Polish Intelligent Development Award 2020 for UPWr

The Polish Intelligent Development Award is awarded during the Intelligent Development Forum - devoted to new technologies, innovations, inventions and innovative investments using Polish technical and scientific thought. This year, it was awarded for the fifth time. The awards are granted in several categories: "Resident and investor-friendly local government", "Scientists of the future - applied research", "Scientists of the future - exact and technical sciences". These year’s awards went to representatives of science and business who had contributed to intelligent development.

Prof. Anna Michalska-Ciechanowska and prof. Krzysztof Lejcuś got the awards in the "Scientist of the future - basic research" and "Scientist of the future - application research" categories.

Prof. Anna Michalska-Ciechanowska from the Department of Fruit, Vegetable and Plant Nutraceutical Technology was awarded for the implementation of projects entitled "Interactions of bioactive compounds with carriers during the process of fruit juice drying", "Analysis of the physicochemical properties of juice powders and pomace of selected fruits obtained with various drying methods and their impact on immunological markers in in vivo model studies" and "Identification of key parameters of selected drying methods influencing the thermolability and interaction of bioactive compounds in fruit powders ”. In May 2020, prof. Michalska-Ciechanowska won over 1 million PLN in the Alphorn competition of the National Science Centre for the research on fruit powders carried out together with prof. Wilfried Andlauer of HES-SO Valais-Wallis University of Applied Sciences in Sion. The National Science Centre organized the competition in cooperation with a Swiss agency – Swiss National Science Foundation.

Fruit powders, natural substitutes for artificial supplements or food colourings, can be used as a natural source of pro-health compounds, regardless of the seasonality of the fruit. The condition is a properly carried out production technology that will allow the preservation of bioactive ingredients. – We want to obtain products that, unlike fruit, will not be seasonal, so they will supply natural bioactive compounds all year round. It is also a step towards reducing the amount of artificial additives in food, which is a response to the growing awareness of consumers who are increasingly looking at product labels, says prof. Anna Michalska-Ciechanowska, emphasizing that more and more consumers know that highly processed food has various, often negative effects on human health. Therefore, together with a research team and using various innovative technologies, she studies the interactions with natural carriers that occur during the drying of fruit juices to eliminate the formation of harmful compounds during the process.

- We are developing powder compositions with new properties that can be targeted at specific groups of consumers, e.g. diabetics, who live in a dietary regime and are at risk of serious complications – adds prof. Michalska-Ciechanowska, admitting, that the award is also a signal that the research she conducts is also noticed by the market which will be its recipient.

Prof. Krzysztof Lejcuś from the Institute of Environmental Engineering has been awarded for the activities undertaken as part of the GEOSAP project "Hydrobox 2.0 – innovative technology supporting water saving and plant vegetation". The technology, patented in the European Union, saves water in agriculture, urban green areas, but is also important for improving the safety of hydrotechnical structures, slopes and embankments.

Hydrobox 2.0 is a geocomposite, which includes a superabsorbent – a powder that swells in contact with water and becomes a gel. 1 gram of this substance known for several decades and used, among other things, in the production of hygiene materials, can retain about 300 grams of water. An innovative idea of prof. Lejcuś’s team is based on a new technology of the geocomposite use – it is wrapped in geotextile, which allows it to be placed under the plant roots in the form of a "pillow" in which water accumulates. The Hydrobox 2.0 project is carried out as part of the Intelligent Development Operational Program co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund, and is implemented in a consortium between the University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Wrocław – the leader and initiator, and the company Geotabo Ltd.

- For the development of a new generation of water-absorbing geocomposites, the consortium received over 2.6 million PLN, over 2.3 million of which went to UPWr. As part of the project, innovative, biodegradable versions of Hydrobox products are being developed. New generation hydroboxes not only decompose spontaneously in the soil, but also provide basic nutrients necessary for plant vegetation. As before, they also lead to significant savings in water used for irrigation. Additionally, they will be created to a large extent with the use of waste materials, thus complying with the principles of circular economy – explains prof. Krzysztof Lejcuś.

The success of the idea of ​​water-absorbing geocomposites is best evidenced by awards and distinctions – geocomposites won the Grand Prix in the INFRAEKO 2014 competition for the best product solution, technology, implementation and investment during the 4^th International Scientific and Technical Conference on "Modern Cities. Infrastructure and Environment ”in Kraków. And prof. Krzysztof Lejcuś, during the 25^th International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition ITEX 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, received a gold medal and an award for the best foreign invention, winning with over 300 other solutions from Europe and Asia submitted to the exhibition.

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