Josephians Showcase Enterprising Project at NXplorers
1 November 2022
Five Josephians used orange peels to filter aquarium water and won NXplorers seed funding.
Congratulations to our young conservation warriors - Ciaran Liam Condron (LE301), Premanandan Dishnu (LE301), Lee Jayden Seo Jin (LE301), Sidharth Subramanyam (MN301) and Nathaniel Cheng Le Shan (ML302) who were mentored by SJI teacher Ms Gina Tan and Mr Ernest Lee from Shell - for their enterprising project on recycling orange peels at the NXplorers Project Showcase!
The NXplorers Journey 2022 was a year-long STEM-based programme organised by the Singapore Science Centre and Shell Singapore which aims at challenging schools to find innovative ways of solving problems related to food, water, and energy. Although daunting, SJI’s team SUS-tainability decided to take on the challenge, becoming one of the top 13 schools to receive a seed funding of $2,500 as well as the NXplorers trophy.
The team had set their sights on two key issues: a big amount of water usage and food wastage in Singapore. To combat them, the team had a secret weapon: orange peels. Using the bio-adsorbent properties of orange peels, toxic chemicals can be removed from the water, allowing more water to be reused in addition to giving food waste a second life. Under the guidance of their teacher-in-charge, Ms Gina Tan and mentor from Shell, Mr Ernest Lee, the team developed a modular prototype design to house the orange peels and other chemicals such as activated carbon. The orange peels were then placed in an aquarium and acted as an alternative natural organic filter to remove harmful aqueous ammonia in the water that might spike in level and kill the fishes. This method of water purification using orange peel is both safe and cost-effective.
Throughout the year-long journey, team SUS-tainability acquired useful skills, ranging from experimental techniques in the lab to effective communication. They also learned an important fact that no matter how small our effort may seem, we can make a big difference and produce a positive impact on our environment. This has encouraged them to be more sustainable and to inspire others to do the same, helping our community become more green and eco-friendly. Read more about their sustainable project: