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(L-R)Tang Kai-yeung, Kwan Ho-ting and Ho Cheuk with their roasted kombucha straws and cups made of fruit peels. Photo: Handout

Turning fruit peels into utensils: Hong Kong students to showcase food waste solution at InnoCarnival 2022

  • Form Six students came up with idea to turn fruit peels into roasted kombucha straws and cups after learning about city’s food waste
  • Trio to present work at InnoCarnival 2022, expected to be held from October 22 to 30

Three Hong Kong students have landed a spot at an event showcasing local inventions for their solution to food waste, which involves turning fruit peels into edible cups and straws.

Form Six students Kwan Ho-ting, Tang Kai-yeung and Ho Cheuk on Wednesday said they came up with the idea to turn fruit peels into roasted kombucha straws and cups after learning how much food waste was created in the city on a daily basis.

“Food waste is everywhere, especially in the local wet markets. Some fruits are simply thrown away just because they don’t look perfect,” Kwan said. “Fruit peels can actually be a raw material to make kombucha”.

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The trio will present their work at the InnoCarnival 2022, expected to be held from October 22 to 30 at the Hong Kong Science Park.

In 2020, about 10,809 tonnes of municipal solid waste was disposed of daily at landfills, of which 30 per cent was food waste, according to the Environmental Protection Department.

While working in their school’s laboratory for two years, the team discovered that kombucha membranes extracted from brewing fruit peels in a sugar solution were edible and biodegradable, Ho said.

Roasting the kombucha at 120 degrees Celsius (248 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes improved its tensile strength and waterproofness, allowing it to be turned into utensils, he said.

A palm-sized device called Liverscan invented by Professor Zheng Yongping and his team will also be displayed at the event. Photo: Handout

Ho added the cost of a kombucha straw and a cup was 30 HK cents (4 US cents) and HK$1.5, respectively, and the team had plans to sell them.

The trio said the next step was to further improve the tensile strength and reach out to local fruit stores and juice joints for cooperation.

But their path to innovation was not without its hiccups. The students said the Covid-19 pandemic had caused a lot of difficulties.

“We could not work in the laboratory when the campus was closed. When the campus reopened for half a day, we had to go to school early and spend our recess time to access the lab data because we still had classes to attend,” Kwan said.

The team earlier this year won the bronze medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.

A palm-sized device called Liverscan. Photo: Handout

Other inventions which will be featured at the InnoCarnival 2022 include a palm-sized device called Liverscan invented by Zheng Yongping, the chair professor of biomedical engineering at Polytechnic University, and his team.

The device, which was shown in a media preview, features the university’s patented ultrasound image-guided feature and can detect the stage of liver fibrosis through an ultrasound measurement of liver stiffness for early diagnosis and treatment.

“Its portable and wireless design allows more convenient operation and provides a safer, more efficient and comprehensive diagnostic solution. The whole process takes only five minutes,” Zheng said. “We’re trying to commercialise it with local clinics.”

The invention was among the research and development projects funded by the government’s innovation and technology fund.

Another project set to be displayed at the event is a structure known as the Green Machine developed by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel that can separate and recycle cotton-polyester blended textiles on an industrial scale.

An automatic guided vehicle called “E-transporter” that can carry heavy objects of up to 600kg (1322lbs) will also be showcased.

According to the Automotive Platforms and Application Systems R&D Centre, the vehicle can draw its own direction plans and avoid obstacles in its way and can also turn into narrow spaces.

An automatic guided vehicle called “E-transporter”. Photo: Handout

“It is much safer than a manually operated forklift,” said Christopher Luk, the centre’s lead R&D manager for intelligent systems, adding it could be used in factory warehouses and hospitals with seamless indoor and outdoor operations.

Rebecca Pun Ting-ting, the commissioner for innovation and technology, said the event would also feature aerospace-related exhibitions and activities, but stopped short of revealing further details.

She added the government had given tremendous support to the development of innovation and technology, promoting start-ups, strengthening collaboration among the industry, academia and research institutes, as well as promoting an innovation and technology culture to enhance public awareness.

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