From Agricultural Waste to Food Safety: 13-Year-Old Arika Kundu’s Amazing Innovation
Great invension: How only 13-Year-Old Arika Kundu Turned Waste Peanut Shells into an Eco-Friendly Solution That Removes Nearly 94% of Pesticide Residues from Fruits and Vegetables!
Food safety is becoming a major concern around the world. Fruits and vegetables often contain harmful pesticide residues. Washing them with water removes dirt, but it may not remove all the chemicals.
A 13-year-old Indian-American student, Arika Kundu, has found a smart and eco-friendly solution to this problem. Arika studies in Grade 7 at Minnetonka Middle School East in Shorewood, Minnesota. She created a simple and low-cost way to remove pesticide residues from fresh produce by using peanut shells, which are usually thrown away as waste.
Her creative project has earned her a place among the Top 10 national finalists in the 2026 3M Young Scientist Challenge.
What Is Project LIGNEX?
Arika named her project:
LIGNEX – A new biosorption-based method that uses agricultural waste to remove pesticide residues from fresh fruits and vegetables.
How Does It Work?
The project is based on a process called biosorption. In this process, natural materials absorb and hold harmful chemicals, much like a sponge absorbs water.
Peanut shells naturally contain substances that can attract pesticide residues. Arika ground the shells into powder and treated them with acetic acid (vinegar acid) to improve their ability to trap chemicals.
To test her idea, she used a safe laboratory dye called methylene blue instead of actual pesticides. She also built an Arduino-based spectrometer to measure how well the material worked.
Her experiments showed that the tablets removed about 93.94% of the contaminant, proving that the method is highly effective.
A Simple and Eco-Friendly Solution
Arika turned the treated peanut shell powder into effervescent tablets that dissolve easily in water. This makes the solution simple to use at home, on farms, and in communities with limited resources.
Since peanut shells are an agricultural waste product, the method is both affordable and environmentally friendly.
Recognition in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge
The 3M Young Scientist Challenge is one of the most respected science competitions in the United States. It is open to students from Grades 5 to 8 who develop scientific solutions to real-world problems.
As one of the Top 10 finalists, Arika will:
- Work with a 3M scientist during the summer to improve her invention.
- Compete in the national finals in October.
- Have a chance to win the title of America's Top Young Scientist and a $25,000 cash prize.
Speaking about her project, Arika said:
"I entered the 3M Young Scientist Challenge to improve my innovation and turn it into a product that everyone can benefit from."
Dreaming of Space Research
Arika's goals go beyond improving food safety. In the future, she hopes to become an astrobiologist with a focus on computational biology.
She wants to study the effects of radiation on astronauts during long space missions. Her research could also help improve cancer treatment, aging research, and medical science on Earth.
Conclusion
Arika Kundu's invention shows that great ideas can come from simple materials. By turning discarded peanut shells into a tool for removing pesticide residues, she has created an affordable and sustainable solution that could improve food safety for many people.
Arika Kundu’s achievement proves that age is not a barrier to innovation. With creativity, hard work, and a passion for science, young minds can develop solutions that make the world healthier and more sustainable.
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