Booth Id:
MATS013T
Category:
Materials Science
Year:
2021
Finalist Names:
Bucerzan, Bianca (School: Skyview High School)
Creech, Jace (School: Skyview High School)
Huang, Liyu (School: Skyview High School)
Abstract:
One Ocean. One Pandemic. One Mask. Triggered by these three elements, Hydrosolve is dedicated to combating oceanic plastic pollution and improving global health through developing water-soluble alternatives to disposable polypropylene (plastic) masks. It’s already a known issue that plastics are polluting our oceans, but according to current models, by 2050 there will be more plastics in the ocean than fish (by weight). With the United Nations estimating that 75% of the masks used during this pandemic will end up in the oceans and landfills, this becomes a catastrophic issue, worsening the already massive Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Simultaneously combatting all of these issues, we developed the Neptune, utilizing a triple-layered design made of a velvety paper inner lining, our own structural Hydrosolve polymer, and a PVA covering. After utilizing bacterial filtration, particle filtration, and water quality tests to ensure that our mask is just as effective as current polypropylene medical masks, we are confident that the mask will hold up under regular usage and provide protection while being able to dissolve in six minutes after being fully submerged in water. This means that it can be simply washed down the sink or flushed down the toilet after usage. As an added feature, by embedding seeds within the mask, the Neptune can also be planted in soil to grow vegetables. At the end of the day, we all live on this one planet, so help us protect the one ocean that we have and “dissolve your mark with our mask.”