Home – Home – Jornals – Chemistry for Sustainable Development 2008 number 3

The paper shows the methodical features of a technique applied to economic assessment of the natural resources use in the Northern areas where Aboriginal peoples traditionally have lived. It also offers the methodical approaches to assessing such resources misuse.

The paper analyses the innovation aspects of how a bio-pharmacological cluster operate, including that concerning the connectedness of such cluster. We state that contacts with contractors within a cluster are of critical importance for any cluster's company as any contractor could be regarded as a supplier of new ideas, technologies and innovations for the cluster. On the other hand, the high transaction costs are a major institutional force which limits the cluster's growth.

The paper analyses how the distribution of centralized investments influence regional development through applying an optimization multi-regional model of money flows analysis and foresting. We consider here an approach which takes into account the achievement of a system-wide effect and distribution of resources according to the criterion of maximization of the minimal development level. We present our assessment of how distribution of resources between regions influences the dynamics of the system-wide effect.

The paper considers the methodical issues of how the intersectoral interregional models could be applied to the assessment of large investment projects implemented through public-private partnership. We define the interrelated indicators of project efficiencies at the macroeconomic, regional and microeconomic levels. To demonstrate the advantages of such approach, we present the experimental calculations for a simplified low-sized example.

On the base of the Russian data, we undertook an empirical testing of a model where the spatial externalities generated by regional growths are considered as a source for development of neighboring territories. As our results show, such externalities do affect the other regions' growth rates but the character of such influence in the western Russian regions differs from that in the eastern ones.

This article reviews the domestic and foreign studies which empirically analyze inter-regional income inequality in Russia. The studies are grouped according to the statistical approaches applied in these studies (cross-sectional analysis, time series analysis, and distribution dynamics analysis). The adequacy of the techniques used and data analyzed is discussed. We also consider the issue of relationship between studying inter-regional income inequality and policy implications.

The study analyses how deeply a drop of regional fiscal revenues taking place due to the economic crisis affect the regions of the Siberian Federal District (SFD). We analyze the sectoral structure of the tax revenues in consolidated regional budgets as well as their tax type structure. The structure of vertical distribution of the SFD tax revenues are compared with the Russian average one. We show a peculiar character of the SFD tax flows from different activities.

То foresee the allocation of the oil-gas-chemistry companies in the territory of East Siberia and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and their further development on the base of resources of the East Siberian Oil-and-gas Complex (ESOGC), the paper analyzes competitive advantages of different regions. We present the spot analysis of regional advantages and infrastructural constraints which oil-and-gas companies could face while implementing their projects. We also present the balance valuations of supply and demand for light hydrocarbons for different scenarios of the ESOGC development. We identified the corporate, regional and national priorities for allocation of the oil-gas-chemistry complexes. We assess how infrastractural constraints influence the implementation of investment projects, as well as complexity and efficiency of the hydrocarbons usage.

The study considers a regional social community concept. A regional social community is regarded as a system of the community members' interpersonal and intergroup attitudes based on their awareness of the solidarity in interests, values and life expectations, mutual support, loyalty and partnership for reaching common goals. We consider the building of such regional social community as a pre-condition of better quality of life and a necessary component of any regional development strategy. We also identify the basic stractural elements of a social community (values, standards and collectivities) and principles to develop such concept.

The paper presents a concept of multi-vector modernization of an industrial enterprise. Analyzing data of the social research, we advance a hypothesis of uneven development of different sub-systems of an enterprise and different vectors of modernization. In our opinion, this is a factor which hampers any enterprise development.

The study analyses the application of information processing technologies to socio-economic monitoring of regional development. The author proves the necessity of the development of monitoring techniques allowing for the types of regions and all regional characteristics.

The paper retraces the evolution of the idea concerning the integrated development of natural wealth in the area of the Baikal-Amur Railroad, and describes its history of before and after «perestroyka» periods. We show a current role which some of the minerals play for the Russian and world economies, and prove their growing roles. We also characterize a main group of companies which presently are the private investors involved in such natural resource development projects.

The paper shows the special features which regional governing systems have due to an «oil-and-gas» orientation of their economies. We applied the modern approaches and algorithms of analysis and strategic decision-making, such as the simulation models and situation analysis, to study the key problems of regional development. As our analysis of the situation in the eastern region of Russia shows, to solve management tasks of the oil-and-gas potential of any territory, a modeling object should include several regions (or RF units). We offered some approaches to reaching a consensus between major operators.

