Cornell University, $25,000
Phenol and its derivatives are produced in a wide variety of industrial processes and make up the majority of EPA-regulated compounds under the Clean Water Act. Traditional methods of removing phenol from wastewater are costly, use a lot of materials, and often do not convert the compounds into less reactive forms. This team’s solution traps enzymes in metal oxide nanoparticle cages and places them on scaffolds, which is both more ten times more efficient and reusable.