Five students from Lucie Aubrac College distinguished themselves at the recent academic final of the “Faites de la science” competition, held at the Faculty of Science and Engineering in Toulouse. Their project won the first prize, qualifying them for the national final to be held on June 15 at the University of Western Brittany in Brest. The group of five young geniuses, made up of Maëlys, Justine, Cassandre, Lison, and Abel, presented an original project led by the students of the Scientific Workshop of the college, on the valorization of wood ash, a waste produced in large quantities in France that often goes directly into the trash. Thanks to them, the ashes find multiple applications.
Through several experiments, the young students, who will undoubtedly become true and competent scientists at the end of their brilliant studies, showed that these ashes can be used to make laundry detergent, promote plant growth, be used in the composition of certain construction materials, or even repel snails. This work, carried out with scientific rigor and in collaboration with professional partners (the company Ash’Up, the Chamber of Agriculture of Aveyron, and the Materials and Durability Laboratory of Buildings in Toulouse), highlights concrete solutions to reduce waste and thus limit their impact on the environment. A great success for these young scientists, who are now expected at the national level, where they are among the favorites to win the top prize.
It is worth noting that the Scientific Workshop of Lucie Aubrac College in Rieupeyroux had already won a prize at the national final of the CGénial competition at the Museum of Air and Space in Le Bourget for their project “All in a tangle to recycle,” and secured a brilliant third place at the national final of the “Faites de la science” competition. A rigorous work involving experimental approaches, rich in encounters with various partners from the world of research and industry. The students had also worked for several weeks to create a filtration device using hair. This device was tested and convinced the jury.
