Our university Fatsa Marine Sciences Faculty faculty member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Ekber Özdemir and his project team were awarded the silver medal at the Istanbul International Invention Fair (ISIF 2023), held within the scope of TEKNOFEST 2023, for their work called "Atmospheric Carbon Capture System" aimed at solving the global warming problem.

With the invention, which won a silver medal by exhibiting at ISIF 2023, in which 451 patents from Turkey and abroad participated, it was aimed to solve the problem of global warming, one of the biggest problems of humanity today, with the developed atmospheric carbon dioxide trap system. The invention, developed as a result of the collaboration of Ali Ekber Özdemir and scientists from Ondokuz Mayıs and Sinop Universities, attracted the attention of many domestic and foreign investors at the fair. It is stated that the invention for which a national patent application has been made will also be submitted to an international patent application within the year.

Providing information about the details of the invention, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Ekber Özdemir said, “Our invention called Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Containment System can be considered as one of the studies aimed at solving the problem of global warming and the important reason for this is the greenhouse gases emitted, especially carbon dioxide. Today, carbon footprint tax has started to be applied in many countries, especially in Europe. For this reason, facilities that capture carbon dioxide in the atmosphere began to be built. However, storing carbon dioxide drawn from the atmosphere poses another big problem. Our invention is basically a photo-bio reactor and provides a suitable environment for living things called microalgae, which photosynthesize much more efficiently than trees. The second generation prototype of our invention is suitable for home use and contains a liquid algae culture of approximately 10 liters. This prototype can erase the carbon footprint of 2 vehicles. The 3rd generation prototype that we will manufacture as a result of our ongoing studies will capture more atmospheric carbon dioxide with the support of artificial intelligence. The captured atmospheric carbon dioxide is kept in the algae biomass and the dead algae biomass that has completed its life cycle is a raw material for many sectors such as food, cosmetics, medicine, paint, energy and fertilizer. In addition, our invention, which is a scalable system, will be able to be manufactured in large facilities.” 

Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Akdoğan said, “We are very happy that this invention, which was developed as a result of the joint work of our university faculty member and the project team, was awarded with a silver medal at the Istanbul Invention Fair held within the scope of TEKNOFEST 2023. This study, which is an important indicator of our university's recognition in the international arena and that it has come one step further in the scientific world, is an important invention that aims to solve the problem of global warming, one of the biggest problems of the 21st century, and will also provide added value for our country. For his success, which I believe will set an example for our researchers carrying out scientific studies, I congratulate  Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Ekber Özdemir and the project team and wish them success in their new studies that will contribute to science.”