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The results of a study of summer phytoplankton (July 2018-2020) in the middle reaches of the Vychegda River in the places where treated wastewater is discharged from the Mondi Syktyvkar JSC pulp and paper mill are presented. In the phytoplankton of the investigated section of the River, 263 species with varieties of algae of seven divisions were identified: Cyanoptokaryota - 8, Ochrophyta - 4, Rhodophyta - 1, Euglenophyta - 1, Bacillariophyta - 232, Chlorophyta- 15, Charophyta - 2. Mostly widespread in terms of diversity, eurytopic species. For three years of research, the stability of the complex of dominant species and structural diversity has been noted for phytoplankton communities. The basis of the dominant complexes is formed by species from the genera Aulacoseira , Dolichospermum , Pandorina , Eudorina , Closterium , etc. The composition of dominants is similar for conditionally background points and the zone of discharge of fine waters. Below the wastewater discharge site, a massive development of the thermophilic species of diatom Diadesmis confervacea , an indicator of thermal pollution, was noted. The total number of phytoplankton in the Vychegda River at the studied stations was recorded in the range from 1150 to 18000 thousand cells / dm³, biomass - from 0.01 to 0.29 mg / dm³. The ratio of the total abundance and biomass of phytoplankton algae and indicator species forming a complex of dominants reflect an increase in the trophic status of the waters of the surveyed areas and a high degree of anthropogenic load on the ecosystem of the Vychegda River. On the basis of algoindication, the waters of the conditionally background and receiving wastewaters of observation points were assigned to the III quality class (with the quality category 3b - slightly polluted).

The paper is presented the results of a study of the species diversity and developmental stability of individuals of common fish species from the Vychegda River in the area of treated wastewater discharge of one of the largest pulp and paper mill in the European northeast of Russia. It was shown that for the period from 2018 to 2020, perch, roach, and bleak predominate in the catches of a set of nets with a mesh size of 10 to 60 mm in the littoral zone of the monitoring sites. These species are widespread representatives of the ichthyofauna in the basin of the studied river. The catches included non-native species such as white-eye bream, asp and pike-perch. They recent appearance of which became possible due to the construction of canals connecting the Northern Dvina River basin with other river systems. Indices of species diversity (the number of species, their relative abundance and the Shannon index) in monitoring sites from the region of the studed of pulp and paper production is similar. The integral index of individual development assessing, based on the fluctuating asymmetry indicator, indicates the absence of a negative effect on the formation of bilateral morphological structures in early ontogenesis in fish that lived as in the impact as in the conditionally background sits. It was recommended to conduct an additional study to identify physiological disorders in the body of fish or the accumulation of heavy metals or other pollutants in their tissues and organs to clarify the obtained results.

The results of long-term studies of the collembolan population in the gradient of pollution of pine and spruce forests (middle taiga) in the zone of influence of pulp and paper industry (JSC Mondi SLPK, Komi Republic), the main pollutants of which are oxides of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, hydrogen sulfide, mineral dust are given. The study was carried out in the period when the total amount of emissions was 20-30 thousand tons (2003, 2007-2009 years) and 10-15 years after their reduction by 2-3 times to 10 thousand tons (2018-2019 years). It was shown that after a decrease of emissions, the species richness of springtails significantly increases in the zones of strong and medium coniferous forests, but their number decreases in all zones, which may be associated with weather conditions. It was found that in pine forests, especially in the background plots, euedaphic species predominate, and the proportion of hemiedaphic and epiedaphic species increases in the zone of sting impact. At the same time, the spectrum of life forms, biotopic groups, the structure of the springtail population does not undergo significant changes over the course of 10 years. In spruce forests, on the contrary, differences were revealed in these parameters between years of research, which are expressed in a change in the dominance of species, their relative life forms and biotopic groups. The observed changes in the communities of springtails in spruce forests are apparently determined by changes in the ground cover. In general, there has been a significant improvement in the state of the collembola community of spruce forests in the zones of strong and medium imact from 2003 to 2019.

