Sewage decontamination device patented by students

The device is based on cold air plasma treatment.

Master students Ruziya Sabirzyanova and Mansur Nafikov and PhD student Roza Khuzina (all studying at the Department of Biomedical Engineering and AI in Biotechnical Systems) have constructed a pilot device.

“Plasma is an ionized gas, one of the four classical aggregate states of matter. It can oxidize various microorganisms and destroy not only their shells, but also the DNA of viruses and bacteria. Unlike the traditional methods of sterilization, our method makes it possible to reduce the time of exposure to wastewater, which results in energy savings,” explains Professor Makarim Nafikov.

Cold gas-discharge plasma, while sterilizing water, does not destroy heat-sensitive materials, which is also a plus, he adds, “Wastewater enters the grease trap, then with the help of a pump through a nozzle is fed into the chamber. At the same time, a jet of cold atmospheric air plasma is fed into the chamber from the air ionizer by means of a fan, and the voltage at the electrode of the air ionizer generator is 30 kilowatts.”

Purified and decontaminated wastewater can then be used for manufacturing or discharged in water bodies.

“The water that has undergone such treatment complies with sanitary norms. The plasma wastewater disinfection device developed at KFU is cheaper than the existing ones, and from the technological and technical point of view, it is simpler. In addition, its use does not require additional expensive equipment for electric flotation,” concludes the scientist.