Challenge winners pioneer eco-friendly sanitary pads and climate resilience in medicinal plants

Dr Pooja Singh of India found a way to transform an invasive aquatic plant into biodegradable sanitary products.
Dr Mokgadi Hlongwane of Pretoria, South Africa, found a way to use beneficial bacteria to enhance the growth and resilience of medicinal plants used to treat wounds, diabetes, cancer and more.
These researchers won the 2025 Elsevier Foundation Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge, which seeks solutions rooted in chemistry that can help mitigate the climate crisis. Each will receive a $25,000 prize to conduct their proposed projects.