Two teams of students are hoping to clean up the nation’s waters with their inventions, which have just been shortlisted for national awards.
Four students from Imperial College London have created Qualboat – an autonomous boat that surveys water quality and uses AI to make intelligent predictions.
While two students from the University of Bath have created FilTerra – biochar-based filter that captures microplastics during the recycling process before sludge is repurposed as fertiliser.
Both are now in the final of EIBF’s Champion of Champions Competition – a set of awards that recognise the best of the best engineering and science innovations spinning out of universities across the UK.
Qualboat
Engineering students Julia Gong Pinho, 21, and Rose Zheng, 20, partnered with Computing student Charlie Campbell, 20, and Physics student Aidan Randall, 20, created Qualboat on their way to winning a prize at their university’s WE Innovate competition which was part-funded by charity EIBF.
Charlie said: “Growing up in the UK, we have witnessed first-hand the deterioration of our waters. For some of us, we grew up looking at sewage being dumped into the River Mersey near our homes. Our hope is that Qualboat can be used to catalyse a change in the industry, facilitating a clean-up of our waters, creating safe spaces for communities to use and allowing wildlife to thrive.”
The students say their innovation provides a faster and more comprehensive way of collecting water quality data, while operating at a lower cost than traditional methods and hope that it will allow water companies to better measure their water quality.
On being shortlisted for the grand final, Julia said:
“It gives us a platform to showcase our idea to a wider audience and make more people aware of the severe problem facing the UKs waters.”
Sarah Ranchev-Hale, Head of Imperial Enterprise Lab, said:
“Throughout their time on the WE Innovate programme, Qualboat continuously embodied an innovative spirit and exemplified the technical prowess of Imperial College London students. Their progress from WE Innovate to the EIBF’s Champion of Champions Competition is a testament to their dedication and the vast potential of their venture. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and excited to see how Qualboat will contribute to cleaner, safer waters across the UK.”
FilTerra
FilTerra is the brainchild of University of Bath engineering students Niyaz Kanayev, 22, and Tim Girling, 23.
Developed for water treatment companies, FilTerra is a biochar-based filter that captures microplastics during the recycling process before sludge is repurposed as fertiliser.
The innovation picked up first prize at the university’s Bath Beyond Boundaries competition, funded by charity EIBF.
Niyaz said: “We all want less plastic in our food, and it starts on the fields.
“Reducing microplastics from our food supply will attempt to tackle the pressing issue of contamination of plastics and poor health.
“By preventing microplastics from contaminating the sludge, FilTerra helps protect the food chain and public health. Made from recycled organic waste, FilTerra is cost-effective and carbon neutral.
“Its high surface area makes it highly efficient at trapping microplastics, preventing harmful contaminants from entering the food chain. By retrofitting filters into the existing systems, FilTerra offers an affordable solution for both public and private water companies, helping ensure cleaner recycling practices without burdening taxpayers or farmers.”
On being shortlisted for the grand final, Niyaz said:
“We want to push idea to a limit and see how far we go. You lose 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Joanne Pike, Programme Manager, Faculty of Engineering and Design at University of Bath, said:
“As a faculty, we’re immensely proud of Niyaz and Tim for their initiative in developing FilTerra. Their application of engineering skills to tackle the issue of microplastics is truly inspiring. It exemplifies how our students can make a meaningful impact through innovation and dedication.”
Champion of Champions Competition
The Champion of Champions grand final will take place at the Royal Academy of Engineering on Friday 8 November, where the teams will compete for a share of the £16,500 prize pot, providing vital seed money to help winners develop their innovation.
Winners will also receive mentoring from business leaders who are members of the Sainsbury Management Fellows network, plus CV packages from PurpleCV and entrepreneurial books from Cambridge University Press and Double your Price, an award-winning book by David Falzani MBE, which covers how pricing works with practical insights, tools and actionable guidance.
The event, hosted by TV presenter and engineer Rob Bell, is the culmination of a year of EIBF-sponsored enterprise competitions held across UK universities, with thousands of undergraduate and graduates taking part.
Each year, EIBF champions business education for engineers and supports universities by giving them grants to award prizes to engineering students who develop ideas that can make a positive impact on society.
