Washington teenager wins $75,000 after creating sponge to trap salmon-killing tyre pollutant

Lakshmi Agrawal, an 18-year-old from Bellevue, Washington, won $75,000 at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) for a jute-waste sponge that removes the toxic tire pollutant 6PPD-quinone.

The biodegradable sponge, made from nanocellulose derived from jute plant waste, filtered out up to 80% of 6PPD-quinone in lab tests, a pollutant linked to coho salmon deaths in urban streams around Puget Sound.

The sponge also removes other contaminants like heavy metals, offering a low-cost, sustainable alternative to existing filtration methods for improving water quality.