TOMSK, October 13. /TASS/. Research carried out by scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) showed that in Russia's Arctic and subarctic zones there are more than 70,000 cubic meters of industrial waste that can be processed into fuel for thermal power plants, the author of the research, an employee of the Research School of Physics of High-Energy Processes Galina Nyashina told TASS.
"These types of waste are not processed, but stored in the Arctic and Subarctic. They can be utilized and processed into more fuel, create fuel compositions with their use. For example, wash barrels from fuels and lubricants and create liquid composite fuels with the fractions accumulated there. One can create fuel adding plastic, not burning it, but using the plastic as a fuel component, the researcher said, adding that in total there are more than 70,000 cubic meters of industrial waste suitable for utilization in the macroregion.
According to her, when conducting the research, the scientists of the university studied the articles published in Russian and foreign scientific journals in 2016-2019. Studies have shown that in the Far North, the Arctic, as well as in adjacent regions, waste from fuels and lubricants with a volume of more than 7,000 cubic meters (in barrels), as well as solid household waste (with a volume of more than 64,000 cubic meters), have been accumulated — paper, sawdust, building materials, plastic, etc.
As Nyashina notes, with a different combination of them, one can get both environmentally friendly (using wood shavings and sawdust) and high-energy fuel (based on petroleum products). At the same time, the creation of an enterprise for processing in the Arctic zone will help locally solve not only the ecological, but also the energy problem for the macroregion and become an additional source of power for local thermal power plants.
In 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin when speaking at a meeting of the Arctic Council called the environmental threat the main one in the Arctic and noted that in connection with the possible economic development of the Arctic zone, those risks are increasing. The head of state added that Russia is implementing projects in the Arctic based on the most modern environmental standards, and this work will continue.