KUALA LUMPUR: Four students of SJKT Ladang Highlands in Klang recently showcased their creativity in finding ways to resolve perennial water woes in the Klang Valley.
The team of four created a nano-filter to treat wastewater from kitchen sinks, which can then be used in toilet flush tanks.
Their "Eco-Reuse Nanotechnology Wastewater Filter" was made from cigarette butts, single-use plastic bags and dried oil palm fronds.
The invention saw Mahaawin Sivamohan, 11, Subatheshwin Sivamohan, 10, Thanuja Kumaran, 9, and Bavatharinee Sivaguru, 9, win the Gold award from the Malaysia Young Scientists Conference and Exhibition (MYSCE) 2020.
The conference was held online.
The team's teacher-in-charge, Shanthie Krishnan, said the students created the filter to help households conserve water in the event of supply disruption.
"The nano-filters will ensure households have continuous water supply to their toilet flush tanks. This can help them face unscheduled water supply disruptions," she said.
Shanthie said this was the fourth time the school has bagged a Gold award at international innovation competitions.
"Our school is certainly fortunate to be receiving young talents like them every year.
"This team, in particular, was able to work with minimal guidance from me and the project mentor, Thinakaran Narayanan, from the National Youth Institute of Higher Education in Sepang.
"They collected the waste materials, treated them through various processes to develop the nano filters and designed a prototype to demonstrate how the filter works," she said.
Nevertheless, the budding scientists are not resting on their laurels and they have set out on a new venture.
"The four students are now working on another innovation project," Shanthie said.