How would you like to be able to turn a bottle of contaminated water completely germ-free within an hour, just by using a teabag-like filter full of treated used coffee grounds?
Hwa Chong Institution student Dominic Yap, 17, has plans to tap large chains like Starbucks to help reduce their waste, treat the coffee grounds and then work with aid agencies to distribute the technology to developing nations where clean water is scarce.
Dominic and his schoolmates Shawn Lim and Bryan Lim, both also 17, were some of the 123 students from various secondary schools and junior colleges who received prizes on 28 April 2017 at the combined 11th A*Star Talent Search (A*TS) and 17th Singapore Science & Engineering Fair (SSEF) awards presentation ceremony. The A*TS and SSEF are held annually to provide a platform for students to showcase their scientific research, and awards are given to students for their achievements in scientific research.
Over the course of the two-year project, which started in 2015, Dominic’s team developed a method of treating spent coffee grounds that allows these to absorb contaminants, such as lead and copper, and kill bacteria, effectively purifying water for human use. The inspiration for Dominic’s project came from a desire to better society through science.
The team identified coffee grounds – the remains of coffee beans after they are used to make the beverage – as a key area of waste in society. They hope to overcome one challenge: Although treated coffee grounds are able to kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria in water, the students have not yet been able to remove heavy metals in the water to the standard required for human consumption. They believe that the used coffee grounds could eventually also be used as part of the process in water- filtration plants.
Read more here.
Source: The Straits Times, 1 May 2017