Students from the Petrochemical and Polymer Engineering Program, School of Engineering and Technology, Walailak University, brought pride to the University by winning a Gold Medal at the Southern Inventor Award 2026, held as part of the Southern Innovation Festival 2026 from 6–8 July 2026 at Thaksin University. The award was presented for their innovative project entitled “Development of Bio-Sulfur from a Biogas Power Plant in a Palm Oil Production Facility.”
The award-winning team consisted of Petrochemical and Polymer Engineering students Mr. Kiattisak Dokrak, team leader, together with Ms. Nipaporn Khunthong, Ms. Jirapatchara Intamoo, and Mr. Korawit Laksanaphalee. The team members worked collaboratively throughout the entire process of research, design, and development, integrating knowledge in engineering, science, and technology with analytical thinking, problem-solving skills, and teamwork.
The core concept of the project, “Development of Bio-Sulfur from a Biogas Power Plant in a Palm Oil Production Facility,” focuses on utilizing by-products generated from industrial production processes and developing them into higher-value materials. The project aims to maximize the efficient use of available resources while helping to reduce waste generated during industrial production.
This approach is in line with the principles of sustainable industrial development and the circular economy, which emphasizes the reuse, recovery, and transformation of materials, by-products, and resources from production processes. Such an approach can help reduce resource loss while creating additional value from materials that might otherwise be regarded as industrial waste.
Winning the Gold Medal demonstrates the students’ ability to connect academic knowledge gained through their studies with real challenges and demands in the industrial sector. The project is particularly relevant to the palm oil industry and biogas-based energy production, both of which play significant roles in Thailand’s economy and in the country’s development of alternative and renewable energy.
The process of developing the project, from conceptualization and literature review to experimentation, data analysis, and preparation for presentation before the judging panel, also provided the students with valuable practical experience. Through this process, they were able to strengthen not only their technical and academic knowledge but also essential professional skills, including communication, teamwork, responsibility, perseverance, and problem-solving.
The Gold Medal from the Southern Inventor Award 2026 therefore represents more than recognition of the quality and potential of the innovation itself. It also marks another significant achievement for students of the Petrochemical and Polymer Engineering Program and reflects their capability to create engineering-based innovations that can address real industrial challenges in a practical and meaningful way.
The School of Engineering and Technology, Walailak University, proudly congratulates Mr. Kiattisak Dokrak, Ms. Nipaporn Khunthong, Ms. Jirapatchara Intamoo, and Mr. Korawit Laksanaphalee on this outstanding achievement. The School encourages the students to continue developing their knowledge and innovative work and hopes that the experience gained from this competition will serve as a foundation for further innovations that create value for industry, society, and the nation.
