Emissions-free flying takes off at Cambridge Climate Challenge

A PhD candidate in synthetic biology and an early career researcher in aerospace engineering topped a field of four other teams to win the 2025 Cambridge Zero Climate Challenge for developing a method of turning waste into sustainable fuel for airplanes.

Neela Biotech beat other pitches for water purification, African education combined with solar power installation, an app for tracking personal carbon footprints and a scheme for growing insulation from fungus.

“The Cambridge Climate Challenge has been an incredible learning experience, particularly the insightful weekly sessions led by exceptional speakers,” said Neela Biotech co-founder Dr Deepanshu Singh.

He said he and co-founder Friederike Nintzel (final-year Cambridge PhD candidate in synthetic biology) have already agreed to spend the winning £1500 cash prize on incorporating the company, to ensure a business plan can be taken forward.

Co-Founder, Dr Deepanshu Singh, during his pitch.

Carbon13 Founder, Dr Nicky Dee, presenting 1st prize to Neela Biotech. Co-Founder Dr Deepanshu Singh pictured receiving the award.

Co-Founder of Neela Biotech Dr Deepanshu Singh, and attendee Connor Farrell.

“Our fifth Climate Challenge saw Cambridge students representing a range of disciplines, highlighting how we can all contribute towards a green future,” said organiser Will Crook, Cambridge Zero’s Student Engagement Coordinator.

Aviation is the most emissions-intensive mode of transport, producing up to 50 times more emissions than trains and five times more than cars. According to the International Energy Agency, the sector is significantly off track from achieving net zero by 2050.

Neela Biotech takes on aviation’s emissions challenge by enhancing the natural process of arrested anaerobic digestion, transforming it into Controlled Microbial Upcycling (CMU) to produce carbon-negative Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). This innovative approach converts waste from municipal, agricultural, and aquaculture sources.

Unlike traditional bio-SAF - which displaces food production because it is grown on arable land - CMU eliminates competition for food, land, and water while reducing production costs. Targeting the $391 billion global jet fuel market, Neela Biotech aims to establish a 100,000-tonne SAF plant within five years.

Dr Amy Munro-Faure, Head of Education and Student Engagement at Cambridge Zero, introducing the judging panel.

Dr Amy Munro-Faure, Head of Education and Student Engagement at Cambridge Zero, introducing the judging panel.

Five competitors took to the stage in the final round, judged by a panel of four climate innovation experts, including Dr Nicky Dee, Founder of climate-focused venture capital group Carbon13, Kamiar Mohaddes, Director and Co-founder of the King’s E-Lab, Dr Tara Love, CTO and Co-Founder of NANOPLUME, and James Cole, Chief Innovation Officer at Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

Dr Amy Munro-Faure, Head of Education and Student Engagement at Cambridge Zero, introducing the judging panel.

Neela Biotech was recognised for its advancements in synthetic biology, automation and AI.

H20Kline Founders Hauwa Busari and Maureen Abel during the judges' Q&A.

H20Kline Runners-Up Hauwa Busari and Maureen Abel, pictured with Kamiar Mohaddes, Kings E-Lab Director and Co-Founder.

H20Kline Runners-Up Hauwa Busari and Maureen Abel.

The runners-up for the prize included H20Kline, pitching for the use of activated charcoal as a means of water purification along the Niger Delta, and MPowered, pitching STEM education and off-grid solar electrification programs in rural East Africa. Their innovations were each awarded £750.

All prizes were sponsored by Moda Living, and the event was made possible by organisers Cambridge Zero and partners: Carbon13, Cambridge Enterprise, Maxwell Centre, Energy IRC, CISL, Kings E-Lab, and King’s College.

H20Kline introduced a ground-breaking innovation for water purification using activated charcoal derived from date pits, an underutilised agricultural waste product found in large quantities along the Niger Delta.

Co-founder Maureen Abel, who grew up near the Niger Delta, used her deep understanding of the region’s environmental and socio-cultural challenges to ensure the project is grounded in local realities and community needs. Meanwhile, Hauwa Busari, pursuing an MPhil in Architectural and Urban Studies, contributed her technical expertise to drive the project forward.

Audience choice winners and runners-up MPowered, offered a social enterprise aligned to address the stark reality of energy poverty in East Africa.

While interacting with school children through her work, founder Sally Musonye was often reminded of her childhood growing up and using a kerosene lamp for studies. To this day, only 65.5% of the total population has access to electricity.

MPowered is empowering women and girls across rural Kenya, intending to ease the burden of electricity access and improve literacy levels for the local communities.

Jockim Kamalha, Digital Curriculum and Community Engagement Lead at MPowered.

Dr Nicky Dee and Dr Tara Love presenting Jockim Kamalha, and Sally Musonye with the runners-up award. Dr Amy Munro-Faure pictured on the right.

87% of interviewed students were inspired to engage in further climate-related action or learning.

Other contestants included My ClimPact, with an innovative mobile app that empowers individuals to take meaningful climate action by tracking their carbon footprint through self-reported data and automated tools like location and bank integration. It provides personalised climate ratings, tailored suggestions to reduce emissions, and insights into the environmental impact of companies, encouraging greener choices.

The app promotes corporate accountability, drives real-world action, and fosters a community of climate-conscious individuals.

Anna Winter of My ClimPact said: “The people taking part had so much energy and genuine passion, I loved creating those connections.”

My ClimPact pitching their innovative mobile app: Laurie Hill, and Anna Winter.

Laurie Hill during the judges Q&A.

The final pitch saw MySealium address the UK’s insulation crisis by offering an affordable, bio-inspired solution. It uses fungal mycelium, grown on a bio-waste substrate to create insulating panels with low embodied carbon, saving about 4kg CO₂ per panel.

Targeting under-insulated homes, MySealium offers free or discounted installation through a pay-as-you-save model, where smart meters are in place to calculate savings. This approach reduces emissions, promotes sustainability, and increases public engagement in climate action while lowering energy bills.

MySealium's pitch: James Longstaff, Hanna Szafranska and Tom Myers.

Interested students can keep up to date with these and other Cambridge Zero opportunities via our student mailing list.

Published 1 April 2025

^{Images: Annie McKenzie}

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Cambridge Zero is the University of Cambridge’s ambitious climate change initiative, harnessing the power of research to tackle climate change at one of the top global research universities in the world.