Author: biba

RM@SCHOOLS PROJECT: young ecologists/biologists at the “Train the trainer” session

Banja Luka University team at RM@Schools 4.0 project has got an excellent addition recently. A young expert, a repatriate from Japan, Dragana STEVIĆ who holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering and technology, has joined our team. Dragana is a young mother and expert who spent 6 years in Japan, as a researcher in the field of carbon nanomaterials at Shinshu University, Nagano. The University of Banja Luka has a memorandum of understanding with this Japanese University and plenty of joint publications.

Dragana has held her first “Train the trainer” session within the RM@Schools 4.0 project, aimed at young ecologists/biologists who will soon be able to spread the word and become RM ambassadors themselves. The subject taught this time was about the excellent waste management system in Japan about which Dragana could speak first-hand due to her experience. She has shown the best practice in the daily waste recycling systems in Japan as well as some examples of how Japan has resolved some of their horrific pollution problems in the past. Students could also see the data obtained by the Japanese international cooperation agency (JICA) study of Bosnian post-industrial pollution sites. Young attends are soon to become teachers in elementary schools or to get employed as government workers or even in non-governmental organizations dedicated to the environment. They will be able to transfer their practical knowledge in sustainable waste material recycling to their pupils in the future. This subject is extremely important for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite being very rich in diverse natural recourses, unfortunately, the recycle chain is not developed to the satisfying levels yet, neither in industry nor in households. Young people need to hold a crucial role in its development.

Links:

http://rmschools.eu/

RAISESEE project: the company “Destilacija” once again a kind host to students and pupils

 

The RAISESEE project is nearing its end and the domestic industry “HI Distillation” from Teslić was chosen for one of the last study visits. This factory, with over 130 years of tradition, is one of the long-term partners of the Study Program Chemistry m. In the last two years, the partnership has been shaped by a national project from the “Synergy” program of the Government of Srpska, where “Destilacija” also financially supported the purchase of an important autosorb device, material porosity analyser (https://hemija.pmf.unibl.org/en/ redinano /). In return, the Study Program Chemistry will transfer knowledge in the field of activated carbon production. It was this visit through the RAISESEE program that was used to show students the first successfully produced activated carbon ever in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for which student-innovator Sladjana Radivojević is responsible. Her work on her dissertation developed an activated carbon of commercial value, from domestic beech wood chips. Pupils and students had a study tour and introduction to the production systems of “Distillation”, and a seminar with engineers from this factory and the Association of Technology Engineers who are partners in the RAISESEE project. After the educational part, they had a pleasant walk on Banja Vrućica and lunch and socialization supported by the project.

Links:

http://raiseseeris.istm.cnr.it/

https://eitrawmaterials.eu/

https://destilacija.net/

RAISESEE project: visit to the Becton, Dickinson & Company factory in Cazin

The RAISESEE project took students on another adventure in the materials industry. They visited the Becton, Dickinson & Company factory in Cazin, part of a globally successful company that employs over 65,000 people worldwide. The production program in Cazin employs over 400 workers and highly educated staff, and includes medical equipment made of polymers such as blood transfusion kits, extensions for infusions, gravity kits for classic infusions or oncological infusions and many others. First of all, it was interesting for the students to see the technology of polymer extrusion, but also the top system of work organization, which is mostly based on the Japanese method “Kaizen”. Worker safety, hygiene and product quality are full priorities.

The visiting team consisted of students, high school students, and teachers and engineers from the Association of Technology Engineers, all according to the plan of the RAISESEE project, which aims to interest young people in materials science. Colleagues in the factory welcomed the guests with an extremely warm welcome and patiently provided them with about 3 hours of education, followed by a joint lunch supported by the project and exchange of contacts for the future cooperation.

Links:

http://raiseseeris.istm.cnr.it/

https://eitrawmaterials.eu/

https://www.bd.com/

MATERIALS AND YOUTH in Bosnia and Herzegovina: SYNERGY OF RM @ SCHOOLS PROJECT AND LOCAL PROJECT “Camp for gifted, talented and excellent high school students”

The Bosnian partner, University of Banja Luka was very pleased to present the project activities of “RM @ Schools 4.0” through the participation in the “Camp for talented, talented and excellent high school students”, who are recognized as such in their schools. The general organizer of the event is the NGO “Perpetum Mobile” from Banja Luka. Four workshops in the field of materials chemistry with the participation of motivated Banja Luka high school students were held at the Youth Center in the month of November 2021. Students had the opportunity to learn a lot about the potential of domestic mineral deposits and their importance in developing the chemical industry and creating future jobs. The classroom included practical demonstrations of the differences between aluminosilicates such as pyrophyllite, bentonite, zeolite, and students enjoyed real contact with these materials. Two workshops dealt with application of the scientific approach to problem solving. Students performed in groups a simulation of all phases of scientific work with special emphasis on experimental work and its role in science. Event is recognized and space supported by the authorities of City of Banja Luka

