Aditya Pratap Singh Chauhan and Tejas Sharma: MICROPA
MICROPA — microplastic detection (Nile Red + OpenCV) and algal removal.
Starting from reports of microplastics in bottled water, the Raipur pair wanted both to see the contamination and to remove it biologically. MICROPA stains particles with Nile Red dye so they fluoresce under UV and counts them with an OpenCV web app; a culture of the microalga *Rhodomonas salina* then aggregates the particles for capture on a fine membrane, with about 85 per cent reported removal. The project reached Regeneron ISEF 2020, and Aditya received the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2023.
IP note
No public IP record; two inventors, one national award.
Recognition
Regeneron ISEF 2020 finalists; PMRBP 2023 (Aditya).
What this means for a student inventor in India
[Editor: 120–200 words connecting this story to the Indian route — Section 6 (any true inventor may apply), provisional vs complete specification, disclosure at fairs (Section 31), renewals, and who owns what when a school is involved. Link to the relevant MYCrave guide.]
Related young innovators
- Boyan Slat — The Ocean Cleanup
- Gitanjali Rao — Tethys
- Deepika Kurup — Solar photocatalytic water purifier
Sources
[Editor: list the 2–4 primary sources from the research notes for this entry, with the date checked.]
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