JOHOR BAHRU, 23 September 2026 – The SATREPS Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Project strengthened its international research engagement through its participation in the International Conference of Sustainable and Environmental Technology 2026 (ISET 2026) and Regional Conference on Environmental Engineering 2026 (RCEnvE 2026), held at Pulai Springs Resort, Johor Bahru. 

Organised by the Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), the conference brought together researchers, academics and experts from Malaysia, Japan and other countries to exchange knowledge and discuss developments in sustainable and environmental technologies. The conference carried the theme “Innovating Sustainable Technologies for a Greener and Resilient Future.”

A key highlight of the conference was the plenary presentation by Prof. Datuk Ir. Ts. Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail, Advisor of ISET 2026 & RCEnvE 2026, entitled “Membrane-Based Sustainable Treatment Technology: Integrating Nanotechnology and Circular Resource Recovery.” The presentation highlighted the role of advanced membrane technologies, nanotechnology and circular resource recovery in addressing current challenges in sustainable water and wastewater treatment.
The conference also featured keynote presentations relevant to the SATREPS POME research agenda. Prof. Dr. Naoko Yoshida from Nagoya University, Japan, delivered a keynote entitled “Feasibility of an Integrated Resource-Recovery and Advanced Treatment System for Palm Oil Mill Effluent Toward Future River Discharge Standards.” The presentation addressed approaches towards integrating resource recovery and advanced treatment of POME.

Another keynote was delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Taira Hidaka from Kyoto University, Japan, entitled “Resource and Energy Circulation Using Anaerobic Digestion of Wastewater and Organic Waste with Sunlight-Driven Phototrophic Microorganisms.” The presentation further contributed to discussions on wastewater treatment, resource recovery and sustainable energy circulation.

The SATREPS POME Project was also represented through an exhibition showcasing its research activities and ongoing work related to POME treatment and resource recovery. The exhibition provided participants with an opportunity to learn more about the project's research direction, experimental activities and technologies.

The SATREPS POME exhibition booth participants through the displayed research materials and explained the project's activities and approaches. The session also provided an opportunity for participants to engage directly with the research team and exchange views on POME treatment and environmental sustainability.

In addition to the exhibition, participants took part in a site tour of the SATREPS POME project's experimental facilities, also led by Prof. Okuda. The tour introduced participants to three major reactor systems involved in the project: the biogas reactor, Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) reactor and photosynthesis reactor.

The site tour provided participants with a closer view of the project's experimental setup and ongoing efforts to develop sustainable approaches for POME treatment and resource recovery. It also served as a platform for technical discussions and knowledge exchange between researchers and participants from different institutions.

The conference brought together five plenary speakers, 11 keynote speakers, 34 invited speakers and more than 60 presenters from over 10 countries, providing a broad platform for international academic and research collaboration.

Through its participation in ISET 2026 and RCEnvE 2026, the SATREPS POME Project continued to strengthen research networking between Malaysia and Japan while promoting knowledge exchange on sustainable wastewater treatment, resource recovery and environmental technologies.