Project History
This project was first conceived as a FIRST LEGO League project in 2016 with four team members (Ashton Cofer, Julie Bray, Luke Clay, Natalie Clay).
We first became aware of the growing Styrofoam® crisis when our friends visited Central America and told us that they were shocked by the overwhelming amount of Styrofoam trash that littered the beaches. After researching the problem further, we learned that polystyrene foam waste fills up a staggering 25% of landfills and takes over 500 years to degrade. This inspired us to want to come up with a solution, and we asked ourselves, “Is it possible to transform an environmental PROBLEM into an environmental SOLUTION?”
During our initial development, we worked together every week to perform simple experiments at home using a backyard grill and other household items. Unfortunately, all of our experiments failed catastrophically. We were so discouraged that we almost gave up, but because we had each other for encouragement and brainstorming more ideas, our team was able to persevere and work through each challenge that we faced.
Click here to read more about the details of the development of our project.
Once we successfully produced a few interesting samples, we reached out to scientists at Battelle Laboratories and the Ohio State University. Their researchers were extremely helpful and gave us access to advanced testing equipment. We are so grateful for their kind and generous support of our project!
A few years ago, two of our team members decided to move on to other endeavors, but the remaining two of us decided that we wanted to continue working on the project in order to further analyze and optimize the performance of the activated carbon product. We happened to meet Professor Joe Reczek of the Denison University Chemistry Department at a local STEM event where we were volunteering, and after telling him about our project and what we wanted to do, Prof. Reczek graciously provided us with expert mentorship and complete access to his research lab for analytical testing. We have learned tremendously from Prof. Reczek, and his enthusiasm has made us even more excited about chemistry and the potential for our project!
In addition, we worked with Mr. Alan Roy of the Calgon Carbon Corporation who provided guidance on the industrial processes used in the manufacture of activated carbon. We also met with Mr. Jonathan Kissell of Rumpke Waste & Recycling who gave us information and insights on the commercial challenges of dealing with polystyrene foam waste. We are so thankful that they were able to share their expertise about the activated carbon and waste recycling industries!
In summary, we have received invaluable insights and feedback about our Styro-Filter project through collaborations with scientists and engineers in both industry and universities. But most of all, we have benefited from our collaboration as a team because we have supported each other and had fun together throughout our research on this project. As we look toward the future of our project through making our process publicly available, we are excited to see what new insights and applications are possible!
We first became aware of the growing Styrofoam® crisis when our friends visited Central America and told us that they were shocked by the overwhelming amount of Styrofoam trash that littered the beaches. After researching the problem further, we learned that polystyrene foam waste fills up a staggering 25% of landfills and takes over 500 years to degrade. This inspired us to want to come up with a solution, and we asked ourselves, “Is it possible to transform an environmental PROBLEM into an environmental SOLUTION?”
During our initial development, we worked together every week to perform simple experiments at home using a backyard grill and other household items. Unfortunately, all of our experiments failed catastrophically. We were so discouraged that we almost gave up, but because we had each other for encouragement and brainstorming more ideas, our team was able to persevere and work through each challenge that we faced.
Click here to read more about the details of the development of our project.
Once we successfully produced a few interesting samples, we reached out to scientists at Battelle Laboratories and the Ohio State University. Their researchers were extremely helpful and gave us access to advanced testing equipment. We are so grateful for their kind and generous support of our project!
A few years ago, two of our team members decided to move on to other endeavors, but the remaining two of us decided that we wanted to continue working on the project in order to further analyze and optimize the performance of the activated carbon product. We happened to meet Professor Joe Reczek of the Denison University Chemistry Department at a local STEM event where we were volunteering, and after telling him about our project and what we wanted to do, Prof. Reczek graciously provided us with expert mentorship and complete access to his research lab for analytical testing. We have learned tremendously from Prof. Reczek, and his enthusiasm has made us even more excited about chemistry and the potential for our project!
In addition, we worked with Mr. Alan Roy of the Calgon Carbon Corporation who provided guidance on the industrial processes used in the manufacture of activated carbon. We also met with Mr. Jonathan Kissell of Rumpke Waste & Recycling who gave us information and insights on the commercial challenges of dealing with polystyrene foam waste. We are so thankful that they were able to share their expertise about the activated carbon and waste recycling industries!
In summary, we have received invaluable insights and feedback about our Styro-Filter project through collaborations with scientists and engineers in both industry and universities. But most of all, we have benefited from our collaboration as a team because we have supported each other and had fun together throughout our research on this project. As we look toward the future of our project through making our process publicly available, we are excited to see what new insights and applications are possible!
