As part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen international research partnerships, ITS is actively involved in the e-Asia research program focused on battery recycling. The project, titled RESPEC (Closed-loop Recycle Process of Spent Primary and Secondary Batteries and the Reutilization for Environmental Applications & Circular Economy), emphasizes the role of technology in addressing battery waste management for environmental protection. The increasing use of electric vehicles and digital devices has led to a rise in used battery waste, posing significant environmental risks. This joint research project seeks to offer science-based and competency-driven solutions to these global challenges.
The collaboration involves three partner universities: ITS, Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), and Meiji University (Japan). The project is led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rojana Pornprasertsuk from the Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University. From Meiji University, the team is represented by Prof. Tomoaki Watanabe, while Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lukman Noerochim from the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering serves as the team leader from ITS. Other ITS team members include Prof. Dr. Darminto and Dr. Retno Asih, both from the Department of Physics, and Prof. Dr. Yatim Lailun Ni’mah from the Department of Chemistry — all part of the Faculty of Science and Data Analytics (FSAD). Another team member is Dr. Widyastuti, also from the same department as Dr. Lukman Noerochim.
According to QS World University Rankings 2025, Chulalongkorn University ranks 221st globally, with a strong academic reputation score of 82. ITS and Chulalongkorn University have had an active MoU and MoA since February 10, 2024, which supports academic collaboration, staff and student exchanges, and joint publications. Based on ITS DRPM publication data from 2020 to 2025, there have been 28 co-authored publications between ITS and Chulalongkorn University — the highest among all Thai institutions collaborating with ITS. The e-Asia research project is one of the initiatives developed under this MoU and has enabled researchers to engage in multiple forms of collaboration beyond joint publications.
Given the close academic ties between the teams, Prof. Anongnat Somwangthanaroj from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Chulalongkorn — who is also a member of the e-Asia project — was invited to deliver lectures as part of the Guest Lecture Series and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program on April 15–16, 2025, hosted by the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at ITS. This program, organized by the ITS Directorate of Global Engagement (DKG), featured Prof. Anongnat as a visiting lecturer for the courses Energy Materials and Scientific Methodology, which were taught in both online and in-person formats under the coordination of Dr. Lukman Noerochim. On the other side of the partnership, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Widyastuti was invited on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, to discuss the further development of collaborative research initiatives. A Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was held at Building 4, 10th Floor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, and was attended by faculty and researchers, including heads of research centers and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Soorathep Kheawhom, Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and fellow member of the e-Asia research team. Following the FGD, the ITS delegation visited the Battery Laboratory, supervised by Prof. Anongnat, and several other labs under the Department of Chemical Engineering. Joining the visit was Liyana Labiba Zulfa, a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry, FSAD, ITS, who is also involved in this research and currently preparing for a postdoctoral program at Chulalongkorn University. Liyana has been actively publishing her research since her undergraduate studies under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ratna Ediati, with 24 publications, including 15 Q1-ranked journal articles.
The laboratory visit and academic discussion continued at the Department of Materials Science, guided by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rojana Pornprasertsuk, together with fellow e-Asia researchers Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jiaqian Qin (recognized among the Top 2% Scientists in the World) and Asst. Prof. Dr. Prasit Pattananuwat. The ITS delegation was formally received by Asst. Prof. Dr. Apirat Theerapapvisetpong, Head of the Department of Materials Science. The e-Asia research project has so far resulted in two joint publications in 2025, published in Next Energy and Materials Chemistry and Physics journals.
This research initiative on battery recycling is also aligned with other ongoing international collaborations, including the INSPIRASI Program between ITS with Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, and a Prototype Research Scheme funded by HETI ADB. While all these projects address battery sustainability, they differ in the types of batteries studied and the approaches used for recycling and regeneration (MFA).
A follow-up meeting on collaboration between the ITS Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering (DTMM ITS) and PT Komatsu
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