Search

Relevance. At present, the problem of soil pollution with heavy metals, which are accumulated in the body of animals and plants, causing various toxic effects, is especially acute. Despite the existence of various methods of reclamation of disturbed lands, as a rule, their application is inefficient or expensive, especially when it comes to abnormally high concentrations of heavy metals. Thus, an extremely urgent task is to find effective and inexpensive ways to recultivate lands contaminated with high concentrations of heavy metals. The article considers one of the promising areas for the reclamation of such lands using a mixture obtained from the accumulated waste of lignin-containing sediments from the pulp and paper industry of Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill as sorbents. Aim. To study and evaluate the effectiveness of using a mixture, which includes frozen lignin-containing sediments of Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, as heavy metal sorbent. Methods. To assess the sorption efficiency of the obtained sorbent from the frozen sediments of sludge-lignin, the samples of anomalously contaminated soils were taken from the industrial site of the former battery plant "Vostsibelement", located in Svirsk, Irkutsk region. To determine the surface structure of the obtained sorbent for the presence of micro-, meso-, and macropores, its surface was surveyed using a JEOL two-beam system. IR spectroscopy was used to establish the types of bonds between the sorbent and the extracted metals. Results. The studies have shown that the resulting sorbent from the frozen lignin-containing sediments of Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill has a porous structure with a predominance of mesopores, sorbing heavy metal ions, while a large number of micropores contributes to the occurrence of chemical sorption. The obtained IR spectra indicate the possibility of chemical sorption of lead as a result of the reaction of substitution of a hydrogen atom in various hydroxyl groups of the sorbent of the group of aromatic or carboxyl structures. At the same time, the resulting sorbent in terms of its sorption properties is not inferior to commercial natural sorbents – bentonite clay and grassroots peat. The conducted studies allow us to make a positive conclusion about the possibility of using the developed mixture as a sorbent for the immobilization of heavy metals during the reclamation of lands that are contaminated with high levels of heavy metals, including lead.

The relevance. The waste of Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill causes a real danger of a social and environmental disaster for Lake Baikal and the entire Southern Baikal region, therefore, the problem of developing integrated solutions for dumping the accumulation of lignin-containing waste is especially acute. One of the promising areas for processing this type of waste is the use of natural processes, for example, freezing in winter, temperature detection or self-overgrowth of the occurrence of natural succession. The main aim of the research is to develop an environmentally friendly technology for processing colloidal lignin-containing waste from the pulp and paper industry. Methods: pilot tests at the Solzan industrial site of Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill for freezing lignin-containing wastes and obtaining soils from them by mixing with additives; performing quantitative chemical analysis using the methods of atomic absorption and atomic emission spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography, toxicological analysis. Results. Pilot tests have shown that after freezing, the colloidal structure of lignin-containing sediments is destroyed with a decrease in volume up to 40 %, humidity up to 60 %, and also with a decrease in toxicity – from the third (moderately hazardous) to the fourth (low hazardous) and fifth class (practically non-hazardous) of hazard of the waste depending on its composition. After freezing, the resulting sludge with the introduction of various additives (CHP ash, sewage treatment plant sludge) can be used as soil ground and fertilizers for reclamation of disturbed lands and crops. Thus, an environmentally friendly technology was developed for processing waste from the pulp and paper industry to obtain soil ground, which is low-energy and does not contain expensive imported equipment.

The article describes the potential threats of the changes in the sustainability of the ecological system of lake Baikal which have resulted from the industrial activities of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill. In this urban planning project, it is proposed to create the technopolis on this basis. It is an eco-innovation cluster that is focused on the commercialization of innovative ecological developments in the Baikal Region. It aims to improve the efficiency of the scientific potential of Eastern Siberia.

The total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and some polyarenes in fouling (macrophytes) was determined for the first time in the framework of the Roshydromet observation system in Lake Baikal in 2014–2017. The concentration was determined for the coastal shallow part of the lake in the area of the former Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM) (currently, the municipal wastewater discharge of the town of Baikal'sk) as well as for the north of the lake in the impact area of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM). In BAM the total concentration of polyarenes in fouling is 1.4 times higher than in the area of the former mill, and in the area of BPPM the content of carcinogenic polyarenes is 2.5 times higher than in the north of the lake. The obtained characteristics of the modern level of polyarenes and PAHs in the lake macrophytes can be used as ecological criteria for improving the environmental control during the integrated monitoring of the lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ichthyofauna in the littoral zone the southern extremity of Lake Baikal was investigated. Modern data were obtained on fish composition in waters most affected by anthropogenic factors, where the probability of resultant changes in the fish community is highest. Long-term fish sampling was carried out in the zone of discharge and spread of wastes from Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM); in regions near urban settlements; and near shore-protection construction operations. The data were compared with material previously collected, and with fish communities sampled in distant (control) areas. Variations in the composition of community are shown: some species that used to be absent were recorded in these areas, and possible reasons for their appearance are discussed. No distinct changes in the littoral fish were found attributable to anthropogenic influences. Recommendations on ichthyologic monitoring are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]