Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge

From September 2021 to March 2022, I along with a group of six others worked hard to come up with a solution for brine disposal. For a bit of context, brine is the product of desalination, a process used to convert seawater into fresh drinkable water. Brine is a thick and extremely saline substance that can harm the ecosystems if released into the ocean. The solution we came up with, was to convert the brine into a brick, which would be used in houses or other forms of construction. The process would start by crystallizing the brine in a container inspired by the pangolin’s armor plates. Then it gets processed and ultimately turned into a brick.

We were able to come up with this solution, all from home. It was only possible through extensive research and trial and error. At first, we attempted to make simple salt crystals. We had also attempted mixing the salt with clay or other substances, all of them not producing the desired results. Eventually, we mixed the salt with starch (at home we used corn starch), and it produced a solid brick.

In March 2022, my team and I presented our research to the Biomimicry Youth and Design Challenge. This was a global competition with participants from around the world. In May 2022, our research had become a finalist in this competition.

Although less known, brine disposal is a major environmental issue which impacts marine life. The dumping of brine into the seas raises the toxicity levels of the water, killing the fish. Hopefully, our innovative brine bricks would be considered as one possible solution to this issue.