PISQ Senior High School Students Against Climate Change

Written by Samantha Facun, News Writer

Campus News

Originally written on  December 12, 2019

Held at the Qatar National Convention Center, last December 2, 2019, different schools participated in the Young Innovators competition concerning the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. One of these goals was Climate Change Action (SDG 13). Climate Change negatively affects the environment and the way people live; thus the need for an immediate and efficient solution.

In the said category, two groups from the senior high school department of Philippine International School-Qatar had the honor of participating. One of these groups, The Little Saplings, formulated a solution that focused on the carbon emission of Qatar. 

The group’s members: Lara Feliciano and Salsabila Abdillah of 12 STEM A, Angela Pieres of 12 STEM B, Rizky Wibawa Utama of 11 STEM B, and Samantha Facun of 11 HUMSS , created an invention that utilized the abundance of date seeds in Qatar as well as the use of air conditioners. The delegates came up with the Date Infused Aircon Filters, by turning the seeds into activated carbon, placed in a filter bag and inserted in air conditioners.

Activated carbon filters using millions of pores and large surface area to remove harmful chemicals in the vicinity through adsorption. This activated carbon is then used to filter the air. During the activated carbon adsorption process, compounds in the air react with the carbon to stick to the surface area, effectively removing the contaminant from the air.

The seeds were thoroughly washed with water to remove the remnants of the mesocarp (flesh) and other foreign materials. Then, they were left to dry over a layer of plastic indoors.  These were dehydrated in a drying oven at 110 OC to expedite crushing. In order to activate the raw material, Zinc Chloride (ZnCl2) was dissolved with distilled water and mixed with 25 g of crushed seeds and left overnight for carbonization. The impregnated seeds were placed in a cylindrical stainless steel and then sealed at one end. One had a removable cover with a 2 mm hole at the center to allow the pyrolysis vapors and gases to escape.  After, the activator from the carbonization products were removed by thorough washing. Right after, the pyrolysis products were grinded into fine powder and the required volume of dilute HCl was added with the liquid to solid ratio. The mixture was poured into a conical flask and left overnight. On the following day, the supernatant liquid was decanted in a filter paper followed by three successive washings and decantation using distilled water.

 

The Little Saplings took home the award for 2nd place and truly made their alma mater proud but not only that, they were able to share how one seed could change the world or the better.