Proud inventors: (From right) Wong, Sim, Ng and Gwee showing their electrically-conductive paint invention. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: Who would have thought that the hard and thorny durian shell could be turned into conductive paint?
A Johor secondary school has done just that and their idea of turning discarded fruit peels into paint that is electrically conductive has bagged 16 awards in seven countries.
SMK Dato’ Jaafar teacher Isabelle Wong Minh Chjiat said besides durian, they used the peels of other local fruits, such as mangosteen, pineapple and banana.
Wong added that the project is an attempt to reduce food waste from ending up in landfills.
“The paint was invented by our team of students who collected the fruit peels, chopped them up into tiny pieces before heating them at a high temperature to produce activated carbon.
“The activated carbon, in powder form, is then mixed with other concoctions to produce paint that conducts electricity. The paint is also safe to use.
“We named the product Actric paint by combining the words ‘activated carbon’ and ‘integrated circuit’ as the product is supposed to conduct electricity and can be used to replace copper wire,” she said when interviewed.
The school had won gold awards at the Euroinvent 2024 in Romania and Canada’s International Invention Innovation Competition besides winning awards in Turkiye, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia.
Two self-declared intellectual properties were awarded by the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO), said Wong.
She added the project, which began five years ago, aims to rope in new students to continue the research as their seniors graduate.
“By doing this, we are like a conveyor belt of talents.
“Currently, the team is made up of three Upper Six students – Ng Li Yun, Abregail Gwee Tong En and Sim Hui Xin who have been hands-on in conducting the necessary experiments needed to produce the paint,” she said.
Wong said the project not only provides the students a chance to learn more about the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field, they also get to brush up on their soft skills, such as public speaking and team work.
Ng, who is the team leader, said initially, she was not very keen on the STEM field but was determined to do her best after being selected for the project.
“The three of us in the team have different interests – one of my teammates was from the choir club – but we eventually realised that there were so many things we could learn from this project,” she said.
The 19-year-old added that being part of the project has helped her to improve her communication skills and time management.
“Being part of the team also enabled us to become more confident and improve our command of English,” she added.
