A team of three students from Gary K. Herberger Young Scholars Academy in Arizona, USA, were also declared the joint Best in World winners from a list of outstanding Best in Region winners.
Students Jessica Finnie, Liam MacLaughlin and Ema Saliba tested the ability of a seaweed extract (sodium alginate) to absorb copper (a heavy metal ion) from water as a low-cost, sustainable solution to producing cleaner water.
‘Water pollution is a pertinent issue across the globe,’ the students wrote. ‘Heavy metals can leach into drinking water reservoirs from a variety of sources such as industrial manufacturing, mining, fertilizers, and pesticides, leading to non-potable water.’ The seaweed extract, a natural polymer, absorbed all copper from low-concentration solutions.
Judges said: ‘This is a project of high quality. The candidates pose an important question and provide a well-researched introduction clarifying its importance, with good consideration of safety and ethics. Careful planning allowed the demonstration of competence in a wide range of skills. Methods are precisely and clearly described. The results reflect good experimental design and are very well presented.’
When asked why they chose this topic, Ema Saliba said: ‘The real-world application was interesting. To see something work in a sustainable way, I think that motivated me to want to do this project more. I was interested in seeing how it could actually benefit the world.’