The paper analyzes the relative prices for energy sources which were observed in Russian federal districts of over 2000-2006. We analyze the dynamics and key factors of relative prices for coal and gas, and identify the areas according to the different coal-gas prices ratios. We find that at present relative prices for oil and gas, the excessive consumption of gas can be observed in the Russian economy.

The study describes the basic principles and advantages of applying the balanced scorecard to public utilities management. Major indicators and a plan of introducing such management system are identified.

The paper presents a definition of the best technology available. To reduce the ecologic and economic damages from the coal energy industry, we offer a technique for selection such technologies. The paper includes the statement of the problem, methodology and algorithms for calculating the damage reduction obtained by application of such best technologies. Our calculation and conclusions, which are presented here, are made on the base of the Siberian cost energy budgets.

The study analyzes the demand for long-term financial investments and credit resources by agricultural enterprises in the Samara Oblast. We show how fiscal transfers influence the financial and economic activities of these enterprises, and what improvements should be done in the innovation and investment policies at both regional and enterprise levels.

The paper offers a technique based on regional phenotypes for calculation of anticipated composite regional indices. We present our calculation of such indices for the period till 2015 through using the data covering 2000-2007.

Main catalytic processes and types of fuel for the production of hydrogen for low-temperature fuel elements with simultaneous carbon dioxide removal from the reaction medium are described. Types of adsorption reactors used for absorption and catalytic conversion (ACC) with pressure or temperature swinging, as well as reactors with membrane separation of hydrogen are considered. Descriptions are presented for novel regenerative membrane systems such as adsorbent-membrane reactor and space life support systems. Prospects for the use of ACC in hydrogen power engineering are evaluated.

Concentrations of vitally important (S, K, Ca, Fe) and highly toxic elements (Pb, Cd), heavy metals possessing moderate toxicity (Zn, Cu, Co, Mo, Ni, Cr, Mn), and low-toxic elements (Ti, Ba, Sr, Zr) in the model animal species belonging to different trophic levels of terraneous biocenoses were investigated. Background areas and the regions chemically polluted with metals were considered. We studied invertebrate phytophages (larvae of sawfly Arge sp.) and carnivores (terraneous beetles Pterostichus oblongopunctatus L.), as well as two small mammal species belonging to different taxonomic and trophic groups: phytophagous bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus Shreber) and insectivorous common shrew (Sorex caecutiens Laxmann). It was demonstrated that the distribution of the concentrations of chemical elements in living organisms is determined by their position in the trophic structure of natural biocenoses; thus the groups of primary producers, phytophages and carnivorous species are distinguished. Under environmental pollution, the character of distribution of the concentrations of chemical elements is determined by the specificity of mineral metabolism in animals as well as by their belonging to different taxonomic groups.

Fatty acid content in muscular tissue and liver of three morpho-ecological groups of the Baikal omul was determined for the first time. Among total lipids in all the fish individuals studied, prevailing groups are presented by polyunsaturated (38.5-53.8 % of the total acid content) and saturated (31.8-36.5 %) fatty acids. Polyunsaturated acids are presented mainly by 22:6(n-3) and 20:5(n-3), their sum varies within the range of 16.8-33.3 %. The lipids of muscles contain a high fraction of polyunsaturated fatty acids at the expense of docosahexaenic acid (13.28-24.66 %). No considerable differences were revealed between different morpho-ecological groups of omul concerning the composition of fatty acids of lipids. Due to a moderate total fat content (6.37-7.65 %) and a balanced polyunsaturated fatty acid n-3/n-6 ratio in muscular tissue, the Baikal omul may be considered a high-quality dietetic foods as well as a raw material for obtaining biologically active supplements.

Close correlation between the concentrations of elements in human blood, tissues of small mammals (liver, bone tissues), wild animals (hair, bone tissues) and the concentrations of elements in atmospheric aerosol and nutrition components was established at the regional level. Substantial role of atmospheric aerosol in the global cycles of chemical elements is assumed. The elemental composition of blood of tundra Nines people, Chukchi, Eskimo people and Russians living in Novosibirsk was used in the investigation.

