„Dziennik Gazeta Prawna” organises the 8th edition of „Eureka! DGP – Discovering Polish Inventions” competition, which involves universities, research institutes and scientific units of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The competition is open to innovative solutions submitted to the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland in 2017 and 2018. The innovations nominated by the editorial board for the main prize will be described in a special series of “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna”. The articles will particularly present their practical application and possibilities to use in economy and production.
Two inventions co-authored by scientists associated with the University of Silesia in Katowice were submitted for the competition. The first one is the pressure method of free radical polymerisation of N-vinylpyrrolidone, developed by the team composed of: Prof. Marian Paluch, Assoc. Prof. Kamil Kamiński, Professor of the University of Silesia, Assoc. Prof. Magdalena Tarnacka, Professor of the University of Silesia, Dr Eng. Paulina Maksym and Dr Eng. Andrzej Dzienia. The invention consists in high-pressure method for obtaining poly(1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) – PVP, which allows to produce a synthetic polymer with the use of free radical polymerisation important for industry and laboratory applications. PVP is a polymer soluble in water solutions, characterised by very low toxicity. It is used in the medical and pharmaceutical industries as a component of pharmaceuticals and filler or binder, as well as in the cosmetic and food industries – as a measure for filtering, clarification of beverages (juices, beer, wine), key element of products for hair stylisation and addition to detergents for absorbing contaminants. This solution was awarded with gold medals during the 14th edition of the International Exhibition of Inventions „IWIS 2020” and International Invention and Design Competition – 2020 IIDC Hong Kong.
The second invention is the method for regeneration of fully or partly deactivated SCR catalysts and method for disposal of cleaning solutions used during regeneration. The solution, covered with patent protection, was developed by the team of scientists composed of: Dr Maciej Kapkowski, Dr Tomasz Siudyga, Prof. Eng. Jarosław Polański and Dr Eng. Anna Niemczyk-Wojdyła. Emission of harmful gases to atmosphere, including the so-called NOx mixtures, impacts the air quality. Due to the toxicity of these compounds, subsequent legal regulations on NOx emission norms are established, and producers are forced to improve the technological standard of installations for the decomposition of nitrogen oxides. The scientists from the University of Silesia have improved one of the best known methods for the decomposition of NOx, i.e. selective catalytic reduction (SCR). You can read about the solution at: us.edu.pl/patent-dzieki-ktoremu-bedziemy-oddychac-czystszym-powietrzem.
The results of the competition will be presented during the official gala ceremony, which will take place on 24 June 2021.
