Karthikgesan Santharasekaran’s passion for the environment has led him to two gold medals.
A proud achievement for the nation, the Perak boy’s simple innovations to protect the environment caught the eye of judges.
His winning inventions at the virtual Global Olimpiad Green Innovation Fair, were a plant compost and biodegradable pots
Karthikgesan, 15, took part in the competition’s environmental machinery and green technology open category, consisting of 222 groups from 12 other countries.
The winning inventions include Karthikgesan’s biodegradable pots – Image by Malay Mail
The virtual competition took place from February till early May this year.
According to a report by Malay Mail, his biodegradable pots come in various sizes and are made from cow dung, lemongrass and coconut husks.
“The composition of these materials make these pots that can last for three months before disintegrating and can be later used as a fertiliser or compost for plants.
“I created these pots as they were more environmentally-friendly than the PVC pots or single-use plastic plant pots as they are biodegradable.
“And anyone can use them whether you’re living in the city or the rural area as the biodegradable pots do not harm the environment,” Karthikgesan told the news portal.
According to the report his other gold medal was for his invention of a pot machine known as Enviro Solar Compost Machine that makes the biodegradable pots in various sizes depending on the user.
The machine is able to make the pots out of 90 per cent of cow dung and the rest consisting of lemon grass and coconut husks.
The Enviro Solar Compost Machine is a pot machine that makes biodegradable pots – Image by Malay Mail
“Lemongrass can be used as a mosquito repellent and gives off a nice fragrance where one can put it anywhere in their homes without worrying about the smell it emits.
“Coconut husks, on the other hand, is an excellent biodegradable material which is an important ingredient that many can use rather than throwing it away after extracting its coconut milk.
“These pots can last up to three months,” he added.
