Filipina Engineers Turn Plastic Waste Into Water Purifiers
An all-women engineering team from Batangas State University in the Philippines has secured the top prize at UNESCO’s World Engineering Day hackathon, held in celebration of sustainable development innovation. The announcement came on March 4, 2022, marking a significant achievement in a global competition designed to address pressing United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development, established in 2020, serves to highlight the critical role of engineering in combating climate change and advancing the SDG agenda. This year’s hackathon challenged young engineers worldwide to devise solutions for three focus areas: responsible and innovative use of materials with reduced non-biodegradable waste, bio-mimicry in engineering, and water accessibility under changing climate conditions.
From a pool of 125 teams representing 23 countries, the trio of Reaner Jacqueline Bool, Ghia Luwalhati, and Nicole Elizabeth Tan emerged victorious. Operating under the name WONDERPETS, they presented a project titled “Water remediatiON using metal-organic framework DERived from PET bottleS.” Their concept directly targets two global environmental challenges—plastic pollution and water contamination.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the material commonly used in beverage and cosmetic bottles, is a major contributor to marine pollution. Global estimates indicate that approximately 14 million tons of plastic enter the oceans annually, disrupting ecosystems, threatening food and water safety, and posing risks to human health. Incineration of such plastics exacerbates climate change through greenhouse gas emissions.
The WONDERPETS’ approach transforms PET bottles from waste into a functional water purification medium. Central to their innovation are metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), crystalline materials characterized by repeating cage-like structures formed from metal ions linked to organic molecules. These structures create an exceptionally high internal surface area, enabling MOFs to act as highly efficient adsorbents.
When deployed in water, MOFs function like microscopic sponges, capturing and removing pollutants. They can be regenerated and reused multiple times, offering a sustainable purification cycle. The team’s breakthrough lies in deriving MOFs from PET bottle components through a water-soluble process, eliminating the need for toxic organic solvents traditionally used in MOF synthesis. This not only reduces environmental hazards but also lowers production costs, enhancing the feasibility of widespread application.
Such a system addresses the dual problem of plastic waste and unsafe water, offering a pathway toward cleaner oceans and improved water quality. The method’s reliance on recycled materials aligns with circular economy principles, where waste is repurposed into valuable resources, reducing reliance on virgin raw materials.
The runner-up team, composed of Ammar Zavahir, Patrick Jilek-Rodriguez, and Wilson Holland from the University of British Columbia Okanagan, tackled water accessibility through a mobile rainwater harvesting system. Their design aims to provide clean water to indigenous communities in Canada, highlighting the diverse geographic and cultural contexts in which engineering solutions can be applied.
UNESCO showcased the nine finalist projects in short video presentations during a live-streamed event on March 4, 2022. These entries collectively demonstrate the breadth of innovation possible when engineering talent is mobilized toward sustainable development. The hackathon format encourages rapid prototyping, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practical problem-solving—skills increasingly vital in addressing global environmental and societal challenges.
Metal-organic frameworks, though relatively new in practical applications, have been studied for uses ranging from gas storage to catalysis. Their adaptation for water remediation, particularly from recycled PET sources, reflects a growing trend in advanced materials research: leveraging high-performance structures from waste streams. For engineers and material scientists, the WONDERPETS’ work underscores the potential of integrating chemical engineering, environmental science, and materials innovation to create scalable, eco-conscious solutions.
The success of this Philippine team illustrates how targeted engineering interventions can yield multifaceted benefits, simultaneously addressing pollution, resource scarcity, and public health concerns.
