well as technical skills in designing gearbox and electrical circuits in order to successfully run and stop the car. The Chem-E Car Competitions a good platform for students to demonstrate their creativity and innovativeness gained from their undergraduate studies.

Car Performance

Each car will be given two opportunities to traverse a certain distance (15-25 meter) while carrying a specified load of water (100-500 mL).

The goal of the competition is to have the model car stop at the finishing line.
Participants are also required to abide by safety rules as specified by the organizer.
Details and competition rules would be made available to the participants upon acceptance of registration by the Organizing Committee.

Poster Presentation

The presentation duration is 2 min for each team followed by a 3-min Q&A session. The winner will be determined from an averaged mark of minimum 3 judges who will evaluate the 5 criteria below:

• Description of the chemical reaction / power source / stopping mechanism (20%)
• Design creativity and unique features of the vehicle (20%)
• Environmental and safety features (20%)
• Economic aspects (20%)
• Quality of the poster and team member presentations (20%)

Previous Winners

• Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (2005)
• UniKL MICET (2006)
• No ChemE Car competition held in 2007
• Universiti Malaya (2008)
• UniKL MICET (2009)
• Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (2010)
• Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (2011)

Previous Hosts

• Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (2005)
• Universiti Malaya (2006)
• No ChemE Car competition held in 2007
• Universiti Sains Malaysia (2008)
• UniKL, MICET (2009)
• SEGi University College (2010)
• Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (2011)

Look forward to seeing you there!