Omani biologist wins top prize at Geneva inventions exhibition
The Grand Prize at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions was awarded on Friday to Omani biologist Sumaiya Al Siyabi for a process that breaks down microplastics present in aquatic ecosystems. This innovative solution combines biology and nanotechnology.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
العربية
ar
جنيف: عُمانية تفوز بالجائزة الكبرى في المعرض الدولي للاختراعات
“The process developed by Sumaiya Al Siyabi is a response to one of the main sources of pollution on earth,” said the Exhibition in a press release. Nearly 460 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year, a significant proportion of which ends up in water, where it deteriorates and becomes microplastics.
The solution presented by Al Siyabi combines microbial mats and nanomaterials, whose combined action with light dissolves the microplastics in just a few hours. According to the organisers, the process helps to make the water clean and liveable for wildlife.
Environmentally friendly, effective, economical and above all applicable on a large scale, this invention convinced the members of the jury in Geneva. Al Siyabi has already planned to adapt it to balls that would float above the microplastics to capture and eliminate them.
Other prizes handed out in Geneva included the People’s Choice Award for an invention called FREE2GO, a 3-in-1 beach safe that doubles as a safe, parasol stand and side table, so beach-goers can leave their belongings unattended and without risk.
This 49th edition of the International Exhibition of Inventions, which closes on Sunday, features more than a thousand inventions in a variety of fields. In all, some 30 prizes have been awarded. Open to the general public, the event enables professionals to obtain licences, buy patents or sign manufacturing contracts.
Translated from German by DeepL/gw
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
First large-scale alpine solar plant approved in Switzerland
This content was published on
The approval was met with satisfaction by the project's organisers, but it also brings with it a certain amount of pressure.
Medieval squirrels may have ‘helped spread leprosy’
This content was published on
An examination of squirrel remains in the United Kingdom has opened up interesting questions and possibilities in terms of the history of the disease.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.