Two teams from the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering (CPE) programme of the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) earned top honours in the prestigious 2025 AIChE Chemical Engineering for Good (ACE4G) Challenge, a global competition organized by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
Competing against other student chapters from leading universities worldwide, the AURAK student teams demonstrated the university’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and community-focused engineering at the competition which was open to 432 AIChE student chapters worldwide (https://www.aiche.org/community/awards/aiche-chemical-engineering-good-challenge-ace4g).
The first team comprising nine CPE students won 1st Place globally for their project, “Thermo-Catalytic Compost Reactor,” while a second team earned an Honorable Mention Award for their project, “Defluoridation of Fluoride-Contaminated Groundwater Using Iron-Impregnated Bagasse Biochar in Ziway, Ethiopia.” Both teams were recognized during the AIChE Annual Student Awards Ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 2, 2025.
AURAK Provost Prof
Khalid Hussain commented: “These accomplishments stand as a powerful testament to the AURAK growing stature as a regional and global leader in socially responsible, innovation-driven engineering education. The CPE students have demonstrated an exceptional ability to translate advanced chemical engineering principles into impactful solutions addressing real-world challenges from clean water access and sustainable agriculture to national energy security and AI-enabled infrastructure.”
Dr. Sara Faiz Hanna Tasfy, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at AURAK, said: “These remarkable accomplishments not only reflect the creativity, teamwork, and technical excellence of our students, but also stand as clear evidence of the high standard of education upheld within the CPE Department. Our student’s success on a global stage reaffirms the department’s commitment to delivering an exceptional learning
experience one that empowers students to innovate, lead, and compete confidently with top universities worldwide.”
The winning project introduces a Thermo-Catalytic Compost Reactor that accelerates composting while cutting harmful emissions. Using a biochar–EM catalyst, passive solar heating, and a rotating drum, it reduces composting time from 100 days to 40–60 days and lowers key greenhouse gases by up to 68%. Affordable and adaptable, it strengthens rural farming by improving soil fertility and supporting sustainable agriculture.
The Honorable Mention project tackles dangerous fluoride contamination in Ethiopia’s Rift Valley with a low-cost, culturally sensitive household filtration system. Using iron-impregnated bagasse biochar and a simple gravity-fed design, it removes up to 98% of fluoride and produces 20 liters of safe drinking water daily. All materials are locally available, and the system is environmentally friendly, with spent biochar reusable as a soil conditioner.