RUDN graduate students from Ecuador and Mali win the “Ot Vinta” International Festival of Youth Scientific and Technical Creativity

Salazar Flores Cristian Alexander

Project “Problem of water quality management in countries and regions with a tropical climate” (on the example of the Republic of Ecuador).

About the project: What is its benefit and why did you choose such a topic?

This topic is very relevant in most regions of the Republic of Ecuador. Sodium hypochlorite is used as a disinfectant to disinfect water. Combined with the high content of natural organic matter characteristic of water bodies in Andean ecosystems, it produces carcinogenic by-products. I investigated the water quality of a city surface water source located in the Andean tropical ecosystem of the Republic of Ecuador. I developed two scenarios by which disinfection could be replaced by chlorine, ultraviolet disinfection of varying intensities. This will help to solve the problem of disinfection by-products during water treatment.

How will your project make the world a better place and help people?

The problem of supplying people with quality drinking water is a priority in ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population. The prevention of waterborne diseases is linked to quality water treatment. However, when water is disinfected with chlorine-containing reagents, toxic disinfection by-products are produced which are hazardous to public health. Therefore, new technologies, such as UV disinfection, are increasingly being used in the water industry. As a rule, the choice of the “best” water treatment system is based on economic and technical constraints. Nevertheless, the water treatment industry can be responsible for a significant global environmental impact.

In my project, in addition to preventing the formation of undesirable by-products in water chlorination, I analysed the most environmentally friendly technologies. These produce cleaner and more sustainable processes that guarantee a better quality of life for ultimate consumer.

Why did you become involved in science and what is your “scientific” dream?

Ever since I was a child, I have always been interested in understanding the causes of the phenomena. My parents encouraged my interest in scientific topics. My father used to take me to his workplace, where he showed me how to prepare samples for examination under a microscope. My mother would say to me, “The kitchen is a great laboratory”. When we cooked together, we mixed household items, made mixtures, and observed the solubility of different products. The desire to pursue science increased as I continued my studies. My scientific mentor and supervisor is Anna Igorevna Kurbatova. It was she who advised me not to be afraid to participate in conferences, strive for self-education, conduct my own scientific research, write articles, and deliver report.

Diakite Simbo

Project “Development of technologies for protection against diseases of new varieties of wheat for growing in countries and regions with a hot climate” (on the example of joint scientific research between Russia and Mali).

“Wheat is the staple food of millions of people in Africa. Africa, as well as individual African countries, cannot sustain wheat. One of the main reasons is the steep rise in prices. The annual consumption of wheat in Mali exceeds 200 000 tonnes, of which around 70% is imported”.

Causes of low wheat yields and grain quality in Mali:

• underdevelopment of agricultural mechanisation;
• lack of quality seed;
• high prices of farm production inputs;
• lack of subsidies and high weed infestation;
• massive infestation by various phytopathogenic organisms.

One way to increase yields is to select high-yielding varieties with increased resistance to pathogens and to develop cultivation technologies adapted to these cultivars.

My goal is to develop disease control technologies for new varieties of wheat suitable for cultivation in Mali. And the introduction of Russian high-quality spring wheat varieties and the use of Russian pesticides could be a promising way forward for my country and Africa as a whole. This will minimise dependence on import.