The analysis of the state of soil macrofauna during the period of reduction of emissions of pulp and paper production revealed changes in the structural parameters of invertebrate communities in the pine and spruce forests of the impact, buffer and background areas. The macrofauna of pine and spruce forests is characterized by a high degree of similarity and low diversity at the level of large taxa. It is a typical feature of coniferous forests in the middle taiga subzone. The species richness of invertebrate communities is estimated for the period from 2003 to 2019 years. It is comparable for the impact and buffer areas, and it is almost twice lower than for the background area. The total number of macrofauna, as well as taxonomic groups, varies by periods and areas of load. In 2007 and 2010, a change of dominant species was observed in the pine forests of the impact area. Lithobius curtipes C. L. Koch, 1847, Pella humeralis (Gravenhorst, 1802) predominated in the buffer and background area, and Philonthus rotundicollis (Menetries, 1832), Philonthus politus (Linnaeus, 1758) predominated in the impact area. In 2018, no changes of dominants were detected in pine forests, as in spruce forests (in 2006, 2010, 2019). Dendrobaena octaedra (Savigny, 1826) and L. curtipes were dominants in the impact, buffer and background area. The predominance of zoophages is typical for all the studied plots. The number of some taxa (Lumbricidae, Diplopoda, Elateridae) indicated an increase in the relative abundance of saprophages in the soils of coniferous forests at the impact area. The soils of background area, with high natural acidity, are unsuitable for activity of invertebrates. Due to the effect of neutralizing the acidity of the soil near the pulp and paper enterprise favorable conditions are created for them.

A review of systematic studies of unbranched radical-chain reactions by the example of pyrolysis of hydrocarbons and dichloroethane with the participation of heterogeneous catalysts is presented. It is shown that the determining role in catalytic pyrolysis is played not by the concentration of surface or gas-phase active centres but by the total concentration of free radicals per unit reaction volume, which determines the heterogeneous-homogeneous nature of the process. Four types of surface impact on the process have been identified: inhibitory, neutral, accelerating the heterogeneous or homogeneous components of the process. A phenomenological model of these reactions and experimental evidence of its validity are proposed. For catalysts that accelerate the homogeneous component, the effect of “ignition” of the catalyst activity is detected, and its nature is explained. The concept of catalysis spheres is introduced - the areas above the catalyst with an increased concentration of radicals. Its dimensions and conditions of existence are determined. Experimental criteria for the emergence of the sphere are determined. Techniques of purposeful selection and synthesis of catalysts, selection of methods of technological arrangement of radical-chain heterogeneous-homogeneous processes are shown.

The analytical survey over the literature data and results of the studies carried out by the authors into the physicochemical characteristics and catalytic properties of highly dispersed massive polymetallic Ni-Mo-W and Ni-Mo catalysts, and carbide-containing Mo₂C/C catalysts of the core - shell type is presented. Catalytic carbon systems in which the active centres are functional oxygen-containing surface groups are also considered. It is shown that all the catalytic objects under consideration may be successfully synthesized by means of mechanochemical activation.

Generalizing analysis of the ecological aspects of the development and application of materials and chemical technologies promising for management of the Arctic zone and cold regions is carried out. The requirements to the Arctic materials and technologies both in their functionality and in relation to minimization of environmental impact are discussed. The problems related to the arrangement of Arctic raw material processing at mining sites are discussed.

Some questions related to applying liquid para-hydrogen in hydrogen energy are considered. The necessity to organize a business consortium for accelerated development of the technological basis for manufacture, storage and transportation of liquid para-hydrogen is discussed; the achievements of Boreskov Institute of Catalysis in the field of catalyst development and investigation of the process of ortho-para conversion of hydrogen are presented. According to low-waste technologies involving modern domestic materials, newly updated catalysts based on bulk iron oxide (BIC-5-1M) and on nickel oxide supported on the novel alumina support (BIC-5-4M) for ortho-para conversion of hydrogen were developed. Their catalytic activity was demonstrated to be comparable with the catalysts developed previously under the leadership of R. A. Buyanov, BIC-5-1 and BIC-5-4, which were applied in the industrial process of liquid para-hydrogen production. A technology of BIC-5-1M catalyst manufacturing was developed, and a pilot catalyst batch of 1 t was prepared for experimental-industrial trials.

The development of scientific directions initiated by R. A. Buyanov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, laid the foundations of the methods to synthesize catalytic nanocarbon materials. As a continuation of his ideas, the studies in the area of thermocatalytic synthesis of carbon-mineral supports were carried out at the Institute of Combustion Problems (Almaty, Kazakhstan). A review of the recent works on the formation of carbon nanotubes and nanocarbon sorbents is presented, the areas of their practical application are described. Results of the studies of the synthesis of carbon nanotubes on the catalysts obtained by means of solution combustion on glass cloth and the development of flexible heating elements on this basis are considered.

The major directions of applying polymer nanocomposite materials for the protection of the environment and humans are considered in the review. The potential of using highly porous materials and cross-linked hydrogels with incorporated nanoparticles for the purification of waste and natural waters from heavy metals, dyes, and antibiotics is demonstrated. Highly porous polymer materials with magnetic nanoparticles can be used as efficient sorbents for oil-spill cleanup from the surface of water bodies. Incorporation of anisotropic carbon and metal nanoparticles into highly porous polymer materials is a promising strategy for creating nanocomposite materials for electromagnetic radiation shielding.