Nanocellulose Hydrosponges for 6PPD-Q Removal
Lakshmi Agrawal · Bellevue, Washington
Regeneron Young Scientist Award ($75,000) · Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair · 2026
Plant-based sponge filters made from jute waste, designed to pull 6PPD-quinone — the tyre-derived contaminant implicated in coho salmon die-offs — out of stormwater runoff.
Reported roughly 80% removal of the target contaminant, using 85% less energy and costing 98% less than the alternatives it was compared against.
Three numbers, three different axes: removal, energy, cost. A filtration project that only reports removal invites the question "at what cost?", and this one answered it before it was asked.
- Nanocellulose extraction from jute waste
- Adsorption testing for 6PPD-quinone
- Removal-efficiency measurement
- Energy and cost comparison against alternatives
- Reporting performance, energy and cost together closes the obvious follow-up questions
- A waste feedstock is a real design constraint, not a garnish — it is what makes the cost figure credible
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