On Friday, September 25th, 2026, Alkagesta, an international energy and commodity trading house based in Malta, announced the successful completion of Phase I of the Clean Caspian startup. This environmental research initiative, backed by the company, is focused on developing practical technologies for oil spill remediation in marine ecosystems.
The investment in Clean Caspian is in line with Alkagesta’s broader ESG strategy and long-term commitment to environmental stewardship. The project was presented on the GUB Startup Platform as part of the “Skills for the Future” initiative, which showcases technology and research-based solutions to real industrial and environmental challenges.
During Phase I, the research team completed initial laboratory testing and identified two leading chemical formulants for oil spill management. Oil-Collecting Reagent 1 is designed to quickly contain thin oil films on the water surface, while Flocculant-Coagulant 1 is geared towards destabilising oil-in-water emulsions and improving separation efficiency. These two formulants work together to provide a two-stage approach to oil spill response.
The research has been led by Aynura Mammadova of the University of Padova in Italy and Narmin Ismayilova of Baku Engineering University in Azerbaijan. Their collaboration has combined scientific expertise and laboratory resources from two institutions.
Co-founder of Clean Caspian, Aynura Mammadova, stated, “For us, Clean Caspian is about turning scientific research into practical environmental solutions. We are particularly interested in exploring more sustainable, circular approaches to address oil contamination and reduce its environmental impact. These initial results give us a strong foundation for the next stage of research and optimisation.”
Orkhan Rustamov, CEO of Alkagesta, expressed, “This initiative has the potential to facilitate crucial advancements in the technology behind preventing and mitigating oil spills. We are proud to support such an initiative, recognizing our responsibility as traders of a product that, if mishandled, can cause serious environmental harm. We are excited to see the potential of this startup and thank the researchers for their excellent work thus far.”
The completion of Phase I has been covered in the industry press, highlighting the identification of the two formulants and their potential for real-world application in oil spill response. Alkagesta has also released a video documenting the completion of Phase I.
With Phase I now complete, the team will focus on further optimizing both formulants, conducting additional testing under different environmental conditions, and progressing the patent application process.
