2019 Kovalevskaia Award winners honored

Twenty years ago, at the time of the establishment of the Environment Technology Division, Ha understood what she wanted. “We strive for solutions that solve environment problems which don’t create secondary pollution and must not be too costly,” she said.

Ha and her co-workers have focused on researching and seeking solutions to the pollution problems related to waste water and solid waste.

Ideas for research often come after fact-finding trips. The scientists have worked on the treatment of industrial waste sludge containing metal at Goshi-Thang Long, a manufacturer of automobile and motorbike parts, mechanical engineering and metal coating products.

Ha’s solution on using residue rich in heavy metals at Goshi-Thang Long to make ceramic glaze, and Tran Thi Phuong’s use of waste tissue to grow mushrooms received awards at Innovation Day – Acting for the Environment.

The waste water from the galvanization process contains a big volume of metals. When it is treated, this produces waste sludge containing metals, including chromium, nickel and iron. 

Ha decided that waste sources could be used to collect metals or make ceramic glaze or building materials. 

In general, waste sludge containing metals must be collected, stored, transported and treated according to regulations on treating hazardous waste. The processing to collect metals from sludge is very costly, and produces secondary waste polluting the environment.

However, Ha chose a simple treatment method which does not use chemicals, and can create pigments for ceramic products and accessories for brick production.

The solution has been used at ceramic and pottery workshops in Bat Trang and Hung Yen. The results are satisfactory: the glaze can meet the requirements, the production cost is low, and the products are friendly to the environment.

According to Ha, some female researchers of the faculty have joined the team to work on a technological model to treat industrial waste sludge rich in heavy metals. This is part of a key national scientific research program (KC.08.18/16-20), led by Associate Prof Dr Nguyen Manh Khai.

Their research focuses on experimenting with solutions to treat pollution at low costs, applied to households mostly in rural areas, and small-scale production workshops. Solutions include creating absorbment materials, and treating arsenic in groundwater with easy-to-find natural materials.

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Nam Mai