Earlier this 12 months, 17-year-old Zabeer Zarif Akhter earned a coveted spot in The Stockholm Junior Water Prize — a global competitors hosted by the Stockholm Worldwide Water Institute in Sweden.
Within the competitors, college students from ages 15 to twenty are tasked with creating analysis initiatives and constructing innovations that sort out the world’s main water challenges, together with air pollution, drought, and water shortage.
Akhter’s focus? Contamination.
In his dwelling nation of Bangladesh, a surprising 49% of the nation’s ingesting nicely water has unsafe limits of carcinogenic arsenic, which may cause pores and skin lesions and most cancers within the bladder and the lungs.
Local weather change has worsened the water contamination disaster, with an uptick in cyclones and torrential monsoons inflicting devastating floods all through the nation.
In August, floodwaters displaced 1.24 million Bangladeshi households from their houses, as numerous households turned breeding grounds for micro organism and parasites, spreading waterborne sicknesses.
“The prevalent challenge of waterborne ailments in Bangladesh, primarily stemming from micro organism in water sources, necessitates modern options,” Akhter wrote in his 20-page utility for the competitors.
To sort out this urgent challenge, Akhter invented a first-of-its-kind water purification system that makes use of ultraviolet radiation and plasma sterilization to take away pathogens like E. coli, TC toxins, and Fd bacteriophage from the water.
Remarkably, the water air purifier is made solely from digital waste together with recycled laptop computer batteries, broken circuit boards, deserted driver motors, and even elements from an previous TV.
Digital waste is notoriously exhausting to interrupt down, and it is among the fastest-growing stable waste streams on the planet, with an estimated 62 million tons produced annually.
“On this challenge, the parts used have been all reusable elements from varied units or dwelling home equipment,” Akhter defined.
“By using digital waste, this challenge not solely showcases an modern strategy to useful resource administration but additionally highlights the significance of recycling and reusing supplies to scale back environmental air pollution.”
The invention can be solar-powered, which makes it extra sustainable. And it additionally ensures that it’s accessible to the individuals who want it most: these dwelling in flooded areas that lack energy.
“The incorporation of photo voltaic panels for charging not solely enhances sustainability but additionally holds the potential to considerably enhance water purification in flood inclined areas of Bangladesh and [the] world, decreasing the incidence of water-borne ailments,” Akhter wrote in his paper.
Tanvir Ahmed, a civil engineering professor who served as a jury board member for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize in Bangladesh, advised the Enterprise Normal that Akhter’s invention is profitable on numerous ranges.
“This breakthrough represents a major stride in direction of sustainable, environment-friendly and value efficient water administration practices, heralding a brand new period within the combat towards water air pollution,” Ahmed mentioned.
In August, on the Stockholm Junior Water Prize in Sweden, Akhter’s invention didn’t take dwelling the highest prize — however he did characterize his nation with satisfaction.
Again dwelling, the Bangladesh Stockholm Junior Water Prize authority mentioned: “This younger visionary has triumphed along with his groundbreaking water innovation, inspiring us all along with his dedication to a sustainable future.”
Header picture through Pok Rie
