SASS technology wins Australia’s runner-up place in the James Dyson Award
A Monash Chemical Engineering team has been selected as Australia’s national runner-up in the 2021 James Dyson Award, an international design award that celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers.
PhD students Mostafa Dehghani and Mahdi Naseri and undergraduate student Clare Carew were recognised by the James Dyson Foundation for the quality of their SASS: Stand Alone Sunflow System technology. SASS is a simple, sustainable and stand-alone water treatment system, requiring only sunlight to operate, that can be used for the removal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from water resources.
The team is now in the running to make the Dyson Engineers’ top 20 shortlist and a further chance at the AUD$52,000 international prize or sustainability prize. The shortlist will be announced on October 13 and the overall international prize winners will be revealed on November 17.
The SASS uses a cellulose/zinc oxide catalyst activated by sunlight to break down organic pollutants in water circulated through a treatment tank. The pilot prototype takes advantage of sunlight, and could be especially effective in areas with a high light intensity like Australia. Mounted UV lights powered by solar panels are activated when insufficient sunlight is available, while a micro controller manages the flow of water through the system.
At the end of the treatment cycle, clean water is discharged from the system. Efficacy of the system was examined using a variety of persistent organic pollutants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), dioxane solvents, industrial dyes, and real wastewater samples, until degradation to below health and environmental advised levels were achieved.
The design was inspired by the natural water treatment cycle found in nature, and has evolved over four prototypes over the past four years to improve the systems’ efficiency, long term performance, and efficacy. Using easily accessible and affordable materials, SASS provides a simple, clean and affordable water treatment option that requires less labour and maintenance than traditional systems. The SASS design also avoids using fossil fuel-based energy sources or chemicals that pose a hazard to human or environmental health. This design is aimed to treat organic contaminants of polluted water in small and medium industries or low resource settings.
Team lead Mostafa Dehghani is delighted that their SASS design will progress to the international round of the competition. “It all started with a simple but valuable question: what if we check our system outside under Australia's beautiful sunlight?” he said. “Ultimately, we would like to scale up the SASS to accommodate treatment of larger water streams and contribute to efforts to ensure a clean, safe water supply in global areas of need. I want to thank my family and my PhD supervisors Associate Professor Warren Batchelor and Professor Mark Banaszak Holl, BioPRIA and Monash University for their endless support in developing the SASS.”
Professor Mark Banaszak Holl said, “Congratulations to Mostafa, Clare, and Mahdi for their recognition as National Runner-Up in the James Dyson International Design competition. We are proud of their innovative design and commitment to solving the global challenge of water scarcity. We look forward to the results of the short-list and international competition and wish them well.”
Learn more about the SASS here:
