At 18, she created a plastic that releases enzymes to attack microplastics

Arya Satheesh, an 18-year-old Irish student, transformed a school project for monitoring water quality into an award-winning initiative. The project, called Eco Purge, seeks to address one of the problems associated with plastic pollution. Unlike many alternatives to conventional plastics, which only replace one material with another, Eco Purge proposes a different approach. It is a plant-based and biodegradable plastic that incorporates enzymes. As the material degrades, these enzymes are released and can act on certain microplastics present in the environment. According to ZME Science, microplastics represent a growing threat to ecosystems and human health, which makes this solution particularly relevant in the current context of the fight against plastic pollution.