Megagrants is a program of international cooperation between Russian universities and scientific organizations with world-class scientists and leading foreign scientific and educational centers in the field of science, education and innovation. The study of TF scientists is the first project of the SRSPU (NPI) that received a grant in accordance with Government Decree No. 220. In total, this year 255 applications were submitted for consideration by the competition committee from university teams cooperating with world-class foreign scientists. Of these, 30 have been approved, including the project of the Laboratory for the disposal of solid energy waste, the core of which is scientists, graduate students and students of the Department of General Chemistry and Technology of Silicates of the TF SRSPU (NPI).

- We have conceived this project and are implementing it together with the Rostov State Transport University. There is a group led by a young promising scientist Georgy Ivanovich Lazarenko, whose scientific topics are very close to us. He works in the field of geopolymers - this is a new class of materials that are obtained without high-temperature firing, - said Elena Alfredovna Yatsenko, project manager. – The production of geopolymers requires disproportionately less energy than, for example, the production of glass, ceramics or conventional cement. Accordingly, carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere are also many times less.

The approach is based on the technology of alkaline or hydrate foaming: a small amount of alkali is added to the mass, a reaction occurs, the material changes its structure, and then gradually hardens. Roasting is not needed at all. According to this principle, analogues of Portland cement are already being made.

- Of course, like any new technology, alkaline activators are not yet optimal, including from the point of view of environmental friendliness, - Elena Alfredovna emphasized. “But they already now allow us to completely abandon the huge energy costs for combustion and significantly reduce the amount of emissions into the atmosphere. We see great prospects here.

A team of scientists from 31 specialists (six - representatives of RGUPS) plans to develop, test and bring to the stage of industrial application a method for creating heat-insulating materials using alkaline foaming technology. This is a fundamentally new development, which has no analogues yet. At the same time, it is very important that scientists plan to use technogenic waste (ash, slag) and by-products of coal mining as the main raw material for their material.

- Our material, obtained as a result of such thoughtful processing, can be used in construction in the broadest sense of the word: both in housing construction and, for example, in road construction, - notes E.A. Yatsenko.

The world-class scientist involved in the implementation of this project is the Indian materials scientist Sandeep Chaudhary. The expert specializes in the field of waste recycling and has been actively interested in the topic of geopolymers in recent years. The subject matter of his scientific publications fully resonates with the tasks set by the staff of the Laboratory for the utilization of energy waste from solid fuels.

- It so happened that our team was created, among other things, as a result of studying scientific articles in high-ranking professional journals. That's how we found Georgy Lazarenko from RGUPS: we read an interesting, extremely relevant article in a professional journal and found out that its author lives and works in a neighboring city, - said Professor Yatsenko. – Naturally, we immediately contacted our colleague, agreed on a meeting, and then on cooperation. Now Georgy Ivanovich and five of his colleagues are co-executors of the grant won by our university. We also decided to contact Prof. Chaudhary after reviewing his latest publications. Invited to cooperate and received consent. As part of the grant, he plans to come to us to work in the laboratory.

Also in the plans of the scientific team: the release of joint publications and monographs, the defense of dissertations, the replenishment of the project team with students and graduate students. And most importantly - the implementation of a cycle of research, the result of which will be an innovative material from the waste of solid fuel energy.