International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

This study investigates the chemical, mineralogical, and functional characteristics of fermented grape pomace ash generated after brandy production and subsequent combustion. Semi-quantitative WDXRF analysis revealed a Ca–K–P-dominated composition with high alkalinity, significant phosphorus content, and notable copper concentration. The water-soluble fraction of the ash was determined to be 17.1 wt.%, indicating a moderate content of mobile inorganic salts that may influence leaching behaviour and environmental compatibility. XRD and vibrational spectroscopy confirmed the presence of lime, calcite, silicates, sulphates, and calcium phosphate phases, including hydroxyapatite, together with a significant amorphous fraction and residual carbon. UV–Vis analysis indicated partial reduction of copper species to metallic nanoparticles, suggesting heterogeneous redox conditions during thermal treatment. The combined composition confers potential functionality in soil amendment, mineral carbonation for CO₂ sequestration, and incorporation into cementitious or alkali-activated systems, although soluble salts and copper mobility represent critical constraints, requiring application-specific environmental and performance assessment.

The lightweight cellular building materials has driven significant interest recently due to increasing requirements of energy efficiency of the buildings. This study investigates the potential of fayalite slag, a by-product of copper production, as a precursor for lightweight geopolymer foams. Geopolymer foams were synthesized using a combination of fayalite slag and metakaolin, employing gas forming agents to achieve a porous cellular macrostructure. The influence of alkali concentration was examined on the cellular structure, physical properties and microstructure (FT-IR) of the resulting materials. The findings contribute to the development of sustainable, highperformance geopolymer materials suitable for insulation and fire-resistant applications.

We focused on the synthesis and subsequent use of mesoporous titanosilicate ETS-10 for industrial water purification. Numerous attempts have been made to optimize the conditions and reagents used for the synthesis of the ETS-10. The main problem we faced in the synthesis of ETS-10 is the production of “pure” phase and it was related to the type of titanium source. Various sources of titanium were used – titanium tetrachloride, anatase (anatase 92% and rutile 6%), nanosized titanium dioxide (Degussa P25) etc. The use of liquid titanium tetrachloride, due to its high hydrophilicity, leads to difficulties in reproducible control of the quantities of used reagents, which leads to the formation of unwanted crystalline phases, especially if the synthesis is carried out in small volumes. In addition, the optimized by us synthesis attempts included a reduced reaction time – up to 24 hours – and lower temperatures (up to 200 oC). For comparison standard synthesis is carried out for 72 h at 230 oC. As a result of the experiments, ETS-10 with minimal SiO2 residues was obtained in 24 hours at 200 oC using nanosized anatase.