Three 16-year-old school students from India — Vivaan Chhavchharia, Ariana Agarwal and Avyana Mehta — have become the global winners of The Earth Prize environmental award. Their project, Plas-Stick, was recognized as the best school environmental innovation after winning the regional stage in Asia.
The teenagers created a powder based on tamarind seeds that helps remove microplastics from water. After the compound is added and gently stirred, the tiny plastic particles cluster into visible lumps, which can then be extracted with an ordinary magnet. The technology does not require electricity, complex equipment or expensive materials.
The idea came after a trip to rural parts of India, where the students saw that many residents use water without modern purification systems. The authors aimed to create a solution that would be as accessible as possible for regions with limited infrastructure. Because tamarind is widely available, the technology may be inexpensive and simple to produce.
After the international victory, the team plans to organize local production of Plas-Stick and begin introducing the development in rural areas of India, and then in other countries.
