Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov last week met with Dana Kadyrbek, a student at Almaty Gymnasium No. 79 who created a device for collecting water from the atmosphere using modern nanomaterials. The device effectively absorbs and condenses moisture from the air and works without connection to the electrical grid, according to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.
Following the meeting, Minister Nurzhigitov and Dana Kadyrbek signed a memorandum for a joint analysis of the device’s performance and launching a pilot project for its introduction.
Nurzhigitov praised the aspiration of talented young people for developing unique scientific projects aimed at water conservation. “We’ve been following this development for a long time. It offers a unique solution for water conservation, which is especially useful in remote regions. The device collecting water from the atmosphere at low humidity has great potential for its practical use. And the use of modern nanomaterials and solar energy make it an important green innovation project,” said the minister.
The device has received recognition at national and international competitions: first place among 36 countries and over 2,000 participants at the WICO international exhibition in South Korea and first place among 24 countries at the Youth International Science Fair (YISF) in Indonesia. It also received awards at the KazNU International Conference and the Kazakhstan Smart Space International Competition on Space Technology and Engineering.
Dana Kadyrbek’s device was among ten semi-finalists in the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP), implemented jointly with UNIDO.
“I’m very pleased that the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation supports young scientists. This kind of support gives me additional incentive to continue my research. Thanks to the Minister’s order today, we can begin field testing of the device and launch the pilot project,” said Dana.
Photo: gov.kz
