Mexican innovator, 21, turns discarded materials into power and cleaner water

Growing up in Cuautlancingo, a town in Mexico’s Puebla state, Maritza Sanchez saw pollution close to home. Now 21, she is developing microbial fuel cells that use materials recovered from local waste to generate electricity and help improve polluted water. Her project, Aquayac Energy, is focused on the Atoyac River, one of the waterways affected by serious contamination. The goal is ambitious but specific: refine her prototypes and produce 50 functional fuel cells by 2027. Earth Island Institute announced Sanchez as one of the 2026 Brower Youth Award winners, recognising her work alongside five other young environmental leaders. The award highlights not a finished technology, but a young innovator testing whether a small-scale, locally designed system can address two urgent needs at once: cleaner water and access to energy.A problem close to homeSanchez’s interest in pollution grew from what she observed around her.