Chemistry student wins Reckitt Sustainability Challenge prize

Jed Walsh, a final year Chemistry MChem, BSc student at the University of Leeds, was awarded the second place prize in the Reckitt Sustainability Challenge 2024.

The Reckitt Sustainability Challenge is an annual competition requiring students to innovate a Reckitt product to create a sustainable alternative which reduces the need for artificial compounds.

 As a prize-winner, Jed was invited to an event at the Reckitt Centre for Scientific Excellence in Hull, where he presented his idea to senior industry experts and students. 

University of Leeds students were set the challenge to design a new barrier coating for the inside of bottle containers. Focusing on sustainability, Jed proposed sourcing the materials from waste biomass, such as fruit and vegetables.

Jed explained: “I ended up deciding on using quercetin as it is the most abundant flavanol found within fruit and vegetables, whilst also possessing antioxidant properties. I hoped that the antioxidant properties of quercetin could react with the API in a way that would preserve the compound and prevent -- or at least reduce -- the use of artificial preservatives.” 

“The next obstacle was then how to incorporate this into a barrier coating to enable the controlled release of quercetin as the API degrades. The idea of nanoparticles came to me by using cellulose, a polysaccharide, as the shell of a nanoparticle and quercetin as the core.” 

“Cellulose was a good call as it could also be sustainably extracted from biomass and could be grafted with ligands to control the stability of the nanoparticle. By grafting the cellulose shell with a ligand that provides thermal stability, UV stability, but a functional group that has a proton acceptor to make the nano particles pH sensitive.” 

Cellulose was a good call as it could also be sustainably extracted from biomass and could be grafted with ligands to control the stability of the nanoparticle.

“Let us say that in the scenario of an API releasing a proton as it degrades, the ligands on the cellulose shell would accept this proton, become charged, and the nanoshell would swell and allow for a controlled release of the quercetin.”

Reflecting on his experience, Jed said: “Although it was difficult, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and presenting in Hull was a great, character-building experience. If you can balance this challenge alongside your studies and coursework, I would definitely recommend taking part.”

Although it was difficult, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and presenting in Hull was a great, character-building experience.

Poppy Beacock, an Employability and Placement Officer at the University of Leeds, added: “We’re really proud of Jed’s success, he engaged in the challenge with enthusiasm and did us proud on the day! It is great to see our students interacting with employers and getting that Industry insight. I’m sure we’ll see Jed go far.”