Swansea student inventors’ idea for safe drinking water reaches semi-final of international design competition

A team of Swansea University students has successfully designed a filtration system aimed at making river water safe for drinking. Their innovative solution has earned them a spot in the European semi-final of the global design competition called “Invent for the Planet”. Organized by Texas A&M University, the competition involved 20 universities from 15 countries. Swansea University was the sole representative from the UK.

Participating students formed local teams and selected global challenges to address. This year’s challenges included improving access to clean water in Papua New Guinea, creating innovative housing solutions for growing populations, reducing bycatch to protect marine life, and developing sustainable energy solutions for sub-Saharan African countries. These challenges align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Each team had 48 hours to research their chosen challenge, create a prototype, and develop an elevator pitch. The teams then presented their solutions to a panel of judges. A total of 40 Swansea students, representing 11 countries and 12 subjects within the faculty of Science and Engineering, participated in the competition.

The winning team, named Pure Flow, consisted of six students: Francesca Jarvis (maths and computer science), Sean Calucag (chemical engineering), and Hywel Crawley, Harry Griffiths, Sanskar Aryal, and Oskar Augustin (all mechanical engineering). Their challenge was to invent a solution to improve access to clean water and sanitation in Papua New Guinea, considering the country’s challenging geography.

Pure Flow’s solution was a low-cost and low-maintenance filtration system designed to filter river water and provide clean drinking water to rural populations.

Pure Flow recently competed in the European semi-final, held at Atlantic Technological University in Galway, Ireland. Although they narrowly missed out on first place, they were recognized as runners-up. The team presented an early prototype of their filtration system, which the judges deemed to have the potential to become a viable product. Swansea University’s enterprise team, known for supporting student start-ups, will provide guidance on further developing the idea.

Members of the winning team shared their experiences:

• Sanskar Aryal, a second-year Mechanical Engineering student, said: “Invent for the Planet was awesome! I loved every challenge and activity and will be taking away a driven mindset, the feeling of overcoming a challenge, and some really good memories.”
• Oluwadra Bobade, a second-year Electrical and Electronics Engineering student, said: “It was a fantastic experience – this is what engineering is about! I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
• Ashima Anand, an MSc Structural Engineering student, said: “It was an amazing experience to work with new people from other subjects and years, and we had so much support from the staff. I would do it again 100%.”

Swansea’s success in the Invent for the Planet competition is a testament to the flourishing partnership between Swansea University and leading universities in Texas, such as Texas A&M University. This partnership extends beyond the competition and includes student exchange schemes and research collaborations in areas like nanomedicine.

Dr Caroline Coleman-Davies, Texas Strategic Partnership lead and co-organizer for Invent for the Planet, expressed her gratitude to Texas A&M University for providing Swansea students with the opportunity to participate in this unique event. She highlighted how the competition allows students to collaborate with peers from different disciplines and year groups, as well as interact with participants and mentors from around the world.

Kelly Jordan, Senior Entrepreneurship Officer and co-organizer for Invent for the Planet, emphasized how the competition helps students develop their entrepreneurial skills and apply their engineering and scientific knowledge to make a positive impact on the world. She also commended the enterprise team for their role in supporting students’ entrepreneurship development.

Professor Helen Griffiths, Pro Vice Chancellor for research and one of the judges for the competition, congratulated all the teams on their impressive achievements. She praised the entrepreneurial creativity and capabilities demonstrated by the Swansea University students in developing concepts, prototypes, and pitches within just 48 hours.

The 2024 Invent for the Planet competition was sponsored by the Engineers in Business Fellowship. The event was delivered by a cross-University team comprising experts from Research, Engagement and Innovation Services, Academic Partnerships, and the faculties of Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, and Geography.

Find out more about our partnership with Texas