Two PhD candidates have won the top prize in the BASF Asia-Pacific PhD Challenge with a proposal to generate fuel from algae. Sofia Chaudry and Ashiwin Vadiveloo, from Western Australia’s Murdoch University, were among teams competing to address the challenges of mobility.
The winning entry, Sustainable Hydrocarbon Production from Microalgae, proposes using microalgae as an alternative source of sustainable fuel production. The pair will attend the BASF International Summer Course in Germany in August and take part in the Creator Space Science Symposium in Shanghai in November. BASF Advanced Materials and Systems Research president Harald Lauke said the winning idea was a great example of how chemistry and science can make a contribution to society.