exhibition in front of the Senate Room. There, UBD researchers featured their latest findings. Modified bamboo charcoal was found to be able to remove heavy metals from wastewater in a selective manner whereas those heavy metals could also be recovered from this charcoal to reuse and minimise environmental pollution. Therefore, the main objective of this project was to develop an innovative novel technology to enhance the performance of commercially available charcoal, particularly bamboo charcoal, in order to use them to remove heavy metals in wastewater, which can cause negative impact on our health even in trace quantities. As the production of bamboo charcoal is a mature industry in many parts of ASEAN, this technology can be easily infused into the existing bamboo charcoal product at the market and hence increase the value of charcoal by many times.The green synthesis of metal oxides using plant extracts holds many applications for biocompatible, cost effective and simple nanobiotechnology. The as-synthesised metal oxide nanoparticles with a narrowed band gap energy will be able to harvest more visible light. For potential applications where sunlight is used, a greater portion of the light energy can be utilised resulting in a more efficient system. This will be beneficial for improving many applications, such as optoelectronics and water splitting for hydrogen gas generation.The coupling of Plasmonics and Catalysis to form Plasmonics catalysis technology is capable of driving high energy chemical reactions such as water splitting and carbon dioxide splitting for the purpose of fuel production. The hydrogen, methane and methanol produced by this method are considered green since no fossil-based sources are used. This makes it a potential game changer in the chemical process industry. The Convocation Festival known as Pesta Konvo, in conjunction with the Convocation Ceremony, is a month-long celebration of UBD graduates' success and includes various activities and events. This year's Pesta Konvo was officiated by His Royal Highness The Crown Prince on 15th August 2019. Themed "University of Innovation and Enterprise", a special exhibition held at PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences (IHS) featured research, innovations and artwork with great potential for enterprise. Innovative creations such as "Automated Medicine Dispenser", "UBD Digital Herbarium", "FIT iBird" as well as the “Chator Asli Brunei” and “Kain Tenunan” apps took centrestage among artistic creations that were on display in Spectacle: Beyond 2019.Earlier this year, UBD rose 25 spots in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, placing at 298. Having been acknowledged as a "Very High Research Intensive" university by QS, it now stands among the top 300 universities in the world following positive and consistent performance over the years.Happy graduates await their turn to receive their scrolls in front of elated parents. Photo: Azhar IsmatHis Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, Chancellor of UBD views a special exhibition in front of the Senate Room where UBD researchers featured their latest findings. Photo: Azhar IsmatDISCOVER UBD05
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