SUT Researcher Wins Gold Medal at Taiwan Innotech Expo 2025

Ecolite: Turning PS Foam Waste into Lightweight Construction Material

Suranaree University of Technology (SUT) proudly congratulates Asst. Prof. Dr. Uthai Meekham, Lecturer in Polymer Engineering, School of Engineering, for winning the Gold Medal Award for his outstanding innovation “Ecolite: Transforming PS Foam Waste into Lightweight Construction Material” at the Taiwan Innotech Expo 2025 (TIE2025), an international exhibition and competition of research, inventions, and innovations, held from October 16–18, 2025, at the Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan.

The Taiwan Innotech Expo (TIE2025) serves as one of the most prestigious international platforms for showcasing cutting-edge technologies and innovations from around the world. The event promotes technological creativity, international business opportunities, and provides a venue for inventors and innovators to present their inventions, patents, and technologies with strong commercial potential that benefit humanity.

This year’s exhibition featured more than 200 innovation booths from private companies, universities, and public agencies in Taiwan, including leading global corporations such as Delta Electronics and Foxconn, renowned producers of electronic components and semiconductors. Exhibits covered a wide range of innovation fields, including Agriculture, Robotics, ESG, BCG, and AI-driven applications.

The award-winning project, Ecolite, was supported by the Academic Strengthening Fund, School of Engineering, SUT. The innovation addresses the global environmental challenge of reducing non-biodegradable plastic waste, particularly polystyrene (PS) foam, by upcycling it into lightweight engineering construction materials. Ecolite offers strong and durable performance, simple manufacturing processes, low production costs, and utilizes locally available raw materials— enabling scalable and sustainable commercial applications.

This achievement highlights the excellence and creativity of SUT researchers in developing eco-friendly innovations that contribute to environmental sustainability. It also reinforces SUT’s mission and vision as a “University of Innovation for Society.”

The Division of Public Relations Division, SUT
October 21, 2025