Project Mentor: Professor Jonas Baltrusaitis, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
2027 Impact Fellows:
Project Description:
What if the mountains of industrial waste piling up across Kazakhstan could help farmers grow more food, use fewer resources, and build a more sustainable agricultural future? Every year, industrial facilities generate enormous quantities of gypsum-rich waste, while farmers depend on fertilizers that can be expensive, inefficient, and environmentally damaging. What if we could connect these two challenges and turn one industry's waste into another industry's valuable resource?
This project explores how green manufacturing processes can transform industrial waste gypsum into a new generation of sustainable, slow-release fertilizers that release nutrients more gradually. Students will develop smart soil-monitoring systems, use data analytics and machine learning to understand fertilizer performance under Kazakhstan's diverse agricultural conditions, and investigate how this technology could be manufactured and commercialized locally.
From laboratory experimentation and digital modeling to farmer interviews, business development, and market validation, the team will tackle the scientific, technical, and entrepreneurial challenges of taking an invention out of the lab and into the fields. The ultimate goal? Turn an industrial waste problem into a scalable agricultural solution that strengthens food security, reduces environmental impacts, and creates economic opportunities in Kazakhstan and beyond.