A Spanish project that eliminates microplastics in aquatic environments wins the NTT DATA FOUNDATION Global eAwards 2021

MADRID, 25 Nov. (Portaltic / EP) –

Captoplastic, a project created at the Autonomous University of Madrid that allows adding quantify, identify and eliminate the presence of microplastics in aquatic environments such as sea water, sewage or fresh water, has been chosen as the winner of the NTT DATA FOUNDATION Global eAwards 2021 (former everis foundation).

The contest, in which a total of 1,560 projects from ten countries in Europe and Latin America, is endowed with 60,000 euros and specialized advice to continue promoting the project, as reported by the foundation in a statement.

The jury of the awards has valued the technological innovation and the great environmental impact of the winner, the Spanish project Captoplastic, born at the Autonomous University of Madrid and owned by Beable Capital.

Experts estimate that there are currently about 230,000 tons of microplastics in seas and oceans. The Captoplastic team has developed a technology capable of retaining these tiny pieces of plastic of less than five millimeters, preventing their spread in the water and thus helping to solve this problem of environmental pollution.

“This recognition serves as an impetus for the next Captoplastic challenges, which begin with implement the technology in wastewater treatment plants already existing, as well as those to be built in the future. In the medium term, our goal is that washing machines also include our technology, since synthetic fabrics are plastics that pollute. AND by 2023 we want to have a plant installed in a wastewater treatment plant“, explains Raquel Parra, CEO of Captoplastic.

The company had been selected to represent Spain in the Global eAwards 2021 after winning the national call. With this award he receives international recognition and an endowment of 60,000 euros, as well as specialized advice.

The award was presented at the closing ceremony of the NTT DATA Talent Week, held this week in a hybrid format, which was attended by more than 1,000 national and international entrepreneurs, as well as investors, academics, businessmen, ambassadors and representatives of the diplomatic delegations of the participating countries.

The person in charge of delivering the award has been the Nobel Prize Mario Vargas Llosa, who during his speech highlighted the work of entrepreneurs as a vocation “equal to that which encourages writers, musicians and artists to persevere and find solutions that become opportunities for their lives and for those of others”.

FINALISTS

The other finalist projects in the call also have as a common denominator the use of high-impact, innovative, scalable and sustainable technologies, and their contribution to improving the quality of life or solving environmental problems.

The first of them, which comes from Brazil, is Anestech Innovation Rising. This ‘startup’ has developed a technology for anesthetists, promoting best practice, risk management and the control of adverse events at times when immediate decision-making is required.

The national winner of Chile was Blah Blah. It is an alternative communication system that replaces the natural speech of deaf people to provide voice and communication, based on automatic lip reading artificial intelligence technology.

In the case of Colombia, the Green face project proposes the use of disposable, antiviral and ecological masks that are an oral or nasal air filter, capable of neutralizing harmful pathogens from polluted inhaled air or from polluted air exhaled by patients infected with viruses and bacteria.

Peru had Eolic wall as a finalist, a new generation of wind systems that seeks to extend the use of wind energy at a retail and industrial level for the benefit of the environment.

Belgium had MyPitch as a finalist proposal, an application that encourages team sports in small clubs and children’s leagues, improving physical health and social interaction in local settings.

For its part, Holland comes Veridis Technologies. It is a scalable thermal analysis device for the recycling industry of plastics and other carbon-based materials, allowing recyclers to determine the quality, composition, degradation and effects of additives in plastic flows at scale industrial.

Italy presented Sinergy Flow as a finalist, a solution to redesign the current energy economy by developing a unique, efficient, sustainable and low-cost battery, capable of storing electrical energy for several days.

Portugal had N9ve as the national winner. It is a sustainable and scalable process to recover and separate rare earths, using living saline macroalgae, from electronic waste.

The last finalist comes from United Kingdom: Maanch. It is a technological solution to measure, monitor and report on the impact of investments, organizations and philanthropy, through the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).