In Mexico, a high school student has done what many others have been trying to do – make a biodegradable, edible straw. Jesus Abraham Maya, a student at PrepaTec, created a straw that is made of algae and other natural ingredients to form a gelatin-like material that is used in the straw molds that he also created. The straw is edible and biodegradable within days. Maya developed the “Popotépetl” straw in his chemistry class and won the 2018 National Youth Award in the category of Entrepreneurial Ingenuity for his innovation.
Maya and his two colleagues who worked on the new straw already set up an office in the Technology Park in Querétaro and are planning on starting a business to mass produce and sell the straws.