Clean Caspian, an environmental research start-up backed by Alkagesta, has completed the first phase of its work on oil spill remediation technologies for enclosed marine ecosystems, according to an announcement published by Alkagesta. The milestone covers the development and laboratory testing of two products intended to improve spill response, with further formulation work and testing still planned.
The research 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 Phase I work sought to identify the most promising chemical compositions for the two products through laboratory testing.
Alkagesta reported that Oil-Collecting Reagent-1 performed effectively in localising thin layers of oil. The second product, Flocculant–Coagulant-1, showed strong results in destabilising oil-in-water emulsions, the announcement said. These were laboratory findings: the reported milestone concerns initial validation of the formulations rather than their deployment in an operational spill response. The next stage will include tests under a wider range of environmental conditions.
Some of the research into Flocculant–Coagulant-1 took place at the University of Padova, drawing on scientific expertise and laboratory facilities in both Italy and Azerbaijan. According to Alkagesta’s account, the project’s academic supervisor praised the team’s scientific methods and its relatively rapid progression from the concept stage to laboratory validation. The supervisor also credited Alkagesta’s industry knowledge and collaborative approach with helping connect the research to operational and environmental needs.
Following completion of Phase I, Clean Caspian intends to optimise both formulations, carry out further testing and continue the patent application process. Those steps form the next part of its effort to develop practical remediation tools for enclosed marine environments.