“I have developed skills in working with people in different areas or cultures.” Says student I. Conroy, who, together with more than 100 students from 11 colleges in Finland and the Netherlands, participated in the Biobased Battle 27 from March 30 to 2023. The nail on the head as far as Mara van Eijndhoven, organization of the Battle, is concerned. ; Developing new skills in students from various fields and cultures and learning from each other's expertise and way of working are important drivers for organizing the challenge-based research and education activity.
The 18 student groups got to work on 3 challenges from the business world. Have you ever thought about it, for example? 'brushing your teeth with PHBs?' Or 'that potato starch could revolutionize the plastics industry?' It is these types of creative thinking and innovative results that arise from bringing together students from different backgrounds and disciplines and that can serve as solutions to the global challenges in the biobased industry. In terms of content, the Biobased Battle 2023 was a success for those asking questions.
Education, research and fun go together
Ultimately, the development of the students themselves is also paramount. During this 4-day Battle, workshops were organized to help students come up with, test and develop ideas into a successful pitch. Learning also happens from each other; “A climate change specialist, environmental science in agriculture, environmental engineering, chemistry, biology, experience in non-flaming of waste material, Biobased technology specialization” are examples that were mentioned during the conversation about each other's valuable expertise for the Biobased Battle. Research is thus used as a reason for and an instrument in education.
We would like to list the winners per challenge:
The winners of the first challenge, Deyana Mineva and Ivan Kirilov from Avans, Glenn Holmström and Juha Blomqvist from TAMK, and Henri Miilumäki from LAB, presented their solution: 'Peeling back the layers of sustainability – aspect revolutionizing the plastic industry with potato starch' on the assignment, which was formulated by LAB University of Applied Sciences. The challenge was to create solutions that would enable the sustainable, fair production of biobased raw materials for the biobased plastics industry.
The winners of the second challenge are Flori Calcan from Avans, Derk Rensen and Casper Brutsaert from HAN, and Venla Linebaugh and Mona Kunnas from TAMK. They presented their solution: 'Brush your teeth with PHBs! ́ for the challenge formulated by Sweco and HAN BioCentre that asked to determine which products can be made from PHB, a bioplastic produced by methanotrophic bacteria.
Last but not least, the winners of the third challenge are: Rens van Brussel and Eva Vullings from Fontys, Mick Courage and Isabela Correia Costa van Zuyd and Marit Smit and Satu Ruuska from Karelia. They found a suitable solution for the challenge of PeelPioneers/Avans University of Applied Sciences to find ways to efficiently process the residual waste from the PeelPioneers process.
Source: Center of Expertise Biobased Economy
Photo: Center of Expertise Biobased Economy
