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UNAIR NEWS – Bank Indonesia held the Indonesia Sharia Economic Festival (ISEF) on October 5-9, 2022, in Jakarta. UNAIR Team realized sustainable energy and environmentally safe business idea by recycling used cooking oil into efficient fuel. They won First Place in the 2022 Youth Sharia Sociopreneurship Competition for proposing GELATAH (Green product-based cooking oil gel to realize the Energy Independent Indonesia).

The group, which consists of students from various majors: Abdul Rohman (Accounting), Vita Amalia Hidayati (Accounting), Pradayan Adli (Environmental Engineering), Zafirah Haezah Hazrati Muftin (Development Economics), and Nina Valerina (Environmental Engineering), were supervised by Gigih Prihantono SE M SE and assisted by Kariza Makanty (Chemistry). Exploring the idea and turning it into business was an achievement for them.

From Second Champion in Business Idea to First One in Business Implementation

Zafirah stated that making gel-based fuel products for food warmers is a long journey for them. They have spent a year competing, researching, and producing GELATAH until it’s ready for mass production.

“It’s a year-long battle in realizing our business. Until it was announced that we won First Place in the closing ceremony,” she said.

GELATAH is the implemented business idea, which previously won Second Place. The moment brought her team to the pilot project stage. They started executing the production, such as purchasing machines and packaging for manufacturing large-scale products of up to 300 items a day.

“The Big 3 Winners’ business idea competition will be incubated to realize their business idea according to the proposal. We did preliminary research and presentation in the first couple of months, until the pilot project stage. After that, we manufactured the products from the project scale to the production scale,” she said.

Production issues

The production issues do not get in their way of making progress. Zafirah said that achieving a ‘perfect’ product was not easy as they imagined. From the making of old manufacturing machines and finding used oil suppliers. The latter was a challenging experience.

“One of the most challenging experiences was inviting the community to collaborate with us. They live in a remote area in Madura,” she said.

Dermatologically safe, environmentally friendly

The Economic Development student said that GELATAH is a form of used cooking oil that is converted into biodiesel and compacted. However, the produced gel is dermatologically safe and will not immediately burn in open space as it requires a wick as the ignition medium.

Besides, GELATAH is also an environmentally safe product that works sustainably in both production and business. Packaged waste cans can be eco-friendly by promoting a refillable product system to cut down the potential for packaging waste disposal.

“The cans will be the refillable container. People who buy the refill will get discount,” she said.

Zafirah encouraged the students who join such business competitions and the scientific writing contest that inspiration should not stop at an idea but also until its implementation.

“Building a dream business is interesting. It might be tiring with a lot of money and time spent. However, someday, it will be an invaluable achievement, ” she said.

Author: Monika Astria Br Gultom

Editor: Feri Fenoria