Environmental Technologies and Eco-innovation in the Czech ...

5.2 | Czech Nanospider – a global technology for the
production of nano-fibres for environmental applications
The Nanospider technology is unique in the world. It is the only technology that
enables the industrial production of fibres that are a thousand times thinner than
human hair (nano-fibres) and are able to produce millions of square meters of nanofibrous
materials every year.
The Nanospider technology was developed
in cooperation with the Technical
University in Liberec and Elmarco. It was
awarded the Nano 50TM Prize granted by
the prestigious magazine Nanotech Briefs
(the official periodical of NASA) and was
a nominee for two Index Awards that the
INDEX 08 fair in Geneva. The technology is
based on electrospinning 7 and protected by
a patent and a trademark. The technology
is used by several of the most significant
international companies, especially in the
USA and Asia.
7
Nano-fibres have a great potential in many applications and industrial production
is the key to their use in environmental protection. The considerable porosity and
high surface and volume coefficients of nano-fibres offer extraordinary options
for use in membrane technologies 8 . Molecules, macromolecules and cells may be
connected by nano-fibres and such modified nano-fibres may be subsequently used in
many areas from waste processing to chemical analysing and diagnostics through the
use of biosensors.
For example, affinity membranes 9 are used in waste water treatment. This is because
in certain cases it is impossible to completely eliminate certain types of contaminants
by using traditional treatment methods either for inorganic pollutants such as cadmium,
mercury and lead, or organic compounds – these all may be removed from waste water by
using nano-fibre affinity membranes. Nano-fibre technology considerably improves
the efficiency of filtration capacity for a given facility and is able to remove fine,
solid and liquid particles from the air. Thanks to its high efficiency and very low
7 electrospinning – a method of spinning material from solutions or melts based on applying a direct current electric field
8 membrane technologies – methods and processes for separating solid particles and liquids using porous membranes or filters
9 affinity membranes – special membranes based on nano-fibres that can absorb selected pollutants and elements
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