Students in EU contest with garbage recycling project

Three sixth-formers will be taking part in the 17th EU contest for young scientists in Moscow this weekend.

Daniela Bartolo, Mark Abela and Andrea Micallef from St Aloysius College will present their Domestic Biogas Generator which produces biogas from finely ground organic waste matter through a process called anaerobic digestion.

It is intended as something people can do at home to reduce the volume of garbage.

Ms Bartolo said they tried to tackle the problem of pollution at its core. "We felt that recycling organic waste - which is roughly 72 per cent of what is thrown out - could be a possible and effective starting point," she said.

She described the project as "innovative" because the students were creating an anaerobic digester using various principles from different scientific fields that help eliminate pollution.

"Though we kept our scientific principles in line with what already exists, we moved away from creating the cliché digester which can be used on farms and instead based ourselves more on the needs of the public."

Mr Micallef said the project was of relevance to European citizens because it was a step towards sustainable development.

Mr Abela said the system was compact, safe, efficient and did not demand a lot of energy.

The EU Contest for Young Scientists, an initiative of the European Commission, promotes the ideals of co-operation and interchange among young scientists. The contest is the annual showcase of the best of European student scientific achievement.