Jonathan Lai: Bioplastic Products Made from Food Waste
Bioplastic Products Made from Food Waste.
Jonathan Lai developed sustainable bioplastic products from food waste. Converting a variable organic waste stream into a consistent material requires experimentation with formulation, processing and end-use properties.
Innovation mindset: See discarded food not as one homogeneous waste problem but as a feedstock whose chemistry can be redesigned.
Official project title: Turning Trash Into Treasure: Creating Sustainable Bioplastic Products From Food Waste Through Innovation (Environmental Engineering).
IP note
No public IP record; any filing made around the May 2025 fair would not yet be published under the 18-month rule — register check due from late 2026.
Recognition
Regeneron ISEF 2025 — Third Award ($1,200).
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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