The Case Study Competition was one of the events from the 19th MnMs' Week, designed to foster innovative ideas and enhance students' problem-solving skills, particularly for Metallurgy and Material Engineering students.

The theme of the 2024 Case Study Competition was "Novel Innovations for Sustainable Practices and Resource Management in Critical Minerals". The competition collaborated with companies in metallurgy, especially those involved in the extraction and processing of critical minerals, to provide case studies aligned with the theme. Participants with the best ideas advanced to the final round, where they presented their solutions to a panel of judges at Universitas Indonesia.

The competition consisted of several stages. The first required teams to develop a solution concept in the form of a scientific paper. The second stage was the semifinal round. This round involved further analysis of the proposed ideas, including feasibility studies, financial projections, product designs, and market analysis. Following that, the 5 highest-scoring teams advanced to the final round. In the final round, participants were not required to develop a prototype but rather had to create a start-up projection.

The Minions team - consisting of Valent Williandre, Bagoes Trias Airlangga, Samuel Sharon Sembiring, and Kezya Sagita Indah Sari - proposed a solution of a downstream processing method to convert ilmenite to rutile (TiO?) using peuyeumization waste. Ilmenite is a minor mineral found in tin ore.

Typically, tin ore is mined and then processed into cassiterite (SnO?), leaving other valuable minerals such as monazite and ilmenite underutilized. "We wanted to extract TiO? from ilmenite in a more environmentally friendly way, as most current ilmenite and monazite processing methods have a harmful environmental impact," said Willi.

Trias added that the conventional method of processing ilmenite into TiO? relies on hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, which are harmful to the environment.

The Minions team also incorporated additional technologies into their approach. "We benchmarked with other factories that have used a similar concept. We carried out carbothermic reduction which usually uses coal to produce metal," says Willi.

The Minions team demonstrated creativity by utilizing waste for reduction. “Initially, we became inspired after seeing our senior’s final project, which used waste to reduce iron and nickel ore. We also utilized a laboratory that could support our testing, namely the ITB pyrometallurgy laboratory,” said Gita.

"The reduction of ilmenite produces slag (TiO?), which is then leached with the reagent hydrochloric acid," Willi added.

Samuel further noted that fundamentally, coal and carbon are both carbon producers. “CO2 emissions from waste are relatively neutral because the waste has already been used, unlike coal, which is only used for burning. Instead of allowing piles of waste to go unused and decompose back into CO2, it is better to use it as a reductant,” said Samuel.

Despite their success, the team faced several challenges, including time constraints due to the separate commitments of each member.

“We each had our own busy schedules. So, what we did is gather at Kue Balok, a place which is open 24/7, to formulate our solutions,” said Gita.

In addition, Trias stated that he also experienced time management issues due to the high demands of the MBKM and BP IMMG programs.

Gita added that preparing for the semifinals and finals required long hours, often stretching into the early morning, even until sunrise. "The factory design assignments and midterm exams were additional challenges for us," said Samuel.
"Our challenges were similar, but we could not have predicted that we would win first place," said Willi.

As team leader, Gita kept the group motivated. "Even before registering, I created a group chat on Line called Minions juara satu (Minions first place) to encourage my teammates, even though I was laughed at for my overconfidence," she said.

The Minions team acknowledged that they had invested a significant amount of effort into the competition. Samuel called the competition a very valuable final project for them at ITB, while Trias was happy to be able to repeat the experience. Willi added that this sort of competition was very beneficial for deepening knowledge in their field of study.

“Of course, if you want to win, you have to prepare for the competition thoroughly, you can't do these things half-heartedly,” said Samuel.

Trias also emphasized that the importance of good mentors, supervisors, and team members is key to winning a competition. They also thanked Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ir. Zulfiadi Zulhan, ST., MT., IPU; Zela Tanlega, ST., M.Phil., Ph.D.; Ir. Taufiq Hidayat, ST., M.Phil., Ph.D., IPM.; Prof. Dr. mont. M. Zaki Mubarok, S.T., MT., and Pak Sonny Djatnika Sunda Djaja as the innovators of waste peuyeumization, and ITB Pyrometallurgy Laboratory as well as PT Gunbuster Nickel Indonesia as the provider of SEM-EDS equipment in the Pyrometallurgy lab.

Reporter: Raja Parmonang Manurung (Mining Engineering Student, 2021)
Translator: Nafi’ah Rahni Nugrahanti (Civil Engineering Student, 2023)