Congratulations
to
Chemical
Engineering’s
Team
5
students
whose
project
Reduce,
Carbonize,
Adsorb
won
the
prestigious
Palihapitiya
Venture
Creation
Fund
award!
Waterloo
Engineering
alumnus
and
founder
of
Social
Capital,
Chamath
Palihapitiya
created
the
award
in
2014.
The
Palihapitiya
Venture
Creation
Fund
grants
two
$50,000
awards
to
Capstone
teams
who
intend
to
transform
their
Capstone
projects
into
dynamic
new
startups
post-graduation.
Reduce,
Carbonize,
Adsorb
Reduce,
Carbonize,
Adsorb
is
a
sustainability-focused
group
whose
members
set
out
to
reduce
the
harmful
effects
of
polyethylene
terephthalate
(PET)
water
bottles
used
at
a
rate
of
over
100
million
per
day
worldwide
by
converting
it
into
a
valuable
material.
As
innovative
thinkers,
team
members,
Rachel
Blanchard,
Steven
Vilcacundo
Molina,
Nicole
Howard
and
Kris
Ma
are
dedicated
to
reducing
the
ecological
footprint
caused
by
plastic
water
bottle
disposal
while
also
providing
a
value-added
product
that
generates
a
profit
for
the
investors
and
stakeholders.
Their
solution
aims
to
reduce
the
impact
of
PET
disposal
on
the
environment
by
converting
PET
waste
into
a
premium
activated
carbon
product
using
novel
oxygen
reduced
and
controlled
thermal
decomposition
process.
The
process
produces
high-value
activated
carbon
with
unique
material
properties.
The
differentiated
material
properties,
including
extremely
large
surface
area
and
low
surface
charge,
made
it
appealing
for
wastewater
treatment
and
air
pollution
control.
The
future
of
the
project
The
team
was
elated
to
receive
this
$50,000
award
to
help
finance
their
post-graduate
startup!
Their
target
markets
include
carbon
dioxide
capturing
facilities,
wastewater
treatment
facilities,
and
the
textile
industry.
The
team
is
excited
to
continue
the
development
of
the
process
through
bench-scale
as
well
as
pilot-scale
testing
with
the
help
of
the
Palihapitiya
Venture
Creation
Fund
Award
and
under
the
guidance
of
Professor
Tizazu
Mekonnen.
