Alkagesta-invested environmental research start-up Clean Caspian has successfully completed Phase I of its development — marking the first major milestone in the project’s progress toward delivering practical oil spill remediation technologies for enclosed marine ecosystems.
Phase I was successfully completed by co-founders Aynura Mammadova, a student researcher in the Master’s degree programme in Sustainable Chemistry and Technologies for Circular Economy at the University of Padova, and Narmin Ismayilova, Researcher and Instructor at Baku Engineering University.
During Phase I, the team developed two core technologies designed to improve oil spill response:
- Oil-Collecting Reagent-1, developed to rapidly localise thin oil films on the water surface
- Flocculant–Coagulant-1, designed to destabilise oil-in-water emulsions and improve separation efficiency
Laboratory testing identified the most promising chemical compositions for both products, with Oil-Collecting Reagent-1 demonstrating effective localisation of thin oil layers and Flocculant–Coagulant-1 showing strong performance in destabilising oil-in-water emulsions. Part of the research on Flocculant–Coagulant-1 was carried out at the University of Padova, combining scientific expertise and laboratory resources across Azerbaijan and Italy.
The project’s academic supervisor noted that the team demonstrated a rigorous scientific approach, successfully progressing from concept development to laboratory validation in a relatively short period, and highlighted the role of Alkagesta’s industry expertise and collaborative approach in turning scientific research into practical solutions for real operational and environmental challenges.
With Phase I complete, the Clean Caspian team will focus on further optimising both formulations, conducting additional testing under different environmental conditions, and continuing the patent application process.