This year, the Department of Machines and Apparatus of Chemical and Oil Refining Production (MAHNV) of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering celebrates its 95th anniversary. Over the years, it has trained thousands of specialists and developed hundreds of products, technologies and systems that have worked reliably and continue to work to meet the needs of people and the economy. Today's story is about the diversity of research areas of the department's employees and their scientific successes in recent years.
Ukraine has up to 15% of the world's fertile soil reserves, but violations of land use regulations lead to their depletion. Therefore, the creation of new generation organic-mineral fertilizers that contain nutrients and stimulating additives in accordance with the region of their application contributes to efficient farming. And when the agricultural sector faced the problem of taking into account the individual nutritional needs of plants, the Department of IAPM under the leadership of its head, Professor Yaroslav Kornienko, created an innovative technology for producing complex humic-organic-mineral fertilizers with a variable ratio of nutrients and stimulants for environmentally friendly farming. The technology is based on the layer-by-layer application of fertilizer components to the base, the composition of which is determined by the customer depending on the agroecological condition of the plants.
One of the developers of this technology, Associate Professor Serhii Haidai, is researching diffusion-controlled processes in the granulation of new generation organo-mineral humic fertilizers and hydrodynamics in fluidized bed granulators. He is a graduate of the MAHNV department, in 2018 he defended his PhD thesis, in which he developed a method for implementing a heterogeneous jet-pulsation fluidization regime, which allows to increase the productivity of the device by 1.6 times during dehydration and granulation of liquid heterogeneous systems. Based on the results of his research, the scientist has published 7 articles in journals indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, 8 articles in professional journals of Ukraine, 4 in other publications, has 22 utility model patents of Ukraine, is a co-author of 5 monographs, and has made more than 50 presentations at national and international conferences in Ukraine and abroad. He has won the university competition "Young Lecturer-Researcher" three times (2020-2022). Today, the young scientist continues to work on the creation of an industrial plant for dehydration of organic-mineral composites.
S. Gaidai's scientific advisor is Yaroslav Kornienko, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Honored Worker of Public Education of Ukraine, Head of the Scientific School "Processes of Heat and Mass Transfer in Technological Equipment of Industrial Production". Roman Sachok and Andriy Lyubeka, employees of the MAHNV Department, defended their PhD theses on this topic under his supervision, students of the department are involved in research, and a number of master's theses were completed. The results obtained allowed us to create a laboratory installation for the production of organic-mineral fertilizers in a fluidized bed, and it is currently undergoing improvement work. In general, the department continues to study the processes of obtaining substances to improve plant nutrition and increase their yields, and conducts research and development work.
The staff of the department under the leadership of Professor Y.M. Kornienko works on a variety of topics. For example, Associate Professor Igor Andreev is researching vibroextrusion processes in the creation of fiber concrete. Based on the results of his work, he defended a number of master's theses. Among other things, a new scientific area is being developed - the study of baromembrane processes, which is supervised by Associate Professor Serhii Gulienko. A research laboratory has been set up for this purpose. The scientific study of the proposed method is carried out by a researcher Marina Metlina.
The results of the activities of the famous innovator, Professor V. Marchevsky, are known far beyond the university. Under his leadership, the drying technology development area was launched. A technology for producing stable protein emulsions has already been developed and lines for processing soybeans into vegetable milk and a protein component for Somar processed cheeses have been introduced. A line for drying crystalline magnesium chloride (bischofite) was also introduced, and an innovative technology for drying titanium dioxide paste in one device was developed. Under the scientific supervision of Professor V. Marchevsky, 10 candidates of technical sciences defended their theses, including the department's employees Oleg Novokhat and Yaroslav Grobovenko. By the way, associate professor Oleg Novokhat modernized the drying part of the cardboard machine using infrared radiation. Now, under his supervision, postgraduate student Vitalii Kushniruk continues to study drying processes.
A resource-saving method of cascade disk-gear extrusion and a method of producing polymer film with alloying additives were developed under the guidance of Associate Professor Mykola Shved. He also created equipment for the production of special-purpose moldings. Researchers Volodymyr Novodvorskyi and Anastasiia Kovba are working on continuing the research under his tutelage. Dmytro Shved defended his PhD thesis based on the results of his scientific research.
Under the supervision of Associate Professor Andrii Stepaniuk, research is being conducted on the process of mass isothermal crystallization of ammonium sulfate in the presence of mineral and organic impurities, which has determined the conditions for the implementation of the process of dehydration and granulation in a fluidized state and the processes of complex capture of highly dispersed solid particles in the presence of water vapor. Postgraduate students Yaroslav Gotsky and Andriy Dmytruk are also working on this topic.
A highly efficient emulsification method that allows for the creation of an innovative technology for the production of environmentally friendly biopolymers was developed under the guidance of Associate Professor Oleksandr Seminsky. Researchers Mykyta Byshko and Volodymyr Kosenko continue the work of their mentor.
Of course, young innovators go where they can apply their knowledge and skills to specific cases and get real results. The department continues to work actively to attract young scientists to postgraduate studies. And the recognition will not be long in coming. For example, it is quite natural that Sergiy Gaidai won the All-Ukrainian competition "Young Scientist of the Year" in the nomination "Inventor of the Year in Chemical and Biological Sciences". "We are glad that his scientific achievements move Ukrainian science forward and motivate others to pursue scientific research, and he has become one of the best young scientists in our country thanks to his activities. His name is among those who reach the top and make history," reads the congratulatory letter from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.