A teenager from Ireland just won the prestigious Google Science Fair Grand Prize that comes with $50,000 for his exciting new method of extracting microplastics from water.

Thousands of kids between the ages of 14 to 18 took part in the contest, and of the 24 finalists, 18-year-old Fionn Ferreira was named the winner after he developed a technique that involved using magnets and ferrofluids, which is a combination of oil and magnetite powder, to collect the tiny bits of plastic from water samples.

Since most microplastics are incredibly small, coming in at less than 5 millimeters in diameter, it is impossible to stop the small pollutants from ending up in oceans, lakes, and urban waterways using typical filtration methods. Experts say that there are currently no microplastic filtration systems being utilized in Europe’s many wastewater treatment plants.

After conducting 1,000 tests, Fionn found that his ferrofluid method was able to collect 87% of microplastics from his water samples. After winning the prize, the West Cork is hoping to begin implementing his filtration technique in wastewater treatment plants so that the microplastic pollutants won’t ever reach the ocean.

“I look forward to applying my findings and contributing towards a solution in tackling microplastics in our oceans worldwide,” he said.

Despite his young age, Fionn already has a long list of life accomplishments, as he is curator at the Schull Planetarium, speaks 3 languages fluently, won 12 previous science fair competitions, plays the trumpet in an orchestra and has a minor planet named after him by MIT. We can’t wait to see what this young man is able to accomplish in the years to come!

Watch this brilliant young man talk about his method in the video below.