WATER AND WATER PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL NEWS

USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR SELECTION OF ANALYTICAL REAGENTS, EXEMPLIFIED BY DETERMINATION OF IRON CONTENT IN WATER SAMPLES

Marta Litynska — 2025-12-28

Currently, education and science in Ukraine are facing many new challenges, including war. These challenges determine new priority areas of science and technology development, which in turn affects scientists and students of higher education institutions. The significant pollution of natural resources (marine environment, surface waters and soils) caused by active military operations is the reason for the emergence of many new research projects Students of higher education institutions, especially chemical, environmental, and technical majors, often face the problem of choosing the analysis methods they will use in the experimental part of their coursework or thesis. Also students often engage in scientific research, sometimes even within the framework of various projects, including those related to monitoring the marine environment of Ukraine. Traditionally, the selection process is accompanied by a lengthy and laborious literature search. But in recent years, the rapid development of artificial intelligence has made it possible to significantly simplify this process. The article is devoted to studying the relevance of information that ChatGPT-4o mini provided in response to different formulations of prompts. The search concerned the selection of analytical reagents for determining the iron content in water samples. By improving the prompts step by step, recommendations for reagents for simultaneous determining of Fe(II) and Fe(III) in water was received from ChatGPT-4o mini. The prompts were gradually made more complicated by introducing limitations on application and reaction conditions. It was found that currently ChatGPT-4o mini did not always effectively cope with the selection of reagents, but it can somewhat simplify the literature search. However, it's possible that future versions of ChatGPT will feature a more efficient reagent selection process.

REQUIREMENTS OF UKRAINIAN AND EU LEGISLATION ON WATER AND WASTEWATER IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

Andriy Slyuzar — 2025-12-28

Food processing enterprises are characterized by significant water consumption and, consequently, the generation of substantial volumes of industrial wastewater. In Ukraine, the legal governance of water use and wastewater management - collectively termed "water relations" - is subject to both water and environmental legislation. Within the strategic context of Ukraine's integration into the EU, it is imperative to evaluate the convergence of the national regulatory framework with EU directives. This involves examining specific legal nuances, the clarity of control mechanisms, and the efficacy of the sanctions regime. This article provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of Ukrainian and EU legislative requirements concerning the safety and quality of drinking water, alongside the specific regulations governing water utilization within the food industry. The findings indicate that while primary Ukrainian regulatory acts have been largely harmonized with EU standards, secondary legislation remains under systematic revision. The study underscores the necessity of implementing a risk-based approach across the regulatory spectrum. Currently, the paramount challenge lies in the effective practical execution of these harmonized regulations and ensuring corporate compliance with the newly approved standards. The second part of the research analyzes Ukrainian and EU standards regarding industrial wastewater discharge from food processing facilities. The analysis reveals that while legal harmonization in the wastewater sector has achieved a high degree of maturity - evidenced by the adoption of specialized laws on wastewater, comprehensive bylaws, and legislation on integrated environmental permits - practical implementation faces significant impediments. Factors such as outdated infrastructure, the ongoing impact of the war, insufficient capital investment, and inadequate monitoring systems continue to hinder the achievement of the environmental benchmarks mandated by the EU acquis.

WATER PURIFICATION FROM HYDROGEN SULPHIDE USING CLINOPTYLOLITE MODIFIED WITH MANGANESE OXIDES

Marta Pyrih — 2025-12-28

Hydrogen sulphide is contained in many types of groundwater and mine waters. These waters can serve as an additional resource for drinking water, but their thorough purification from hydrogen sulphide is necessary, since the regulatory documents in force in Ukraine do not allow the presence of H₂S in drinking water. The most effective methods of water purification from H2S are oxidative-catalytic, in particular, using manganese oxides (Mn_xOy) deposited on a carrier as a catalyst. The authors developed a new method for modifying sorbents with Mn_xO_y particles by impregnating natural clinoptilolite with Mn(NO₃)₂ solutions with its subsequent decomposition under the influence of microwave electromagnetic radiation. The resulting sorbent, modified with Mn_xO_y particles, was used in studies of hydrogen sulphide oxidation in model solutions with a concentration of 10 mg/L. The studies were conducted under anaerobic conditions and in the presence of oxygen, which provided air bubbling at a flow rate of 50 to 300 cm³/min through a layer of modified clinoptilolite, which was located in a glass column. The pH value of the model solution (6.0; 7.0 and 8.5) and temperature (15, 20, 25 and 30 ºС) were also variable parameters. It was found that the value of the rate constant increased not only with increasing temperature and air flow rate, but also with increasing pH of the medium. An increase in pH of the medium causes a decrease in the redox potential of the oxidant, but at the same time contributes to a shift in the equilibrium in the H₂S–HS^– system towards the ionic form of hydrogen sulphide. This provides a higher rate of its oxidation. The calculated values of the Van't Hoff temperature coefficient (2.0…3.7) and the activation energy of H₂S oxidation (53…67 kJ/mol) indicate that the process proceeds in the kinetic region. It was established that at pH from 7.0 and above and at an air flow rate of about 200 cm³/min (under experimental conditions), the degree of hydrogen sulphide oxidation within 60 min approaches 100%. Thus, the conducted studies confirmed the high efficiency of the obtained sorbent modified with Mn_xO_y particles.

