Team Unilorin wins conference sponsorship, cash prize at Hackathon
By Mubarak Oladosu
A team of University of Ilorin students led by a 200-Level student of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Abdul-Rahman Anthony Bolaji, has emerged as one of the winners at the 2026 Engineering Muslim Students’ Society (EMSS) Research Hackathon and Annual Engineering Lecture held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
At the event, held on Sunday, July 18, 2026, the UNILORIN team, named AquaCycle, impressed judges with an innovative project titled “Engineering a Sustainable Eggshell-Derived Hydroxyapatite–Biochar Ceramic Filter for Affordable Household Water Purification in Nigeria.”
The project researched and explored the conversion of eggshell waste into a gravity-driven ceramic water filter capable of providing affordable household water treatment using locally sourced materials.
The event brought together engineering students from across the country to develop practical solutions to contemporary challenges through research and innovation.
The competition required participants to review existing literature, refine their concept, make technical presentations and pitch their project before a panel of judges, in addition to attending the Annual Engineering Lecture.
For its outstanding performance, Team AquaCycle was named among the winning teams and received a cash prize of ₦50,000.
The team’s success also earned it complimentary sponsorship to participate in the NGM 5.0 Conference which comes up in October.
At the conference, the students further showcased their innovation and interacted with industry experts, researchers and other stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem.
Speaking on the impact of the programme, Bolaji said the experience broadened his knowledge of research-driven engineering, sustainable product development, teamwork, technical pitching and the transformation of research outcomes into practical solutions. He also expressed gratitude to the University of Ilorin Student Affairs Division for granting him and his team mates permission to participate in the national event.
He added that the exposure had further inspired Team AquaCycle to continue refining its innovation with the goal of improving access to safe and affordable household water purification solutions in Nigeria.
Other members of the Unilorin team are Ahmed Bilal, a 300 level student of the Faculty of Agricultural Science, Badamasi Muzammil who is a 200 Level student of Biomedical Engineering; Faruk Adedeji, a 500 level student of Computer Engineering and Muhammad Salisu, a 200 level student of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