Process features and the component composition of the products of ozonolytic destruction of the shale oil kerogen from the Kashpir deposit in the Volga Basin were studied. The products soluble in chloroform and water are represented by sulphuric acid, n-dicarboxylic aliphatic acids С₂-С₁₄, keto acids and the acids of branched structure, whose amounts are quite comparable. Water-insoluble compounds include higher fatty acids С₁₀-С₁₈, benzenedicarboxylic acids, as well as keto and oxy forms of aromatic (including hydroaromatic and nitrogen containing) compounds.

Transformations of acetylene during mechanical activation in the presence of quartz were investigated. The destruction of quartz is accompanied by the formation of radicals on the surface; they initiate gas-phase transformations of acetylene. It was demonstrated that, in addition to acetylene destruction proceeding with the formation of hydrogen, methane and ethane, acetylene polymerization with the formation of benzene takes place. It was established that the yield of the products of chemical transformations of acetylene depends on the time of mechanical action.

An electrochemical method for the oxidation of β-naphthol by active oxygen species generated from О₂, Н₂О₂ and Н₂О in aqueous media with different рН values was studied in situ using the anodes made of Pt, Pb/PbO₂ with graphite and gas diffusion cathodes based on technical-grade carbon. The effect of reagents concentration, current density and the way of carrying out the process on the efficiency of β-naphthol oxidation was investigated.

Software for constructing the structures of petroleum resins and asphaltenes molecules were developed using Monte Carlo method. With the help of this program, and basing on the parameters of structural group analysis calculated from analytical data concerning elemental composition, molecular mass and PMR spectroscopy, we obtained molecular structures for the resins and asphaltenes of heavy oil from the Zuunbayan (Mongolia) and Usinsk fields. The thermodynamic stability of structures calculated and constructed for the molecules of resin and asphaltene was evaluated using molecular mechanics calculation.

It is demonstrated that carbonization of sapropel at the temperature of 700-800 °C may be used in order to obtain carbon-mineral sorbent for wastewater comprehensive purification either from polar substances or from nonpolar ones. Composition and structure for the material obtained were established using X-ray fluorescence and IR spectroscopy, XRD phase analysis, thermal and chemical analyses, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, mercury porosimetry. Sorption characteristics of the sorbent were determined with respect to a wide range of substances (iodine, methylene blue, heavy metal ions, oil products, phenol, surfactants).

Geochemical investigation of the Ekaterininskiy brook draining the Salair ore field from the temporarily abandoned culvert (Salair city, Kemerovo Region) was carried out. Changes of the overall composition of element concentrations in water and in bottom sediments in the brook under investigation, the Malaya Talmovaya River and the zone of their mixing were determined. Model chemical species of element occurrence and the indices of saturation of mineral phases in solution were calculated. The major mechanisms of element deposition at the geochemical barrier were revealed. It was demonstrated that the interaction between the brook and river waters causes substantial changes of the basic ion composition in the mixing zone, the concentrations of heavy metals decrease substantially but the level of background values is not achieved. The main forms of the occurrence of zinc (as the pollutant of priority for the system under consideration) in the surface water of the Ekaterininskiy brook are sulphate and aquated complexes. In water and bottom sediments of the Malaya Talmovaya River, zinc is represented mainly by aqua ions and carbonate complexes. For all regions under investigation, iron occurs in the form of hydroxide complexes, which was confirmed by calculated saturation indices. The latter values showed that the waters of the brook and the river are supersaturated with respect to goethite FeOOH and ferrihydrite Fe(OH)₃, and the latter compounds promote sorption and co-precipitation of a number of heavy metals.

Basing on the results obtained in comparative studies on the purification efficiency of water from the Om River using a coagulation method with alumina, ferric chloride, and the reagent containing sodium-potassium ferrate (VI) (FSR) and ferric chloride as a coagulating agent, possibility has been demonstrated for obtaining potable water with required quality, making no considerable change in the process flowsheet of water treatment plant at the Kormilovka settlement.

Russian investigations in the area of nanoscience and nanotechnology were studied by means of bibliometric methods using the databases of Science Citation Index, Chemical Abstracts and Inspec of the international research network Scientific and Technical International.

Russian research in the area of nanoscience and nanotechnology were studied by means of bibliometric methods using the databases of Science Citation Index, Chemical Abstracts and Inspec of the Scientific and Technical Network International.

