KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 15 -- A team of Malaysian students has made the global Top 20 shortlist of the 2025 James Dyson Award with an eco-friendly invention called UNBLOK.

Developed by Ong Jing Rou, Natalie Tham and Ng Wen Kai from Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation, UNBLOK turns palm oil waste into a biodegradable kitchen drain filter.

The invention tackles the common household problem of clogged sinks caused by fats, oils and grease, known as FOG.

Inspired by their own struggles with blocked pipes, the trio spent a year designing and testing prototypes using real kitchen waste.

They discovered that palm fibre, a local by-product of Malaysia's palm oil industry, was the most effective at absorbing grease while remaining fu...