Brazilian Materials Engineering Student Wins Sandvik Coromant Competition

Nadia Ayad, a materials engineering student Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s Military Institute of Engineering, was announced the winner of Sandvik Coromant’s Graphene Challenge for her idea of using graphene for a filtration device and desalinization system that would provide drinkable water to households. The contest invited people to submit ideas for sustainable innovations made from graphene for the modern household. Ms. Ayad’s idea would significantly reduce energy costs and strain on current water supplies by recycling water.

"I am really fascinated with the study and applications of advanced materials, so the opportunity to travel to Sweden to meet with leading researchers is one that I am really looking forward to," says Ms. Ayad.

“Graphene is a material with high potential for innovation in many areas,” says Patrik Carlsson, director for the Graphene Center at Chalmers University. “It is also clear that graphene has the potential for disruptive technologies and innovations that do not fit within the present business models of existing companies. The [Graphene] Challenge was a good way to think outside of these business models.”