Scientists of Vinca Institute discover solution for biggest air pollutants – Industrial smoke neutralizer lifesaver for outdated thermal power plants

Judging by the latest data, the Kosava wind in Belgrade has dispersed the polluting particles in the air a little, but we are witnessing that our capital is often on the list of the most polluted cities in the world. In one period, Serbia was even the country with the most polluted air for five consecutive days, together with India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Although the media often talk about how much exhaust gases or individual combustion plants are to blame for such statistics, the main culprit undoubtedly lies in permanent polluters - outdated coal-fired thermal power plants, due to which the values of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other gases in our country are almost six times higher than the permitted limits. And in addition to that, they also increase from year to year, as stated in one of the reports that eKapija also wrote about.

Devastating data on pollution as driver for our scientists

It was this kind of statistics that encouraged local scientists from Vinca to try to find a solution for our air, which is often the most polluted in the world.

– At the moment when alarming news first appeared about Belgrade as the city with the most polluted air in the world, we felt the responsibility to direct our research towards solving the problem. Our thermal power plants and smelters in Serbia usually do not have any filters for exhaust gases or, at best, they have electric filters for collecting larger particles from the smoke, but these filters are permeable to the worst and most dangerous pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Although legal regulations prescribe threshold values, in practice they are often violated, and the consequence is a dangerous and even deadly impact on people. That’s why we wanted to nip the problem in the bud. And so the idea of finding the most suitable material that could absorb the most dangerous gases, such as SO2, CO and CO2 and NOX, before they reach the atmosphere was developed – says Dr. Sanja Milosevic Govedarovic, a senior research associate employed at the Institute of Nuclear Sciences in Vinca, in an interview for eKapija.



Only two thermal power plants use filter systems

The first goal was, as eKapija’s interview states, to create a filter system that would be installed on the chimneys of industrial plants, heating plants, and thermal power plants. Of course, there are already filter systems on the market that are widely used by developed countries, and in our country only two thermal power plants use them. However, as a consequence of the operation of those systems that work on the principle of gas absorption using a calcium carbonate suspension, limescale is formed that requires a long-term overhaul and imposes environmentally questionable processes for its removal. Therefore, this team, in which, in addition to eKapija’s interviewee, there were also two of her colleagues from the Vinca Institute - Dr. Tijana Pantic and Dr. Ana Mrakovic, as well as colleagues from IRM Bor - Dr. Aleksandra Ivanovic and Dr. Silvana Dimitrijevic, had the idea to find an alternative to calcium carbonate in order to eliminate this problem.

Green light from the Innovation Fund

And as a result of their work, a completely new filter system was created - ISN, i.e. industrial smoke neutralizer. The importance of such a project was also recognized by the Innovation Fund, which approved its financing within the PoC (Proof of Concept) program. After the positive evaluation of the results, additional funding was approved for the purpose of laboratory research in the field, that is, on the smoke outlet of a thermal power plant.

From the inception of the very idea of using an ecological material as an absorber of polluting gases, to the development of an efficient filter system ready for practical application, it took two years, and the last in a series of steps that this team took was the submission of a patent application to the Patent Office at the end of last year. According to our interviewee, this is a significant step towards the commercialization and wider application of a solution that, compared to the existing solutions on the domestic and foreign markets, has a number of advantages.



– Our solution is characterized by its simplicity, low price and the use of a natural material, which has numerous advantages compared to calcium carbonate. The material we use is a mixture of natural mineral clays that are completely safe to handle - they are even used in cosmetics. In addition, it neutralizes the acidity that can be increased due to the dissolution of exhaust gas components in water, does not stick to the walls of the system and does not form limescale, thus greatly simplifying and speeding up the overhaul of the system. In fact, overhaul amounts to draining the water suspension from the system and replacing it with a new one. In addition, the used material can be used as fertilizer for crops, which further contributes to the environmental sustainability of the solution and the circular economy. In this way, we not only reduce pollution, but also enable the reuse of materials for useful purposes, which closes the cycle of sustainable use of resources – adds Dr. Milosevic Govedarovic.

Innovation potential for other markets as well

She is convinced that the potential of ISN far exceeds the domestic market.

– We believe that the low price and availability of materials could first of all benefit the poorer countries in our region, where the high price of scrubbers (in the existing filter systems - ed.) is often unattainable, while air pollution problems are pronounced. In addition, any European country that seriously approaches environmental protection can be a potential user of our solution. Globally, markets like China, India and other eastern countries should not be ruled out either. That is why we are considering in which other countries a patent application should be filed, but of course, also how to provide funds for the protection and maintenance of the patent – adds our interviewee.

She expects this innovation to reach industrial application, and until then they certainly expect various challenges that may arise in practical implementation, which could not be foreseen.

– This implies finding a business partner with which we would further develop and test our product, but also another provision of financial support for our work – adds our interviewee.

As she says, scientists don’t quite feel at home in that segment - commercialization and marketing, but our interviewee is ready to tackle that challenge as well. And considering the ultimate goal of this solution - ensuring a better future without polluted air for all of us, but even more importantly, for our descendants - we believe that a solution will be found for this challenge as well.

Danijela Stanimirovic-Gavrilov

Institut za nuklearne nauke Vinča Beograd

Institut za rudarstvo i metalurgiju Bor

Institute for Nuclear Sciences Vinča

Institute for Mining and Metallurgy Bor

IRM Bor

Sanja Milošević Govedarović

Tijana Pantić

Ana Mraković

Aleksandra Ivanović

Silvana Dimitrijević

air pollution

industrial smoke neutralizer

ISN

NID

thermal power plants

air filters

filter systems

sulfur dioxide

nitrogen oxides

carbon dioxide