Fibre sorbents as a new generation of wastewater treatment and extraction of strategic metals
AJELIS SAS designs and produces fibres for water and air pollution control, as well as for metal recycling and repurposing. The new generation of materials makes it possible to selectively capture pollutants.
AJELIS meets the environmental challenges
AJELIS was first approached by nuclear industry players to create caesium decontamination material. Since then, AJELIS keeps developing and improving their products. Compared to competitors, AJELIS fibres are at least 10 times quicker and are very effective at both metal high and trace level concentrations. Moreover, they can be converted to any different textile forms, and be applied where current granular materials cannot.
The French start-up develops sorbent systems that can selectively capture metals in hydrometallurgical processes. The company has developed expertise in strategic metals, particularly rare earth elements as well as lithium separation from magnesium or other bivalent pollutants. Their solution consists of a filtration-column system, loaded with proprietary extractive fibres, that can directly replace current ion-exchange resins.
With AJELIS, the team intends to preserve the planet by offering water cleaning solutions, recycling high-value metals and treating radioactive waste. All these issues are and will remain vital.
New self-decontaminating masks in response to the COVID-19 crisis
To respond to the COVID-19 crisis, AJELIS has developed a self-decontaminating mask. Moreover, the face mask has the property of filtering and destroying the virus. It is made of fabric and a reusable and sterilisable barrier patch covered with a solution based on copper, the self-decontaminating material with biocidal properties HYGIAFELT-Cu®.
During the pandemic, France faced a shortage of masks. AJELIS mobilised team efforts to participate in the creation of a network of volunteer seamstresses who make masks for health personnel and police. The distribution in Essonne Region to nursing homes, and to hospitals in the South region of Paris was carried out for four weeks free of charge to respond to the emergency. With the HYGIAFELT® barrier patches, AJELIS has equipped the personnel most exposed to pathogens with very positive user experience feedback, they have also received many requests.
Following the success of this initiative, and in order to meet the continuous high demand, AJELIS is offering masks and patches for sale to the public or professionals. The washable masks are sewn in accordance with the AFNOR standard and have successfully passed the DGA breathability tests. The added value is the additional filtration layer with the self-disinfecting and sterilisable HYGIAFELT®-Cu barrier patch.
The HYGIAFELT® material was already well advanced at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It existed in the form of wires for wound cartridges with the aim of eliminating micropollutants and possibly pathogens and disinfecting tap water. Today, AJELIS is concentrating efforts on its manufacture in other forms to apply it in self-disinfecting air filters, hygiaphones and additional barriers in masks.