FUNCTIONAL COATINGS FOR REMOVING PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS IN WATER: CURRENT STATE OF THE ART REVIEW

Oleksandr Tykhovskyi — 2025-12-28

Persistent organic pollutants in water, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, pesticides, dyes, and pharmaceutical residues, are difficult to remove due to their high chemical stability, mobility, and toxicity. Traditional approaches based on the use of bulk sorbents or catalysts are often ineffective due to system pressure drops, material losses, limited on-site regeneration, and difficult integration into compact modular units. This review summarises the current state of functional coatings as immobilised, regenerative and modular-ready platforms for reducing persistent organic pollutants. Adsorption coatings are discussed with a focus on MXenes, layered double hydroxide, metal-organic frameworks / covalent organic framewor films, N-doped carbons, and ion-imprinted polymers, highlighting trade-offs between capacity, selectivity, stability in water, and regeneration pathways. Catalytic coatings for advanced oxidation processes are considered in systems based on g-C₃N₄, TiO₂, BiVO₄/BiOBr photocatalysts, M–N–C materials for electro-Fenton processes, and perovskite oxides, with an emphasis on radical generation efficiency and stability in realistic aquatic environments. Antifouling and hydrophilic top layers, including PEG-type polymers and zwitterionic polymers, are considered as elements that ensure long-term efficiency by reducing organic and biological contamination. Finally, the role of carriers (ceramic monoliths, polymer ultrafiltration/reverse osmosis membranes, and metal or textile frames) and multilayer architectures is analysed in terms of adhesion, compatibility between layers, and scalable production. Key unresolved issues include coating durability, resistance to delamination, regeneration strategies that do not generate secondary waste, and harmonised metrics for comparing performance in complex water bodies.

PROSPECTS, OPPORTUNITIES, AND CHALLENGES OF USING 3D-PRINTING TO PRODUCE MEMBRANE ELEMENTS

Tetiana Dontsova — 2025-12-28

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, allows the creation of various products, including membrane elements made of different materials, namely polymers, metals, ceramics, etc., ensuring the production of elements with complex and desired geometries. This article proposes to consider the prospects and possibilities of additive technologies for the commercial production of ceramic membranes and membrane modules. The purpose of this work is to present the prospects, opportunities, and challenges of using 3D printing, in particular digital light processing (DLP) and selective laser sintering (SLS), to obtain ceramic membranes and membrane modules. A comparison of traditional methods of ceramic membrane production with additive technologies was carried out and shows that 3D printing is a promising area of development. It is already changing the field of membrane technologies. Analysis of the literature shows that additive technologies allow the creation of more efficient, customized, and multifunctional membranes, which is particularly relevant for high-tech industries. It has been shown that the quality of ceramic membranes obtained by DLP or SLS printing depends on the choice of ceramic material, the optimal settings of the slicer (software for preparing the model for printing), its calibration, and control of printing parameters such as temperature, printing speed, and others. In addition, the quality of printed parts is influenced by model preparation, the specifics of a particular printing technology, resolution, and much more. Despite the existing problems and challenges, both technologies are moving towards mass production and application: 3D printing will allow the production of ceramic membranes for micro-, ultra- and nanofiltration with optimized internal structures, which will increase filtration efficiency and reduce fouling.

METHODS FOR RAPID DETECTION OF POLLUTANTS IN THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT

Oleksii Kosohin — 2025-12-28

Global changes in geopolitics and economics, directly or indirectly, significantly affect the state of the environment, in particular, water resources. In addition to the mining and energy industry, the chemical industry and agriculture, significant changes in the ecological state of the environment are caused by man-made accidents and military conflicts, which lead to uncontrolled emissions of a large number of pollutants into the air, soil and water environment. While air pollution is instantaneous and noticeable, water pollution is characterized by a more “delayed effect” due to the dilution of pollutants, absorption by plants and accumulation in bottom silt deposits, which increases the duration of the negative impact and over time can lead to repeated pollution of the environment (for example, due to the shallowing of surface water sources). Monitoring of the aquatic environment has its own characteristics compared to the implementation of air monitoring and can include both the determination of the content of dissolved gases (for example, dissolved oxygen), and the determination of the content of various ionic and molecular forms. The latter is especially important if these compounds are formed as a result of the ingress of toxic compounds into the water (including those of military origin – fuel, combustion products of explosives), and therefore can serve as a kind of markers for taking immediate action to eliminate man-made threats. The development of methods for determining dissolved gases and soluble nitrogen compounds – ammonium, nitrites and nitrates – is aimed not only at increasing sensitivity, but also at expanding functionality in real-world conditions. Modern methods for directly determining dissolved substances in water, which allow for real-time monitoring, and which involve the use of sensor systems, remote sensing using non-contact methods and the so-called Internet of Things, are analyzed.