Nympha

Nympha is a nanotechnological innovation working to put an end to socioeconomic inequalities in one of the most fundamental needs of humanity: the access to safe, quality water.

Clean, accessible water is critical to humans (all lives actually) in every aspect possible. A healthy environment, poverty reduction, a sustainable economy, peace and security. Yet 844 million people can't have access to drinking water and 2.1 billion people can't access sufficient, clean water at all, that is around 40% of the world’s population. Unless the current progress quadruples, these rates will only increase. The ones most affected by these fundamental issues are the most vulnerable communities in developing countries... Moreover, access to clean water is getting harder, due to the climate change (e.g., long periods of drought affect clean water supplies and flooding pollutes clean water sources and causes outbreaks of disease which once again works mostly against the underprivileged people, at least for now). So action is more necessary than ever.

I have started to research these issues after I found out that in my country, the water in 52 different settlements is undrinkable, due to containing various harmful components (arsenic, aluminum, lead and other chemicals) exceeding the maximum limits of disposal limit. Antalya (the city I live in) is also in that list. People cannot drink tab water as the water is far from clean with the high amount of  lime (Ca(OH)2), and industrial disposals… which requires expensive and complex purification techniques. So, in Antalya, access to drinking water is by using carboy and bottled water, a not really economic nor sustainable way. 

This issue was only the beginning, as the world, especially some countries have major, urgent water inequalities that have yet to be solved and are vital. I cannot believe how normalized it is among us to waste water on a daily basis while some are fighting to find water (which isn't even safe)... Heavy metals, bacteria, contamination and poor filtration cause alarming issues to human health and environment. I am trying to solve water inequality for drinking water in the most sustainable way.

Things I have considered during my research for better replacements of current water purification technologies was for them to be accessible for every geographical destination, every socioeconomic situation. Some sub-points I have considered are cost effectiveness, global applicability, compatibility, ethical values and of course impact potential. The solution also attempts to work in favor of mainly the three SDGs: 3 (good health and well-being),  6 (clean water and sanitation), 10 (reduced inequalities).  

My solution revolves around the usage of a new nanotechnological innovation: Boron Nitride Nanotubes. Nanotechnologies have been popular since their discovery due to their unique physicochemical properties. Carbon Nanotubes have been the no:1 focus for water purification recently, however, they have their disadvantages like toxicity to human health, environment. shorter life cycle... A better alternative, I have come to find  is to use BNNT membranes for purification (heavy metal, bacteria, industrial disposals that affect water quality). Their affordability, longer life cycle, noncytotoxic properties proved to me that they are better alternatives with lots of potential which shouldn’t go unseen.

Nympha, my solution, is BNNT membranes for water purification. Similar to other nanotechnologies BNNT structure allows water molecules to pass through the tube's pores while attracting unwanted materials (including nanoparticles which are harder to filtrate) to the boron surface. Nanofiltration generally is a pressure related process, during which separation takes place, based on sizes of molecules. Membranes make the separation/purification happen in an efficient way. BNNTs are noncytotoxic to human health and are sustainable. The main advantages of using nano filters, are that less pressure is required to pass water across the filter, they have incredibly large surface areas making them more efficient. BNNT membranes can be more easily cleaned by simply back-flushing ( Pushing water in the opposite direction of the normal direction flow) compared with other methods.

Nympha was primarily designed for who I witnessed didn’t have access to clean water in my city. As these are the main issues of Antalya's water: the technique can be applied for the removal of substances contaminating the water such as heavy metals and micro pollutants. The statistics of Turkey showed me that the share of the mains is 56.6%, and the 28.2% is bottled water and carboys which was thought-provoking. All the water bottles, carboys used on a daily basis, all the expensive purification systems under many kitchen sinks and all the water that goes to waste until the drinker is convinced the running water is finally pure(?) were what I knew I wanted to stop. However, the more I researched the more I found out about the water-related issues and the people badly affected by these.

Water, which is an indispensable part of life and ecosystem; should be sufficient, qualified, accessible and free for all lives. But it isn’t. Every single person having issues on accessing water became my focus. The ones most exposed to this are the vulnerable communities in mostly the developing countries. Nympha’s first intention is to put an end to socioeconomic, geographical inequalities in one of the most fundamental needs of humanity. The people I am working to help are the ones that have their rights torn away, the ones facing the most pressing of issues that are just normalized among others. Not to even mention the fact that during the pandemics,  the inequality gap in water intensified and long-term financial sustainability of water utilities has gotten out of reach.

