Wastewater treatment works at JSC "Minudobreniya" enterprise

A group of researchers from IGEM RAS (P.E. Belousov, B.V. Pokidko, A.A. Zhuravlev) and D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (P.P. Kozlov) conducted wastewater treatment works on April 18, 2025, at the enterprise JSC "Minudobreniya" (Rossosh) as part of the testing of a mobile filtration unit using natural and modified sorbents of their own production.

This enterprise is among the largest chemical enterprises in Russia. The main products manufactured are liquid ammonia, ammonium nitrate, and a complex nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. Their production generates large volumes of industrial water containing ammonium, fluorine, chlorine, nitrates, phosphates, and sulfates. The current main method of treating industrial water is its evaporation, followed by further purification of the condensate using ion-exchange membranes. Since the production of the necessary ion-exchange membranes is not carried out in Russia, their cost has increased significantly in recent years. Consequently, alternative methods of industrial water treatment are being considered.

During the implementation of a Russian Science Foundation project (No. 22-77-10050, head – P.E. Belousov), a mobile filtration unit was developed, as well as sorbent composites based on natural and modified sorbents for the purification of water from industrial pollutants of various natures. The management of JSC "Minudobreniya" kindly agreed to test the filtration system developed by the scientific group under real conditions.

As sorbent composites for industrial water treatment, sorbents based on natural and modified zeolite and opoka were prepared. Natural zeolites are effective materials for cation sorption but have a low degree of selectivity towards anionic pollutants. The technology for producing modified zeolite is based on the reduction of copper cations on the mineral surface. The use of both natural and modified zeolites allows for effective water purification from a range of cations and anions. The modification of opoka dramatically increased the specific surface area and microporosity of the sorbent, creating an additional surface for the interaction of pollutants with silanol and siloxane groups.

The features of the sorption of pollutants of various natures on natural and modified sorbents are highlighted in the following works of the research team:

• Belousov P., Tyupina E., Kozlov, P. et al. Sorption on Natural and Acid-Treated Zeolite. Minerals 2025, 15, 494
• Belousov P. E., Gorbunova E. M., Kim K. B. et al. Magnetic and hydrophobic sorbent based on glauconite for the removal of oil slick from the water surface. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2025. 22, 3533–3544;
• Милютин В. В, Белоусов П. Е, Некрасова Н. А, Крупская В. В. Сорбция радионуклидов 137Cs и 90Sr на цеолитах различного генезиса. Радихимия. 2023. 65 № 3.

The mobile filtration unit was developed by staff of the N.M. Kizhner Research Center at Tomsk Polytechnic University under the supervision of Associate Professor, Candidate of Technical Sciences V.A. Kutugin. To allow the use of several types of sorbent materials simultaneously, three filter columns with a total capacity of up to 90 liters were assembled. The productivity of the unit was 1 m³/hour. Its special features are its mobility and the ability to pass contaminated water either through each filter column individually or sequentially through all three.

As a result of the work carried out, approximately 2 cubic meters of wastewater were treated. The content of fluorine, chlorine, nitrates, nitrites, sulfates, and ammonium was analyzed. The results obtained indicate that the content of all pollutants was significantly reduced. The highest degree of purification was observed for ammonium.

This work on testing the mobile filtration system based on natural and modified sorbents for the purification of contaminated water at real facilities is planned to continue.