A team from the University of Macau has won third prize from a field of 53 teams in the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area University Student Entrepreneurship Competition,” with the concept of producing eco-friendly cat litter from Brewer’s Spent Grain (BSG), a waste product generated by the beer industry.
The winning “Macau Biopetech eco-friendly cat litter team” from the university’s Cheng Yu Tung College Start-up Interest Group includes students Tan Pui Si, Tong Man, Fu Hao Ming and Wang Cheng Hao, with team consultants including College Master Professor Wong Seng Fat and the Resident Fellow Dr Tang Yu Ming.
The concept sees transformation of BSG into eco-friendly, healthy and high-quality cat litter products. Technical guidance was provided by Professor Tam Kin Yip from the university’s Faculty of Health Sciences, with the team using sugar phagocytic technology to transfer the residual sugar from the BSG, preventing baby cats from ingesting sugar.
The team cooperated with Anima Macau, a society for the protection of animals, which provides shelter for more than 300 cats. The team volunteered at Anima to study cat preferences and habits, providing knowledge and a practical foundation for the project.
The team has expressed its thanks to the Director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center Professor Jerome Yen, the Vice Chairman of the University of Macau Alumni Association Mr Danny Chau and the former General Manager of Macau Beer Mr Daniel Hung for their assistance.
The team plans to provide free cat litter for cat shelters.