INRTU Employee Anastasia Shatrova Participates in First Eurasian Salon of Inventions and Innovations “Baikal Breeze”
Anastasia Shatrova, a researcher at the Laboratory of Environmental Monitoring of Natural and Technogenic Environments at INRTU, participated in the First Eurasian Salon of Inventions and Innovations “Baikal Breeze”. The event was held at the Institute of the Earth's Crust of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, bringing together over 250 inventors from Russian regions.
The Salon of Inventions and Innovations continued the tradition of Soviet Bureaus of Rationalization and Invention, but in a new format. The organizers intend not only to collect ideas but to create a system wh ere each development can become part of a national technological breakthrough.
Anastasia Shatrova delivered a report on the restoration of disturbed lands contaminated with heavy metals. INRTU patented a special remediation method using organic-mineral substrate two years ago. The authors of the invention are Andrei Bogdanov, professor of the Department of Mineral Processing and Environmental Protection named after S.B. Leonova and head of the Laboratory of Environmental Monitoring of Natural and Technogenic Environments; Anastasia Shatrova, doctoral student of the department and research fellow of the laboratory; and Anna Shkrabo, Technical Head of the Laboratory.
INRTU employees propose using waste from the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill (sludge-lignin) for remediation of soil at the industrial site of the former Vostsibelement battery plant in Svirsk, contaminated with heavy metals and arsenic. This approach will significantly reduce technical and economic costs in eliminating accumulated environmental damage caused by enterprises.
“We developed a unique sorbent (soil substrate) from freeze-thawed sludge-lignin sediments of BPPM and wood fuel combustion ashes. Sludge-lignin represents organic wastewater sediments, so scientists believe BPPM waste holds promise as fertilizers for restoring disturbed lands. Remediation occurs through introducing plant nutrients (organic matter, potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen) and immobilizing heavy metals,” said Anastasia Shatrova.
Currently, scientists conduct research on this topic under a grant from the Russian Science Foundation. Experiment results will scientifically substantiate and propose technical solutions for two socio-ecological problems in the region.
The project's scientific novelty lies in INRTU researchers conducting the first studies on physicochemical processes of diffusion and adsorption of heavy metals using freeze-thawed lignin-containing sediments from BPPM, contributing to soil physical chemistry, geochemistry, and geoecology.
Anastasia Shatrova's report generated a great interest. The INRTU employee received a letter of appreciation for active participation in the First Eurasian Salon of Inventions and Innovations “Baikal Breeze”. Students from group OOSb-22-1 Aliona Tashmakova and Dulma Bezhanova were also involved in the event.
The salon featured an exhibition showcasing about 30 Russian and international projects covering healthcare, agriculture, ecology, defense, and creative industries. INRTU also presented its invention and research results at an exhibition booth.
Notably, research by the scientific team led by Professor Andrei Bogdanov on this topic was included in the State Report “On the state and protection of the environment in the Irkutsk region in 2024”.
Reference:
The organizer of the First “Baikal Breeze” was the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization “Center for Assistance in Realization of Inventive Initiatives, Study and Preservation of Historical Heritage of Russian Inventors” in the field of inventive and innovative activity, with support from the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators (VOIR), Eurasian Women's League of Inventors, and Eurasian Patent Office.
The event became an important platform for experience exchange, partnership building, and joint solutions at the intersection of science, business, and government policy. Organizers announced that the second “Baikal Breeze” will be held in 2026 (declared the Year of the Engineer and Inventor) and will expand with new directions and international participation.
