Simple desalination and water purification that doesn’t require energy? Sound like science fiction? Well, it is not, we are talking about NanoseenX a product of a Polish startup that uses nanomaterials to solve global problems. In an interview with Bartosz Kruszka, co-founder of Nanoseen, we take a closer look at this innovative solution.

What are Nanoseen’s goals and mission?

Nearly 2 billion people have a problem with access to clean water. Our mission is to create, develop and deliver nanotechnology solutions. Our ultimate goal is to help reduce the negative effects of human impact, including the climate and water crisis. Together with our team, we have developed the NanoseenX solution, which solves global problems related to climate change, such as shortage of drinking water and plastic pollution of oceans. We aim to provide universal NanoseenX devices that are suitable for any climate zone and can be used in any conditions by the people who live there.

We are also working on a second Nanocultiv project, in which we have developed innovative NanoboosteX nanopowders, which have carbon-based nanomaterials in their composition. They are characterized by high purity, homogeneity and high adsorption capacity. As a result, the nanopowders increase the efficiency and productivity of the soil and stimulate plant growth, which allows the production of healthy, organic agricultural products and plants.

How does NanoseenX work?

The technology we have developed is based on nanomembranes. Each device is equipped with a specially designed NanoseenX membrane system tailored to a given contaminant or water salinity, with a customized thickness and size. It is the first device to use a simple filtration process. As a result of the filtration, which involves gravity overflow of water, the water is desalinated or purified from microplastics, nanoplastics, bacteria, viruses, light and heavy metal ions. An additional advantage of the solution is its versatility – we can change the shape, size and scale up the use without any problem, as we do not use additional energy and pressure in the filtration process.

When did you start implementing your solution? Where is it already being used?

The very idea and my interest in nanomaterials came about quite a long time ago, in my first year at the university, in 2009. We conducted the first field tests on our product in Sopot. The capacity of the device, depending on its size, allows us to obtain a minimum of about 200 ml of drinking water in about 2 minutes..This year we are starting to implement our solution in Poland, Europe and Asia.

What challenges did you face at the very beginning?

It took a lot of work, trials and analysis to develop an effective solution. In addition, we were developing Nanoseen during the Covid-19 pandemic, when most resources were geared towards fighting the virus. Despite the fact that now more green startups are still being created, funding for green technologies is still too low.

We are a Polish company and have always wanted to work and stay in Poland. Creating a science startup in Poland is an unusual challenge given Poland’s geographic location and the ongoing war across our eastern border. Additionally, the scientific world at a university and at a company are two completely different approaches to the topic of research and product creation. Often, research is done at universities to create product X, but the price of the product, scalability or competition in the market is not considered. In my opinion, first of all, the price of the final product and scalability play a key role here. We have taken into account probably everything important – our nanomembranes are adapted to existing infrastructure, so it will be easy to bring them to market. This will make it easier for us to create water treatment technologies for private companies as well. In the next few years, we want to adapt our nanomembranes to higher water salinity. As well as we want to create technology that can also purify other types of water or liquids. In addition, we want to implement our solution internationally in industry.

Tell us more about Nanocultiv

The project was established in 2021. We started a study in which we tested the effect of nanomaterials and nanopowders on plant growth. After obtaining very good results, we decided to continue research under real conditions. Accordingly, we built a greenhouse where we continued to study the cultivation of white peppers. After harvesting in August/September 2021 and obtaining excellent results, we decided to continue working on the NanboosteX product. At the beginning of 2022, we started research with our partners in Poland during which we studied the effects of various nanopowders on plant growth and development. We are currently expanding our customer base in Poland and around the world. We are slowly starting international sales and implementation in Kenya, among others. In Poland, we have started the registration procedure for the first NanoboosteX nanopowder. In the following years, we want to register another nanopowder variant in Poland, Europe and other countries around the world.

NanoboosteX nanopowders cause the formation of an expanded plant root system. This allows plants to increase their ability to take up micro- and macronutrients and photosynthesize more actively. In addition, the activity of key enzymes involved in, for example, carbon or nitrogen metabolism is increased. This results, among other things, in increased accumulation of carbohydrates (sugar, starch), soluble protein or nitrogen. The above-mentioned mechanisms contribute to improving both the quality and quantity of crop production.

NanoboosteX nanopowders are adapted to the changing requirements of agricultural production and meet new market expectations. They are an environmentally friendly, non-toxic and biodegradable product. Thanks to them, the plant does not absorb harmful compounds from the soil. NanoboosteX nanopowders reduce the cost of plant cultivation. They make it possible to reduce carbon emissions and save water and energy. They are versatile, easy to use and store. They can be used in many types of crops. In our outdoor crops with our partners, we have confirmed that for fertile soils, our nanopowders can replace fertilizers in plant cultivation. Currently, we have tested the effect of our nanopowders for: corn, lemon balm, thyme, beet, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, basil, cilantro, barley, wheat, white and red peppers, dahlia, pansy, phlox, cornflower, Chabaud carnation, bearded carnation, black mallow, sage, marigold.

What are your future plans and current challenges?

Mission and the fight against climate change are at the top of the agenda. Unfortunately, these changes are increasingly being felt. Worldwide interest in our products and work is great. Currently, international partners are approaching us themselves , impressed by our activities. We are also receiving inquiries for the purchase of licenses for our solutions, which large corporations want to use in their modern water devices and systems. We are currently in the advanced stage of testing and implementing our products internationally. Our projects are now entering a very important and challenging stage of development.

We invite everyone interested in the Nanoseen initiative to visit the website: https://nanoseen.com and explore more about it.