Maryna Peter

PhD student in Process Engineering

At Eawag since 2006

Maryna Peter studied Chemical Engineering at the National Technical University of Ukraine, is currently working on her doctoral thesis at Eawag. As part of the EU project TECHNEAU (Technology Enabled Universal Access to Safe Water), she is researching a filter module in which water is purified as it passes through a membrane at low pressure. As this system does not require elaborate maintenance or control, it is particularly suitable for use by households in developing and emerging. “For me,” says Maryna Peter, “what is attractive about research at Eawag is the process of following something all the way from the initial discovery of a phenomenon to the development

of a technology, and advancing step by step towards solutions.” Does she dream of patenting a device and reaping financial rewards for her efforts? With a smile, the young woman replies: “No. If our results help more people to gain access to safe drinking water, then that’s sufficient motivation.” She adds that she is particularly interested in exploring the underlying mechanisms. As she points out, the manufacturers of a similar system operating at low pressure don’t know why it works. “Now that we’ve identified the opportunities and limitations of our filters, we can use this knowledge to set about improving them.”

Maryna Peter works at the department Process Engineering in the field of Drinking Water. More information can be found here.