Seniors from the School of Textiles proposed 'Naturally Circulating Biodegradable Fiber Cigarette Filter'
Outstanding Empirical processes of survey, production and testing
[Oct 15, 2013]

 <left to right - Bae, Ho Sung, Yoo, Hye Jung, CEO Yoo, Bae Keun, Park, Sae Rom, Lim, Je Hyuk>

 YU students won the Top Excellence Award at the 'Eco-Friendly Fiber Idea Competition'.

 The winner was the 'Eco Fiber Leader' team made up of seniors in the School of Textiles (Department of Textile Engineering and Technology) - Lim, Je Hyuk (26), Bae, Ho Sung (24), Park, Sae Rom (24) and Yoo, Hye Jung (23). They took home the highest honors at the '3rd Eco-Friendly Fiber Idea Competition' with the idea of 'applying naturally circulating biodegradable fibers to cigarette filters'. They also received a cash prize of 2 million won and the special benefit of passing resume screening and personality/aptitude examinations for employment.

 Their idea was to use 'PLA' (Polylactic Acid), which is a naturally circulating biodegradable fiber, instead of acetate fibers that are being used cigarette filters. It takes about 10 years for acetate fibers to decompose, while it only takes 2 months for PLA to decompose, thus reducing environmental pollution greatly. PLA is an environment-friendly fiber material using corn as its main ingredient. It is commonly used for packing containers, beverage bottles and clothes.

 Lim, Je Hyuk, the team leader, said, "For this competition, we conducted surveys on appearance and environmental issues of cigarette filters for two months, and made cigarette filters using PLA that the team members tested out." He also added, "During the proving stage of the idea, we consulted with our professors and they helped out a lot."

 Park, Sae Rom said, "I had a lot of interest in starting up a business in the fiber materials sector. I have become more confident as our idea was recognized by the specialized company." She also added, "My first goal is to gain employment in the related industry, but my final goal is to found a competitive company by discovering innovative fiber materials," stating her dream of becoming a CEO.

 Meanwhile, this competition was held for about three months from May 29 to Sep 9 by Huvis (CEO Yoo, Bae Keun), a company that specializes in chemical fibers and materials, for university students and graduate school students.