New Unique Eco-Technologies Developed in Russia
Environmental issues have become increasingly acute for humanity lately. We consume natural resources and engage in active economic and industrial activities, often posing a threat to the environment. Returning to the 19th century by abandoning technological progress is unrealistic, but technologies can be created to significantly reduce the level of environmental hazard. And this is already happening in Russia.
Plant Filter
Researchers from Belgorod State National Research University (BelSU), in collaboration with ecologists from the Yakovlevsky Mining and Processing Plant of Severstal Company (YaGOK), as well as specialists from the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Hydraulic Engineering named after B.E. Vedeneev (St. Petersburg) and the Institute of Inland Water Biology named after I.D. Papanin of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Borok, Yaroslavl Region), have developed an innovative system for the final treatment of wastewater (mine water).
Discharges resulting from various industrial and domestic human activities often contain mineral and organic impurities. These can include soil particles, slag, salts, acids, alkalis, and even oil products.
To prevent them from harming the environment, it is necessary to purify such water. Typically, this is done mechanically or using chemical reagents. These methods have their drawbacks, such as salt precipitation and sediment formation. More effective purification methods, such as sorption, extraction, and electrolysis, are characterized by low productivity.
However, there is also an interesting method called the use of biofilters. This involves microorganisms that decompose organic compounds. The most effective methods of purification are combined methods that remove all types of pollutants from wastewater.
According to the acting head of the laboratory for mineral raw materials enrichment at BelSU, Semyon Gzogyan, the new technology involves two stages of purification: preliminary mechanical and phytoremediation. For the latter, researchers from the Botanical Garden of BelSU selected suitable riparian plants and developed methods for their mass cultivation and propagation. They form a filtering “pillow” allowing the processing of pollutants.
“Initially, we assembled an experimental laboratory stand on which we conducted a series of experiments, selecting filtering materials,” said Semyon Gzogyan to GORUS. – “Then, a semi-industrial phytoremediation installation appeared on the shore of the settling pond of the YaGOK. Currently, detailed monitoring of its operation is underway.
According to experts, such structures can serve for up to 25 years.
Phytopurification plant in operation / Photo: National Research University “BelSU”
Laser – Methane Hunter
Another innovative development is a laser designed to detect methane leaks. Accumulations of methane have often been the cause of workers’ deaths.
You may have heard that in the old days, miners would take a canary in a cage with them when descending into mines. Why? The bird quickly responded to the presence of accumulating methane underground – a colorless, tasteless, and odorless gas, but highly explosive in high concentrations.
In modern times, birds are no longer needed – thanks to technological progress, more advanced methods are employed. The new Russian system allows for the rapid detection of methane leaks in gas pipelines, mines, and other underground structures.
Here’s how it works: a laser installation is turned on at one end of the underground space or pipeline, while a detector at the other end measures this radiation in volts. If there is a methane leak, the power of the signal immediately decreases.
“The uniqueness of this design lies in the fact that changes in temperature allow tuning the wavelength in the range required for the analysis and diagnosis of the surrounding environment,” explained Dr. Sergey Morozov, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and head of the laboratory at the Institute of Physics of Microstructures of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The scientist added that standard quantum cascade and fiber optic laser installations cannot operate in such an extended range.
The laser itself is constructed at the Institute of Physics of Microstructures of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The semiconductor material for the laser is grown at the Institute of Semiconductor Physics named after A.V. Rzhanov, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It includes elements such as cadmium, mercury, and tellurium.
“The technology is based on controlled growth of quantum wells,” explained Nikolay Mikhaylov, a senior researcher at the Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. “Their number can reach up to 40-50. By the way, besides us, no one else in the world is doing this yet.”
The research was conducted as part of the implementation of the scientific project “Quantum Structures for Post-Silicon Electronics” with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia.
Neural Network Recognizes Pesticides
Artificial intelligence also contributes to environmental preservation. Scientists at Tyumen State University (TyumSU) have developed software capable of automatically recognizing and measuring the amount of pesticides settled on plants.
Pesticides – substances (or mixtures of substances) intended for the destruction of pests, weeds, plant disease agents, and the regulation of their growth – are well-known and indispensable in agriculture. However, their use has serious side effects, such as harmful effects on pollinating insects and a decrease in environmental safety. Many consumers of plant products also believe that the treatment of plants, vegetables, and fruits with pesticides can negatively impact human health, as these chemicals are not always completely “washed off” from the surface.
The safety level of pesticides depends on the amount of substance per treated area. However, standard counting methods may provide inaccurate information. The new development allows for the automatic measurement of leaf coverage area in real-time, minimizing the amount of pesticides used, reducing costs, and decreasing environmental pollution.
The research was carried out as part of the basic part of the state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Interestingly, regular portable computers and cameras can be used as equipment.
“At the first stage, we manually recognized more than a hundred images of plant leaves, and at the second stage, we used the obtained results to train AI and develop an algorithm,” explained Fabio Gracioso, a researcher at the Laboratory of Photonics and Microfluidics at TyumSU.
According to him, the results can be significantly improved by using a camera with special lenses and offering more images for recognition to the neural network.
Treatment of plants with pesticides
What’s Next?
There are already many environmental projects that cannot be implemented universally due to their complexity and cost. Therefore, it is still early to talk about the implementation of these technologies. So far, only experimental samples are ready.
To solve the problem globally, it is necessary to calculate the costs of building appropriate installations or creating programs. Meanwhile, increasing the share of domestic innovative developments and such products in the country’s economy is one of the government’s priority tasks.
By Irina Shlionskaya