In Moscow, Mikhail Mishustin presented the Russian Government Prize in Science and Technology to scientists of the St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design. Two entire teams of Ƶ scientists were awarded the awards. Ten university researchers became laureates of the prestigious award at once.
Both developments relate to solutions for light industry. Scientists have developed a technology for evaluating the performance properties of textiles of a given functionality. Natalia Klimova, Vice-rector for the Development of Educational Programs at St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design, acted as the head of the research team. Mikhail Mishustin presented the second prize to Anna Mikhailovskaya, head of the university's team of young scientists, Professor of the Department of Chemical Technologies named after prof. A. A. Kharkharov, Ƶ, for the technology of processing and methods of digital modeling of fibrous materials for light industry enterprises.
Let's look at the achievements of each team in more detail.
The Government Prize in Science and Technology was awarded to a team of scientists from Ƶ for the developed technology for evaluating the performance properties of textiles with a given functionality.
The team of scientists from the University of Industrial Technologies and Design included Natalia Klimova, Vice-Rector for Educational Programs Development, Nina Pereborova, Head of the Department for Monitoring Scientific Research and Contracts, Victoria Wagner, Deputy Head of the Department for Monitoring Scientific Research and Contracts, Marina Titova, Head of the Department of Management, and Pavel Shikov, Professor of the Department of Economics and Finance. Together with colleagues from St. Petersburg State University of Veterinary Medicine, Kostroma State University, A. N. Kosygin Russian State University, as well as industry partners KhiMtex LLC (Ivanovo) and Salyut JSC (St. Petersburg), a technology for qualitative assessment of the performance properties of textiles of a given functionality was developed.
"The main scientific and technical idea of the work is to apply methods and technologies for the qualitative assessment of the operational properties of textiles of a given functionality, including studies of complex operating modes, the construction of mathematical models of deformation and relaxation-operational properties of materials and digital methods of forecasting properties to improve product quality and increase its competitiveness. The scientific novelty lies in the developed methodology of mathematical modeling of the operational processes of textile materials and products made from them," comments Natalia Klimova, Project Manager, Vice Rector for Educational Programs Development at St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design.
Industries such as textiles and light, leather and footwear, agriculture, veterinary medicine, medical, shipbuilding, aircraft manufacturing, automotive, parachuting, construction, and food industries are interested in the results obtained. The urgency of the task being solved is also reinforced by the ongoing international sanctions.
The scientists studied simple textile materials and products, including textile elastomers (textile implants), which are used in veterinary surgery. The developed methodology has been implemented in enterprises: Himtex LLC and Salyut JSC. Textile elastomers have been tested at St. Petersburg State University of Veterinary Medicine.
Thanks to the development, enterprises will be able to receive practical recommendations regarding the best linear density and component composition of textile materials and products made from them, as well as conduct a systematic and qualitative analysis of their operational properties. In addition, the obtained research results allow us to move from the study of real textile materials to the study of their virtual digital counterparts. This leads to significant savings in material and time resources at enterprises, as conducting experiments on a pilot batch of products is replaced by computer modeling.
The Government Prize in Science and Technology was awarded to a team of Ƶ scientists for the development and implementation of technology for processing and digital modeling of fibrous materials for light industry enterprises.
The team of scientists included Anna Mikhailovskaya, Professor of the Department of Chemical Technologies named after prof. A. A. Kharkharov, Ivan Elokhin, Ekaterina Kudryavtseva, assistant professors of the Department, Tatiana Sergeeva, Senior lecturer at the Department of Technology and Design of Textiles, Alexander Shvankin, junior Researcher at the Information Technology Laboratory.
One of the directions of the scientists' work was the development and implementation of textile dyeing technologies using chemical intensifiers. The search for new dyeing intensifiers is based on their low toxicity and environmental safety, as well as their versatility in relation to different fibers. The economic effect of the introduction of the developed technologies is associated with the possibility of reducing the dyeing temperature of synthetic fibers, the cost of wastewater treatment and occupational safety measures.
As a result, intensified dyeing technologies have been developed for both synthetic and natural fibers. The versatility of the intensifiers allows you to color mixed materials, such as cotton or polyester, from a single dye bath and reduce the total duration of the process from 8 to 3 hours. This technology has been implemented in consumer service enterprises for the restoration and dry cleaning of textiles, as it is implemented on machines such as Aquachistka.
Scientists have scientifically substantiated the mechanisms for each case, which makes a significant contribution to the development of the theory of intensification of chemical technologies of textile materials in general. Returning to the practical significance, it should be noted that in modern conditions, for the introduction of dyeing technologies, it is important to focus on Russian-made reagents. Therefore, scientists have adapted the technology of producing intensifiers to the realities of enterprises and found an industrial site for their synthesis.
Some intensifiers have antiseptic properties, which made it possible to create a combined technology of dyeing and bio-resistant finishing of cellulose textiles made of cotton, nettle, hemp, flax, etc. The technology is of interest to a textile plant producing medical clothing. However, such fungicidality is not sufficient for a stable antibacterial effect against a wide range of bacterial and viral strains. Therefore, scientists have proposed new systems for producing bicomponent Cu-Ag nanoparticles for modifying polymer materials.
The modified materials are resistant to both gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms for 24 weeks and are intended for the production of hospital bedding, medical clothing, bandages and napkins, and hosiery. Their effectiveness has been confirmed by production tests and implementation. Over the past six months, scientists have refined a method for modifying non-woven and film materials that are used in the manufacture of shoes.
The next area of work of the team is related to the processing of waste fibrous materials from hard-to-decompose polymers.
"I'll start with polyethylene terephthalate, the most popular polymer today. It is used to make not only plastic bottles, but also polyester fibers, which are essential in the production of costume and interior fabrics, workwear and insulating materials, such as sintepon. As a result, mountains of clothes are accumulating, which are being burned or buried today. We have developed a chemical technology that allows polyester fiber, including dyed and with preparations for hydrophobic and low-wrinkle finishes, to be converted into terephthalic acid (TFA). But the question arose as to who needs TFC. We have established contact with chemical production, which not only uses TFC in large quantities, but also gets it from p-xylene, which is bought in China. Moreover, the production of TFA from p-xylene is a complex process of catalytic oxidation, accompanied by the formation of a large number of by—products. According to our technology, TFC is formed from fibrous waste from light industry with a polymer conversion rate of 97-98% and a target product yield of more than 80%," says Anna Mikhailovskaya, Professor of the Department of Chemical Technologies named after prof. A. A. Kharkharov.
Another highly demanded and difficult—to-decompose polymer is polypropylene (PP). Today PP waste is considered as valuable resources for obtaining fuel by pyrolysis. But during pyrolysis of PP, a complex mixture is formed, which, in addition to fuel hydrocarbons, includes undesirable alkenes, arenes, cyclanes. Studies conducted by the Ƶ team have shown that the preliminary modification of PP fiber waste with certain ammonium halides allows for the hydrocracking of PP to form a fraction of diesel fuel with zero content of compounds undesirable for fuel. On the other hand, in the field of PP processing, there is a request from the manufacturer of mineral fertilizers to increase the biodegradability of non-woven PP material such as spunbond and meltblown, which is used in agriculture.