Hyunseung (Henry) Lee is a rising Junior at Chadwick International School located at Songdo, South Korea. He is a passionate explorer of water purification issues and marine ecosystems, pursuing his interests in scientific discoveries through participating in various international competitions. As a representative of South Korea, Hyunseung (Henry) Lee won a gold medal at the Korea Science & Engineering Fair (‘23) and participated in the International Science & Engineering Fair as an environmental engineering department.

Though water-soluble cutting oil is an essential material for metal-cutting processes, its release into the water system prompts significant contaminations. Since the emulsion of water and oil cannot be completely separated, it is difficult to recycle and often designated as waste for incineration.

To solve this problem, I developed a more effective demulsifier using pine powder with a lignin content of more than 50%. When pine powder and sulfuric acid were added to 5% water-soluble cutting oil, the emulsion removal effect was confirmed.