Clean Caspian, an environmental research start-up backed by Alkagesta, has completed the first phase of work on technologies intended to tackle oil spills in enclosed marine ecosystems, according to Alkagesta Newsroom. The company described the completion as the project’s first major development milestone towards practical remediation applications.
The work was undertaken by co-founders Aynura Mammadova and Narmin Ismayilova. Mammadova is a student researcher on the University of Padova’s master’s programme in Sustainable Chemistry and Technologies for Circular Economy, while Ismayilova is a researcher and instructor at Baku Engineering University. Their first-phase programme focused on developing two technologies for oil-spill response and assessing their chemical formulations in the laboratory.
According to the newsroom account, laboratory tests identified the most promising compositions for both products. Oil-Collecting Reagent-1 was reported to have performed effectively in localising thin layers of oil. The second product, Flocculant–Coagulant-1, showed strong results in destabilising emulsions in which oil is dispersed in water. The reported findings relate to laboratory work rather than operational deployment.
Some research on Flocculant–Coagulant-1 took place at the University of Padova. Alkagesta Newsroom said the work drew on scientific expertise and laboratory resources in both Azerbaijan and Italy, bringing together the institutions associated with the project’s researchers during this stage of development.
The project’s academic supervisor praised the team’s scientific methods and its relatively rapid progression from initial concepts to laboratory validation, the outlet reported. The supervisor also credited Alkagesta’s industry knowledge and collaborative approach with helping direct the research towards practical operational and environmental problems.
The next stage will concentrate on refining both formulations and carrying out further tests under different environmental conditions. Clean Caspian will also continue the patent application process, according to Alkagesta Newsroom. Those activities remain the team’s stated priorities following completion of Phase I.