Reservoir silt transformed into Taiwan's "Loto"! From anti-wall-cancer building materials to flower vessels and tea trays, exuding Nordic minimalist style

The 96 reservoirs nationwide hold 2.84 billion tons of water, but in reality one-third of that capacity is filled with sand and gravel, and the siltation volume increases by one reservoir's capacity each year. The dredged silt has nowhere to go. Taiwan's largest silt storage site, at Shimen Reservoir, holds 3 million tons and is already at full capacity. When heavy rain comes, the silt flows back into the reservoir with the water, seriously affecting the reservoir's water storage function.

The seemingly useless silt actually has enormous potential. A team from Cheng Kung University innovatively modified and utilized the sludge, developing it into an innovative building material that can prevent wall cancer and waterproof walls. It can also be used in planters, tea tray decorations and other lifestyle ornaments. This innovation obtained a patent and was named "Loto," successfully transforming the fate of "waste soil."

Reservoir crisis becomes the origin of patent research and development

Taiwan's geology is young, with high mountains and rushing rivers, steep river gradients, and rainfall three times the world average, yet not much water is retained. Torrential rain washes down large amounts of sand and gravel, becoming a nightmare for water conservancy agencies.

In 2004, Typhoon Aere struck northern Taiwan. Soil and rock runoff caused turbidity in Shimen Reservoir to surge, making the water treatment plant unable to operate. Taoyuan was forced to go without water for 18 days, and residents carried washbasins and buckets everywhere to collect water. The major water outage left water conservancy agencies humiliated and dealt a heavy blow to the myth of water management, while the massive silt further affected the reservoir's lifespan.

In 2009, Typhoon Morakot brought nearly 100 million tons of sludge, leaving the largest reservoir in the south, Zengwen Reservoir, with only 40 percent of its water storage capacity. The sand and stones dredged from reservoirs are valuable materials and are quickly hauled away. But worthless materials like silt, being water-laden clay, are difficult to transport by vehicle and can only be piled in the open around the reservoir, with nowhere to go. When heavy rain comes, the silt flows back into the reservoir with the water.

Reservoir sludge modification produces a nano waterproofing effect, winning a national patent

After the major water outage in Taoyuan, various agencies sought ways to dispose of reservoir silt. At that time, the Council for Economic Planning and Development (now reorganized as the National Development Council) commissioned Professor Huang Zhongxin of Cheng Kung University's Department of Civil Engineering to conduct "Research on the Application of Reservoir Silt," developing the feasibility of disposing of reservoir silt and creating usable value to eliminate the silt.

The research team found that ordinary river silt contains many impurities and is difficult to handle, while reservoir silt is relatively clean and simple, easy to process, and has application potential. The silt originates from shale that has been washed by rivers for tens of millions of years; its particles are fine and its viscosity is high. After a special process changes its physical properties, it can produce a waterproofing effect similar to nano materials. Compared with traditional nano materials, which are expensive, the modified silt can greatly reduce material costs and generate commercial application value.

Regarding how silt with "high viscosity and small particles" becomes "nano-like" in character, Huang Zhongxin gives an example: muddy ground is slippery after absorbing water because water gets into the gaps between particles. After special chemical treatment and "modification," the water is separated and slipping no longer occurs.

This silt modification technology has successfully obtained a national patent. Huang Zhongxin says this is a local building material developed by integrating Taiwan's natural conditions and reversing water conservancy difficulties, and it is something the people of Taiwan should be proud of.

From waste soil to Loto, developing the market through consumers

Guo Wenyi is a student of Huang Zhongxin and participated in the entire process from research on silt modification to technology transfer. To give the silt application value in industry, Guo Wenyi, through authorization from Cheng Kung University's Technology Transfer Center, founded "Cheng Kung Changhong," Cheng Kung University's first "spin-off company," handling everything from production and branding to market development, dedicated to promoting the use of modified silt.

Guo Wenyi knows well that new startup technologies find it hard to break into the top of the construction industry, which is dominated by large conglomerates. It is not that no one has tried to bring improved materials to market before, but the existing technical models and profit structures are hard to change. For this reason, a different path must be taken. He chose a difficult but longer-lasting route, entering the market from consumers at the bottom of the pyramid.

"Large enterprises are like a combined fleet; they can completely close themselves off and ignore outside changes. We are not the first to reuse silt. Engineering and construction are not easy to innovate in, and the larger the conglomerate system, the harder it is to change, so we must develop the market ourselves," Guo Wenyi believes. The internet provides a new path to break through from consumers at the bottom and open a gap in the market.

When silt becomes a lifestyle proposal

Guo Wenyi gave the modified silt a playful name, "Loto," hoping the application of the new material could create joy in life. To collect user feedback, Guo Wenyi's team went from running a blog to developing a Facebook community, exchanging experiences on wall cancer and lifestyle applications, building a discussion community, and even shooting YouTube instructional videos themselves to establish channels for exchange.

"It just so happens that modern people like DIY and creating their own lives, so we provide this material, and consumers share their experiences with various applications, opening up a community model of learning together."