Czechs hope to cut China's PM2.5 with nanotech

The Czech Republic hopes to introduce its nanofiber technology to China to help cut air pollution and purify water, said Jiri Krechl, an official with CzechInvest, at the Czech embassy in Beijing on Sept 27.

Jon Li, secretary of International Energy Conservation Environmental Protection Association, made a speech at the Czech Republic embassy in Beijing on Sept 27,2013. [Song Jingli/chinadaily.com.cn]

Nanofibers have a high potential in air purification and water treatment, said Ladislav Mares, chairman of Nafigate Corporation, a Czech company that has know-how concerning nanofiber applications.

Filters coated with nanofibers can dramatically improve filtration efficiency and can get rid of PM2.5 - particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter that can penetrate the lungs, said Mares.

Hu Ping, a Tsinghua University professor specializing in nanofibers, said Czech's nanospider technology for producing nanofibers is advanced in the world and should be introduced to China.

However, Krechl said nanofibers are very expensive to produce. He added that industrialization needs both governmental support and cooperation between Czech companies and their Chinese peers.

Xie Xuanhui, who received his doctorate in nanotechnology and is now a director of Origo Partners PLC, said nanotechnology has a huge market potential in the long run, but in the short term, significant gap exists among the subsegments from material through component to system which all together impede the development of the market. He added that there is a long way to go from the laboratory to the final products without effective cooperation among the players in the value chain.