Natural compounds extracted from shrimp shells can become an efficient weapon against arsenic and lead pollution which are major environmental problems in Guatemalan waters. The finding has been made by a group of researchers and students from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG). Following promising pilot tests, the group is now using supercomputing to better understand the mechanisms involved and prepare for larger implementation of the method.
The project began in 2024, when the group applied chitosan nanoparticles to capture lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals present in water. Chitosan is a biodegradable substance extracted from shrimp shells.
Based on the pilot test results, the team has been granted time on the high-performance computing (HPC) testbed of the BELLA II project led by RedCLARA, the regional research and education network for Latin America.
“The BELLA II testbed was fundamental for running complex simulations quickly and accurately, which enabled us to move forward and validate this technology. What we completed in six months would have taken 12 to 18 months without the BELLA II HPC platform, due to the high computational load. Having this tool accelerated the process and helped us obtain results,” says Allan Vásquez, Professor at UVG.
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Submitted by Morten Anderson