The issue I am trying to solve is a complex one, it doesn’t just violate fundamental human needs, it goes even beyond. I would also like to point out a study UNICEF has conducted which shows that approximately %20 of girls in West Africa miss school due to menstruation (not being able to access clean, safe water is closely tied to that). Furthermore, girls are also more likely to be responsible for finding/collecting water for their families, which again limits their education. I want to help them.

I believe Nympha will be a game changer because it is cost-efficient, easy to implement and easier to access than many of the recent water technologies. It brings a new technology as it primarily focuses on vulnerable communities intending to solve that issue before anything else. The method used is more effective because major global services all work to provide safe, clean drinking water for millions, the ones being left out are always the underprivileged ones. I truly want to do everything I can to bring us closer to what should’ve been our current reality actually.

Like I have said, I’ve grown up in an environment where water was accessed to with not exactly cost-efficient ways, leaving out the less privileged people. So I wanted to solve that for people. I have conducted my research and developed the concept of Nympha with my purest intentions, in hopes of reaching out to different communities all over the world. I believe I am well-positioned to deliver this solution because I am truly passionate to make it come true.

I am a high school student constantly striving for justice, the reason behind my work was nothing but to help the underserved people. I have always been aware of worldly issues and how unfair life can be depending on one’s socioeconomic situation, gender, background, race etc. I have always been deeply passionate to solve them. Hearing my parents’ stories growing up, I knew life could be challenging from childhood for the economically underprivileged people. My parents  had to strive ten times more than their peers, being the first-generation students in both their families.  I have been very lucky, my parents try their best for my sister and I to be strong, independent young women. That being said, they always encouraged us to be the changemakers the world needs. As you can see, they have been my biggest inspiration.

One more thing I can add is I have lived in Sharm el Sheikh for two years. In these years I have witnessed challenging issues before my very eyes since it was even more intense than in Antalya. Dramatic amounts of plastic water bottles used on a daily basis and not having stable access to drinking water are two of the things I can underline. So I have experienced this issue on my own back then, of course what I am talking about falls onto a better scale on the bigger picture, compared to the vital issues in other places, however, that still stroke me deeply.

I have always worked to improve myself, reading countless articles, research papers and being engaged with the most recent news. As I have stated before, I have lived in Sharm and I could talk to many people including my friends, my teachers and my father’s coworkers on that very issue. Among my friends such issues (e.g., water cutting off out of nowhere) was so normalized, for my father and his coworkers that was the biggest challenge they were facing and they were always applying temporary solutions, as they had not many choices. For my teachers, they knew there could be something we could do, something we had to d.  I can add that they have inspired me since day 1.

The need for clean, safe water is undeniably important and this has to be the target of every single country. Water is life and I know for a fact that young people should not think of access to water is a luxury that they cannot have. That is so wrong in so many ways, therefore while working to improve my project I always made sure to spread awareness on water issues, so far in my environment. Big steps should be taken to reach the goals of clean, safe, accessible water.

As the world is getting more familiar with nanotechnologies, and as they are starting to be implemented to many various areas of life, water purification is not the primary intention for most of them. For the nanotechnologies that are being used in my intended area; I have researched and found the forgotten disadvantages of currently used methods. Furthermore, I wanted to research even more sustainable, economically accessible and fair ways for people to access safe and clean drinking water. Nympha is exactly the innovation that will alleviate water inequities in an impactful way because the first intention is to truly make the lives of people easier.

It is innovative because Nympha intends to make a significant contribution with an unfamiliar and unique method. Nympha, I believe, has the potential to lead to new technologies, products and policies that will benefit societies.

I believe that can be a successful, ground-breaking innovation which will contribute to the current process. BNNT membranes has not been used in this very area before. I have researched a design that puts sustainability and accessibility at the forefront for the core users, which is a value I mostly work to serve. Efficiency and economic variables also will enable positive impact for local, national and global milestones. I believe Nympha can be catalytic for countries as it can also uplift economies, seriously impact citizens and reach out to every kind of community in our world.  