Links:

http://rmschools.eu/

https://www.pm.rs.ba/

LUBRICAD project: Successful collaboration with young exchange researcher

During the summer semester of 2020/2021 Chemistry Department had a pleasure to host Mr Khodor NASSER, a doctoral student from University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. He came through the Erasmus+ exchange programme with his scholarship funded by EC. His research fees were on the other hand covered by the LubriCAD project as the subject of his doctoral thesis is also lubricants. Mr Nasser is in fact a mechanical engineer studying the potential of the nanomaterials and ionic liquids as additives in lubricants which is an excellent subject match with the LubriCAD project. Significant experimental results were obtained through this fruitful multidisciplinary collaboration and the scientific paper is in preparation. For the Chemistry Department it was once again the pleasure to host excellent international student and introduce him to the developing industry and some of the large industrial complexes in our country. Mr Nasser visited the iron mine of ArcellorMital Prijedor in Omarska, the “Destilacija” company in Teslić, the “Tehnosint” company in Laktaši (partner of the project). He also presented parts of his doctoral thesis results at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering where he was officially enrolled as the exchange PhD students and professors from this Faculty also have overseen his work. At the same time teachers from the Faculty of Mining also hosted him and introduced him in mining industry needs for lubricants as well as about the status of the mining industry in Europe and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since this young researcher is originally from Lebanon, having him in the laboratory was also an opportunity for students and staff at the Chemistry Department to learn more about this country and its cultural heritage.

Chemistry Department wishes Mr Nasser a success in his continuation of his research and future expert work, especially for his upcoming PhD thesis defence.

 

Links:

 

https://www.vladars.net/sr-SP-Cyrl/Vlada/Ministarstva/mnk/Pages/default.aspx

https://pmf.unibl.org/lubricad/

https://www.tehnosint.com/

https://destilacija.net/

https://prijedor.arcelormittal.com/sr-latn-ba

The red mud united the academic and industrial community from the region

Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics hosted a live seminar within the project RIS RESTORE. Seminar was titled „Primary and secondary raw materials in modern materials engineering“ and was held on October 21, 2021, 

Seminar was attended by experts from all over the country, representatives of industry, higher education institutions, institutes, ministries, as well as by senior students of the Faculty of Science. All teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina at the RIS RESTORE project attended and were also presenters at the seminar: University of Banja Luka (Faculty of Science), University of Tuzla (Faculty of Mining, Geology and Civil Engineering), Federal Institute of Geology and Alumina d.o.o. The presence and presentation of the coordinating team from the Civil Engineering Institute of Slovenia (ZAG) was also important for the project and the professional public.

The seminar was held in the amphitheatre of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and after the seminar, socializing and further discussion on the presented topics continued. Focus was the topic of the project, the issue of red mud, but the participants had the opportunity to gain new knowledge and information from multidisciplinary areas: the use of other natural and secondary raw materials in modern materials engineering. Meeting was closed with a presentation on good practices in environmental protection and new nanotechnologies in Japan, by young experts who have recently returned from the research engagement in that country.

Links:

http://ris-restore.zag.si/

Summer school within the project RM@Schools

As part of the project RM@Schools 4.0, on Saturday, September 11, 2021, the summer school “Raw Materials at Schools – Ljubačke doline 2021” was held in the Ethno Village – Museum Ljubačke doline.

The summer school was organized for elementary school students who had the opportunity to expand their knowledge about raw materials and their great importance, and the role of chemistry in the process of extraction of critical and rare minerals. The students were introduced to the potential, as well as the necessity of developing different industries based on the numerous mineral resources that Bosnia and Herzegovina has. Students had interactive classes and had the opportunity to connect the concepts of mineral resources with products from everyday life that are created by their processing. Within the summer school, a field visit to the nearby Vrbas canyon was organized, which is special for its numerous unexplored geological formations. The place of the summer school, Ljubačevo, is famous for its significant deposits of quality limestone, especially dolomite. At the end of the summer school program, the students were given modest gift packages with the project logo.

The organizer of the event is the Chemistry Department, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Banja Luka, which is one of the partners in the project. The activities of the summer school were held in the semi-open Seminar Hall of the Ethno Village – Museum Ljubačke doline, in accordance with the recommended epidemiological measures.

Links:

http://rmschools.isof.cnr.it/

https://eitrawmaterials.eu/

Chemistry Department hosted young laureates through the RAISESEE student internship program

This year as well, the students from our secondary and primary schools were at the top of the list of awarded teams in the RAISESEE awards program. Even three teams from our country are the winners of the 1000 euros prize, each for creative projects in the field of materials science, which they realized during June at the Chemistry Department. In particular, these were students from the elementary school “Borisav Stanković” from Banja Luka and students from two high schools, the Catholic School Center “Bl. Ivan Merz” from Banja Luka and the High School Center “Lazar Đukić” from Ribnik.

