KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — A team of Malaysian students has made the global Top 20 shortlist of the 2025 James Dyson Award with an eco-friendly invention called UNBLOK.

Developed by Ong Jing Rou, Natalie Tham and Ng Wen Kai from Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation, UNBLOK turns palm oil waste into a biodegradable kitchen drain filter.

The invention tackles the common household problem of clogged sinks caused by fats, oils and grease, known as FOG.

Inspired by their own struggles with blocked pipes, the trio spent a year designing and testing prototypes using real kitchen waste.

They discovered that palm fibre, a local by-product of Malaysia’s palm oil industry, was the most effective at absorbing grease while remaining fully compostable.

Their design redirects water flow and uses a layered mesh system to trap FOG without slowing drainage.

Dyson’s judges praised UNBLOK for transforming agricultural waste into a sustainable circular-economy solution.

“It doesn’t just solve a plumbing issue; it reimagines waste as a valuable resource,” Dyson judge Pae Yusof said in a media statement today.

The team now advances to the final round, where Sir James Dyson himself will choose the winners on November 5.

Global winners will each receive RM166,700 to develop their inventions further.