The application of numerical methods to the investigation of combustion processes, including the use of tracer elements in numerical modelling, is considered. On the basis of the analysis of the numerical data obtained, conclusions related to explosion safety are made, in connection with inhibition, experimental determination of the rich limit of flame propagation, and determination of the final pressure after self-ignition in a closed vessel.

The process of aerosol formation during aldehyde photolysis is investigated. It is shown that atmospheric aldehydes serve as an efficient source of organic aerosol. Measurements of aldehyde concentrations in urban atmosphere were carried out, the scale of aerosol formation processes was characterized. It was established that the possibility of photochemical aerosol formation cannot be neglected in adequate estimations of the ecological consequences of atmospheric pollution with organic compounds.

A procedure for the determination of low-volatile impurities in the atmosphere is developed for the concentrations below 1 ng/m³. The method is based on the absorption of molecules and their clusters by water fog generated during sharp cooling of the atmospheric air with the evaporating liquid nitrogen. The developed experimental set-up was called drop concentrator. A simple and rapid method of calibration of the equipment was developed. It was shown that the error of vapour concentration measurement suing this method does not exceed 10 % within the range of mass concentrations 10 to 3000 ng/m³. The results of tests of the set-up under laboratory and field conditions are presented. The diurnal and seasonal dynamics of the concentration of aerosol-forming compounds and their connection with changes of meteorological parameters, source characteristics are considered.

An approach to the investigation of the effect of supramolecular structures on the photo-induced radical processes is proposed. The possibilities of the new approach are demonstrated with the example of the investigation of the host-guest type complex formation with biologically significant photoactive molecules with β-cyclodextrin; the investigation was carried out both by means of spin chemistry and with the help of laser pulsed photolysis. It was shown that the effect of complex formation is exhibited for geminal processes and fort he processes taking place in the volume and participated by radical particles. Investigation of spin and molecular dynamics in these processes will allow one to establish the mechanisms of molecular recognition and the nature of selectivity in biological processes.

A comparative analysis of a number of physicochemical parameters of the initial and melted water obtained as a result of freezing - melting is carried out. These parameters include concentrations of organic, inorganic impurities and dispersed phase particles, as well as heavy isotopes of water, hydrogen peroxide, dissolved gases - oxygen, carbon dioxide. It is shown that melted water differs in these parameters from the initial water; the differences have a permanent and time-dependent character.

With the help of freezing - melting procedure, the efficiency k_pur of water purification from phenol is investigated as a dependence on the fraction of frozen solution (g) and freezing temperature T (freezing rate). The following kinds of dependencies are established: 1) a monotonous increase in k_pur with an increase in g at T = -3.5, -6.5, -10, -15 ^oC; 2) an increase in k_pur with an increase in the fraction of frozen aqueous solution to g ≈0.2, followed by a decrease, at freezing temperatures -20 and -25 ^oC (non-monotonous dependence). The influence of reasons preventing high k_pur (veiling the purification factor) is discussed. These reasons include the impossibility to separate the solution adhered to the ice surface from ice itself due to the sampling procedure (distorting factor) and trapping the impurities into the interdendritic cavities on the surface of the crystallization front (polluting factor). It is concluded that the most optimal technological conditions for the use of freezing for water purification is freezing at the crystallization front rate about 0.2 cm/h until the value of g ~ 0.5 is achieved.

Chemical substances existing in the finely dispersed phase state (as small aerosol particles 0.1-10 μm in diameter and as very thin films with a thickness of 0.01-1 μm) exhibit specific chemical and physicochemical properties. The processes characteristic of these substances are essentially different from the processes in relatively coarsely dispersed aerosol and thick films, and even more different from the reactions taking place in usual liquid or solid solutions. This specificity is connected with the fact that the rate of evaporation, solidification and layering of a dispersed substance exhibits a reciprocal square dependence on the size of dispersed particles. In turn, this causes essential differences in the volume structures of the chemical material for fine- and coarse-dispersed objects and therefore different mechanisms of chemical reactions occurring in them.

The absorption of formaldehyde from the gas phase by the plants of Ficus genus is investigated. The species promising for application in phytodesign for the purpose of indoor air purification from formaldehyde are revealed.