Washington teen wins $75,000 for jute-based sponge that cuts salmon-killing tire runoff

Lakshmi Agrawal, an 18-year-old student from Bellevue, Washington, developed a sponge made from nanocellulose derived from jute plant waste to tackle storm-water pollution. The material targets 6PPD-quinone, a tire additive that reacts with ozone and washes into rivers, where it has been identified as a primary cause of coho salmon mortality in the Puget Sound region. In controlled experiments, the sponge filtered out as much as 80% of this toxin and also captured other pollutants such as heavy metals.

Production of the sponge consumes far less energy and is dramatically cheaper than traditional filtration media, suggesting it could be widely adopted in roadside ditches and storm-water systems. Agrawal’s work was honored at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, where she received the Regeneron Young Scientist Award and a $75,000 prize. While field testing remains pending, the breakthrough offers a low-cost, sustainable approach to protecting freshwater habitats and potentially drinking water supplies.