I am hoping to pilot Nympha and have it function in several settlements as the first step. After launching my product, I will also be proposing collaborations with local and national communities. Along the way, I will keep on further-improving my research and Nympha’s functions; establishing unique ideas. So my goal for the next year is to first make this concept a reality and imply it into Antalya's municipality sources, a city of 2.6 million people… I hope to seize the intended gradual impact and start spreading it to different places after then.

The entire time, I had one thought: to help vulnerable communities so my impact goal can only be met by achieving this milestone. For the next year, after my own city, I will hope to spread Nympha into different cities a I will hope to work on a global scale. An urgent issue needs urgent action.

I hope that with some support, Nympha will start to positively touch lives across the globe.

The core technology behind Nympha is the use of nanoscale boron and nitrogen atoms, manipulating atoms on a nanoscale we can say, such as nanoparticles or nanocomposites, to create highly selective and efficient filters. Using BNNTs as a filter medium to remove unwanted particles. Nanoscale materials that are engineered to have specific properties, such as a high surface area and specific chemical properties, which allow them to effectively remove impurities from water. Additionally, Nympha, just like any other nano-filter, has the capacity to have smaller pore sizes, which can increase the efficiency of the filtration process. These materials have unique properties, such as high surface area-to-volume ratio, that allow them to effectively remove impurities such as bacteria, viruses, and heavy metals. Nympha intends to offer many advantages over traditional water purification methods and the current nano-filtration like increased efficiency and effectiveness, lower cost, and less energy consumption. 

Nympha can also fall into the categories of:

• Environmental technologies: The use of biological, chemical and physical processes to remove impurities from water and to protect the environment.
• Materials science and engineering: The development and use of BNNTs.
• Membrane technology: The use of membrane-based processes to remove impurities from water.

I haven’t launched Nympha due to the possibilities in hand however my goals for my innovation are nothing but great. I plan to start serving the people in my city, around 2.6 million people if I get to partner with Antalya Metropolitan Municiplality. I have to mention though I cannot give precise numbers, unfortunately, as I haven’t had the chance to consult any professionals in this area. After launching the product locally, I will hope to distribute my product to Sharm, approximately 54k people will be able to benefit from it. Afterwards, I will finally start touching the ones most dramatically affected by water accessibility issues.

Financial barriers are the biggest challenge for my project to come to reality at the moment, though the materials planned on being used are considered financially eligible (in terms of impact to cost ratio), the lack of funding shows its impact and really hinders the process.

The lack of mentorship also is another great barrier, as I am working on my own and don’t receive assistance from people with this area as their expertise, I dedicate hours of research into already known facts and then finally get to brainstorm ideas. I believe this is a serious issue, you can really feel the lack of support. That may come across as challenging at times.

I am currently not working with any organizations as high school students aren't supported during the launching of products usually... Though I am planning on collaborating with different partners in the future (Antalya Metropolitan Municipality is the first in mind). 

However, Nympha was recognized in a national competition called 'The Turkish Youth Prize' by my country's General Directorate of Water Management. 

I believe my business model is the combination of social enterprise and public-private partnership. As I kept on highlighting, the primary focus is to generate revenue to underserved populations across the globe. A social enterprise has the potential to make both economic and social value, by addressing societal issues, creating different job and income opportunities, as well as adding to sustainable development. Public-private partnership, on the other hand, is a collaboration between the public and private sectors to achieve a common goal. Our common goal with any government is to provide people with clean, safe and accessible water. Nympha will be a social enterprise that partners with the government or other public organizations to provide services to specific populations. For example, A social enterprise that works to provide clean drinking water to a community in need through a partnership with a local government could be considered as both social enterprise and public-private partnership. The key is that this partnership will align with the mission and values. Being mutually beneficial for both creating social and economic value.

Reaching financial stability goals as a social enterprise with simply pure intentions may seem quite difficult at first however I have a few plans. The first step before all my plans is actually to seek funding from socially responsible investors and crowdfunding. However, I do realize that this isn’t a long-term solution to financial barriers.

I am hoping for Nympha to be a strong brand, with a clear value, which may catch the attention of investors and partners in favor of philanthropic values. Building strategic partnerships with governments, actually, is the most important part. This would not only help with the financial sustainability goals but would also help distribute Nympha into various communities within. For the countries with not enough financial resources, I am hoping to rely on investors with high values.