A team of young scientists from the Institute of Technical Acoustics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus has developed a luminescent express method for detecting methanol in strong alcohol. As part of a research cooperation agreement, it is looking for partners to improve a method for the determination of alcohols in complex dilute aqueous solutions (beer, wine).

Alcohol is widely used in industry and in everyday life. There are different types of alcohol depending on the chemical formula. Ethanol and isopropanol can be consumed by humans. Enatol (EtOH) is the most expensive and is included in alcoholic beverages. Isopropanol is used externally for disinfection. Methanol (MeOH) is used industrially as a solvent.
Methanol is toxic to humans and should not be inhaled, contacted, or even consumed. Consuming more than 40 mg/kg of methanol or inhaling more than 200 ppm per day can lead to nausea, vomiting, breathing problems, bronchitis, blindness and death. About 1,000 methanol and ethylene glycol poisonings occur annually in Belarus, of which approximately 100 are fatal.

The Institute of Technical Acoustics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus has developed a luminescent material that allows you to determine the presence of methanol in a sample by changing the color of the glow without complex manipulations or expensive equipment. In the presence of methanol the glow is green, but in ethanol the glow remains yellow.

Possible areas of application:
- household services,
- healthcare,
- regulatory authorities,
- chemical production.

The project to develop an express method for detecting methanol is the winner of the 13th Republican youth competition “100 ideas for Belarus”. The presentation of the project can be found here.

The project to develop an express method for detecting methanol is the winner of the 13th Republican youth competition “100 ideas for Belarus”. You can view the presentation of the project here (in Russian).

Research topics of the scientific group:
- luminescent materials (pH, O2, ToC sensors, tags for bioimaging;
- sorption materials (layered double hydroxides, metal-organic frameworks);
- medicinal substances (ultrasonic and selective extraction, processing of plant materials);
- biopolymers (sonochemical modification, creation of composites).

The cost of the indicator test is less than 0.01 USD.

A prototype indicator test has been developed for the detection of methanol in pure form or in strong alcohol.
Work is underway to determine alcohols in complex dilute aqueous solutions (beer, wine).

The Institute of Technical Acoustics is a leading organization in the field of new directions in the physics and technology of ultrasound and the scientific foundations of the use of high-power ultrasound in technological processes of materials processing.

At the present stage, the activities of the Institute correspond to the priority areas of scientific, technical and socio-economic development of the country and the Vitebsk region. The Institute conducts fundamental and applied research, and also carries out scientific and technical developments within the framework of state scientific research programs (GPNI), regional scientific and technical program (RSTP), republican and international projects of the Belarusian Foundation for Basic Research (BRFFR), individual projects and grants in fields of semiconductor physics, magnetoelectric phenomena, ultrasonic vibrations, thermoelastic phase transformations, etc.

Scientific areas of activity of the Institute:
- study of the impact of concentrated energy flows on condensed media and physical processes;
- development of methods and technologies for obtaining materials for functional and special purposes.

A branch of the Republican Center for Technology Transfer has been created at the State Scientific Institution “Institute of Technical Acoustics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus”, the main activities of which are:
- support for innovation and technology transfer in the field of using concentrated energy flows (ultrasound, laser radiation, high-frequency electromagnetic fields, ion-plasma flows, high-temperature synthesis) on the structure and properties of condensed matter; synthesis of new composite, structural and ceramic materials with specified physical and mechanical properties in an ultrasonic field; processing of metals using thermal methods, pressure and powerful ultrasound; development of new instruments and equipment, creation of new information technologies;
- promoting the development of innovative entrepreneurship and the expansion of international partnerships in the field of innovation and scientific developments;
- providing assistance in the implementation of state policy in the field of small and medium-sized innovative businesses in the creation of new technologies, the development of new devices and equipment.

The Republican Center for Ultrasound Technologies, which is an interdisciplinary scientific and technical center (cluster) for advanced scientific research, has been created at the State Scientific Institution “Institute of Technical Acoustics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus”. The center was created with the aim of developing new highly efficient processes and devices for processing materials, creating new functional materials to improve the quality of products, reduce costs and increase the level of safety of production using high-power ultrasound. The expected scientific results of the center’s work are aimed at obtaining new scientific knowledge about the influence of acoustic influences on:
- structure formation and properties of materials;
- technological processes;
- thermoelastic phase transformations in materials with shape memory.

The expected practical results are aimed at mastering new technologies and developing unique equipment with high export potential.

Partners interested in using and improving the method for determining alcohols in complex dilute aqueous solutions (beer, wine) under a research cooperation agreement.