“Since my high school years, I have been passionate about applied chemistry, especially in the field of environment. Later, when I have the chances to go to many places and see the environmental problems in industrial parks which affect workers’ health, I have been cherishing the idea that I need to find solutions to settle the problems,” she said.

After tireless research efforts, Thuy’s two research works on treating waste water contaminated with heavy metal ion with magnetic materials coated with gamapolyglutamide (Gama-PGM), and multi-layer groundwater purifier were granted protective certificates by the National Office of Intellectual Property in 2018.

With the use of Gama-PGM, a material successfully developed by a professor from Tokushima University, she suggested solutions suitable to Vietnam’s conditions to help factories treat waste water.

Research results show that magnetic particles have high ability to absorb heavy metals, and that using Gama-PGM as an absorbent material in the magnetic filtration model can bring high processing efficiency, which can meet the requirements.

Research results show that magnetic particles have high ability to absorb heavy metals, and that using Gama-PGM as an absorbent material in the magnetic filtration model can bring high processing efficiency, which can meet the requirements.

The solution has been applied at a plating plant in Da Nang City. This is an industry which releases waste water with high heavy metal concentration. However, the situation has improved with the solution.

Another topic that Thuy spends time on is treating alum and polluted water in rural, mountainous and remote areas, where underground water cannot meet quality standards.

Thuy is the chair of respected research projects including research on water treatment and heavy metal recovery at South Lake at Da Nang Airport with a flotation process using Gama-PGM; the assessment of underground water quality and proposed solutions to treat underground water in Tam Hai island, in Nui Thanh district of Quang Nam province; and the treatment of Cu2+ and Zn2+ in plating waste water with magnetic separation method.

According to Thuy, the multi-layer underground water filter is compactly designed in a cylindrical shape, including eight sections containing underground water, gravel, sea sand, activated carbon, manganese sand and filtered water, divided into separate compartments. It is easy to replace the materials and is economical.

The solution can fix the disadvantages of conventional water filtration methods, and is suitable to all families.

The underground water filtration experiments in Cam Thanh commune in Hoi An City found that the NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit), Fe and Mn concentrations are all below Vietnamese standards QCVN 01:2009. From the invention, Thuy has developed a filtration equipment for family use. 

Mai Lan

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