All three teams based their projects on local primary and secondary raw materials and the possibilities of their exploitation. Ribnik team studied wool as a natural raw material that we have in abundance. However, over a million sheep fleeces, a year remain unused due to the low quality of the fibers, and from the chemical aspect, wool contains the natural protein keratin. If keratin were isolated from wool, it could be widely used in the pharmaceutical and textile industries. A team of high school students from CSC Banja Luka researched brewer’s yeast from Banja Luka Brewery (Banjalučka pivara) and its characteristics, as well as the possibility of obtaining D-mannose, a substance of great importance in pharmacy. Considering that we have a very developed brewing industry, this is a secondary raw material with significant possibilities. The team from the elementary school “Borisav Stanković” focused their creativity and research on the mineral wealth of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a result, they made a 3D poster to which they attached miniatures of natural minerals collected in cooperation with the University of Tuzla, the Federal Institute of Geology, and the Faculty of Mining UNIBL. This poster is intended for their school and will enable an interactive introduction to the natural resources of our country to new generations of students.

In addition to their projects, the students had the opportunity to attend the performance of various experiments by their awarded colleagues from other teams, as well as the research of students at the Chemistry Department.

Links:

https://eitrawmaterials.eu/

http://raiseseeris.istm.cnr.it/

https://www.banjaluckapivara.com/

http://www.untz.ba/

https://fzzg.gov.ba/

Mineral chemistry heading to our schools

After active trial participation in the program RM@Schools in 2019, the team from Chemistry Department was invited to the consortium for the 4th edition of this program, which will be realized again through funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The project was recognized by the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development, Higher Education and Information Society, which supported the project by the budget for gift packages of equipment for classrooms and chemistry cabinets in our schools. Also, the Ministry of Education and Culture, through a letter of support, opened the possibility for the promotion of the project in schools throughout the Republic. The team from Chemistry Department presented the basics of the project and details of previous activities at a presentation at the Ministry of Education and Culture, where the wide possibilities and positive changes that the promotion of the “Raw Materials in Schools” program can bring to chemistry classes were identified.

In the next three years, numerous creative educational activities will be realized, such as summer schools, demonstrations of mineral chemistry in classrooms, conferences and competitions. Perhaps the most important aspect will be part of a program called “Train the trainer”. It is about the transfer of knowledge from colleagues from the European Union to our teachers who will help to, in accordance with the valid curricula, introduce contents from practical classes. These activities will be accompanied by the distribution of appropriate gift packages of equipment, simpler chemicals, and minerals donated from the industry.

In June, the first of the “Train the trainer” workshop was successfully held and it was attended by four young teachers, who graduated at the Chemistry Department and who will be the first beneficiaries of the project together with their students. With pleasure and motivation, they arranged gift packages of equipment that they need for work, and new gatherings with them will continue from the beginning of the new school year.

Links:

https://eitrawmaterials.eu/

https://www.vladars.net/sr-SP-Cyrl/Vlada/Ministarstva/mnk/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.vladars.net/sr-SP-Cyrl/Vlada/Ministarstva/mpk/Pages/default.aspx

https://rmschools.isof.cnr.it/

RIS RESTORE: Working meeting of teams from Banja Luka and Zagreb

The research team of the RIS RESTORE project from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of the University of Banja Luka, visited the Geological Department of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Zagreb within the RIS RESTORE project.

The meeting was held in the premises of the Geological Department, where information on the work, experiences and ideas of the present members were exchanged. The teams got to know each other’s methodologies and approach to research, as well as the possibility of cooperation, followed by planning project activities in the coming period. The Banja Luka team also delivered a sample of red mud for colleagues from Zagreb from the tailing Klisa near Zvornik, which is managed by the “Alumina” company. This sample will be used to compare the results obtained in different laboratories, as well as to obtain fresh results based on new ideas of research teams and applied experimental techniques.

The meeting was held in accordance with all recommended epidemiological measures. It was concluded that in addition to innovative activities in both groups in the coming period, an opportunity to hold events for the dissemination of ideas for solving the problem of red mud tailings will be considered. The event would include the Balkans context and host project partners from the region.

This was the opportunity for the team from Banja Luka to visit the VirtuLab, a newly established network of 15 laboratories at the University of Zagreb, whose capacities could also be useful to the RIS RESTORE project. Hospitality to the team was shown by Prof. Dr. Sibila Borojević Šoštarić and her colleagues.

Links:

http://ris-restore.zag.si/

https://www.aluminazv.ba/

https://www.pmf.unizg.hr/geol 

https://www.rgn.unizg.hr/hr/virtulab

 

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