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The finalists of the Grand Challenge – Chemistry – Chemkaton 2024 have exactly 24 hours to develop an effective method for producing and manufacturing sustainable biofuel. The event organisers have decided to add an additional spark of excitement and challenge the teams even further, as they expanded the competition with a second task, that is, creating a 5.0V power bank battery from fruits and vegetables.
The challenges will be faced by the 10 best teams from Poland and abroad. Alongside representatives of Polish universities, teams from China and Japan will compete for the main prize and the statue of the winner.
Organised by the Faculties of Energy and Fuels and Materials Science and Ceramics of the AGH University of Krakow, the competition gained traction and nearly 100 applications from Poland and abroad were submitted at the elimination stage. To advance to the final stage, the participants had to prepare a chemical mixture with the lowest possible temperature. However, there was a catch: teams could use only easily accessible ingredients, such as food, cosmetics, or household chemicals.
Today’s task was made known at 10 o’clock sharp. From that moment on, participants have 24 hours to develop a technology for producing biofuel and create a power bank. At their disposal are plant products, tools, laboratory materials and glass, fruits and vegetables, electrical wires, and metal alloys.
As emphasised by the organisers:
“Grand challenges require a lot of creativity and courage. The 10 best teams from Poland and abroad are up for an incredible challenge today. In only 24 hours, they have to not only come up with an efficient method for producing eco-friendly biofuel, but also create an innovative power bank from fruits and vegetables. This is a real test for the minds of the future. We cannot wait to see how the teams turn their ideas into reality.”
The formula for CHEMKATON refers to popular 24-hour hackathons during which the contestants need to solve a specific problem within a limited time frame. The competition is directed at students of first- and second-cycle degree programmes from Polish and foreign universities who wish to test their chemistry skills by competing in teams. This year, the teams that have qualified to the finale are from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Warsaw University of Technology, Foshan University in China, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan, Lodz University of Technology, and AGH University.
The main prize is PLN 12,000. We will know the winning team on 1 October. The presentations of developed solutions will begin at 12.00 p.m. The jury will evaluate the solutions according to a set of criteria and select the winners of the CHEMKATON competition.
The grand finale takes place at the Faculty of Energy and Fuels (building D-4, room 8).
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