Maxim Denkovsky from Secondary School No. 1 named after I. I. Storchko in Beshenkovichi is among the winners of the regional competition "Eureka"
The regional competition of research papers for students of grades 9-11 of the Vitebsk region "Eureka" became a shining moment for our young compatriot – Maxim Denkovsky, a student of Secondary School No. 1 in Beshenkovichi named after I. I. Strochko. Six research papers from students of the first school were submitted to the competition. All of them presented their scientific reports with dignity, gaining valuable experience and expert evaluation of their research. Three finalists were determined in the "Physics. Engineering Breakthrough", "History", and "Chemistry" sections. Maxim Denkovsky, a 10th-grade student with a medical profile, was awarded a II degree diploma in chemistry. His work on biocomposites will represent the school at the youth project "100 Ideas for Belarus". We met with the young researcher and his supervisor, the deputy director of the school, Elena Piskunova.
The project "Composites with a casein matrix reinforced with fibers from recycled cellulose" took part in the regional competition of scientific ecological and biological works of students, and on December 10-11 it will be presented at the technopark in the final of the republican competition "PRO-TECHNO" of engineering and technical centers in the "Biotechnology" nomination. By the way, 6 of our students will take part in the team of the Vitebsk region. Elena Piskunova will lead the team of young researchers of the Vitebsk region. On December 17, the project will be announced at the "President Hotel" at the republican competition of innovative projects.
«Our bio-leather project received funding from the Republican Center for Science and Innovation in the amount of 23 thousand. Thanks to this, the school acquired a biotechnology laboratory within the engineering and technical center. And this project is a continuation of development precisely in the direction of biotechnology and green chemistry, – says Elena Vadimovna. – You could say we are pioneers in the Vitebsk region. It is very pleasant that we are going to the national level, to an event of this scale, and it is an honor that all three of our works in biotechnology will represent the Vitebsk region. This is a project on biocоmposite, we are also continuing the theme of bio-leather (we are preparing a collection that we hope to present in March), and an analysis of the possibility of using biopolymers in industry. In addition, two works will be on technical design, which we have been engaged in for many years. So yes, we really have something to be proud of!»
What exactly is the project developed with Maxim? As Elena Vadimovna noted, it is a composite based on a casein matrix and reinforced with recycled fibers.
«In our project, we propose to use milk unsuitable for consumption, – explains Elena Piskunova. – Milk that is not used for production, for example, containing antibiotics, or soured. That is, in fact, this milk is being disposed of. We were looking for a solution to make this milk usable. From it, we obtain technical casein. Using this, with the addition of calcium hydroxide, we obtain a liquid matrix. Any matrix will dry out, so a filler is needed. And we proposed a completely innovative project – the recycling of cigarette filters. As you know, there are many cigarette butts per square meter. We studied other developments on how the global community is tackling this problem. And we proposed our own solution.
A cigarette filter is made of cellulose acetate, a synthetic chemical material that decomposes slowly.
For a cigarette filter to break down into its components, specific conditions are required – humidity and sunlight. It will decompose, but various resins and other toxic substances will remain in the ground, polluting water bodies and soil. We have developed a special container (presented its conceptual design) that can be installed in smoking areas for collecting cigarette filters. We have developed an eco-friendly process for sterilizing cigarette filters. We have minimized risks to ensure maximum safety, with all processes being contactless. Sterilization is carried out in an oven, followed by washing in a drum-type machine with a centrifuge, which breaks down the filter structure. This is combined with mechanical cleaning, after which technical alcohol is used to remove all toxic substances. We chose isopropyl alcohol. Firstly, it is an excellent antiseptic (used in medical preparations and cosmetics specifically for disinfection). Another feature of this alcohol is that it cleans resins and acts as a solvent for toxic compounds. After this treatment, the filter becomes a completely clean fiber. However, it is still essentially synthetic. Thus, we continued our development and refined the process to obtain pure recycled cellulose from the synthetic material. This material is biodegradable.
The project is attractive because it offers a waste recycling option, using unusable milk. In fact, it results in a biocomposite that is lightweight and moisture-resistant.
"The properties of casein were studied back in Egypt. When combined with calcium hydroxide, calcium caseinate is formed, which is completely insoluble in water," Elena Vadimovna explains the process. "We also added plasticizers; we have our own technology. The resulting material is quite strong and lightweight. It's a very good alternative to drywall. We are also interested in its use as packaging. Initially, when this project was conceived, we made plates. We tried to make functional items from the material. We already have chess, a house, and LEGO constructor sets. This means we are studying the possibilities of this biocomposite. Yes, this is not the final technology. Observing the material's properties, we became interested in how to eliminate such a defect as shrinkage. We cannot predict it yet. We are conducting research and it seems we will achieve this eventually. We are currently interested in refining the technology; once this is done, we will predict its practical application. It can already be said that this material, for example, can be used for modeling. If we continue to work on it and go through the tanning stage, for instance, in formalin, we will effectively have plastic..."
According to our researchers, approximately 30 grams of casein are obtained from one liter of milk. This is enough for two plates measuring 8 by 8 cm and 1 cm thick. Typically, one portion is mixed at a time and the molds are filled.
Although locals have been interested in casein for a long time, the project only emerged in September. The school has an engineering group and an engineering and
When the project began, locals eagerly anticipated its outcome. Now, they have even more enthusiasm and inspiration. The goal is to advance the research so that the material is not only rigid but also possesses elasticity, properties akin to rubber. The educator and their students have many interesting and promising ideas. One of them, incidentally, was shared: to reduce the number of bottles, soluble capsules for water should be created.
It is rightly said that great discoveries happen suddenly. We congratulate our fellow countrymen on their well-deserved victory. We wish them success and inspiration for future great endeavors!