news – Page 6 – Chemistry department

RM @ Schools project at the mineral fair “Treasure of the Earth” in Banja Luka

Study Program Chemistry team from University of Banja Luka at the project Minerals in Schools (RM@Schools 4.0) participated in the mineral fair “Treasures of the Earth”. The fair was held at the Delta Planet Center Banja Luka on April 2-3 2022. RM@Schools project was presented through the educational social game EcoCEO (“Environmental Director”), which teaches entrepreneurship for the circular economy to young people.

This game was developed, optimized and distributed with the support of the EIT RawMaterials fund within the projects “FosterERM@Schools”, “SmartPlaCE@Schools” and “RM@Schools 4.0-RawMatTERS Ambassadors at Schools”. It is intended for children at the age of 12 to 19, and was developed by experts from the research organization “Vito” from Belgium. Participants had an opportunity to play the game and win their prizes according to the achieved results. Prizes were provided from the RM@Schools project funding.

EcoCEO is a game that brings circular economy strategies and business models among students and introduces them to the challenges in raw material exploitation, circular product design and sustainable entrepreneurship. Study program chemistry in Banja Luka, deals with these topics in an effort to draw students’ attention to the various possibilities for the development of the chemical industry on the basis of domestic raw materials.

EcoCEO game aims to educate high school students about the importance, roles and opportunities of the circular economy, as well as the challenges that arise. The game encourages dialogue on sustainable entrepreneurship, resource scarcity, waste management and business strategies. Thus, our participants in the game had the opportunity to master the basic principles of entrepreneurship and waste management; differences between linear and circular economic business model; basic concepts and strategies of the circular economy, such as recycling, recovery, reuse, repair design and product service systems.

SP Chemistry stand attracted many participants, primarily children as potential future entrepreneurs who tested their skills in this field and realized the importance of a circular economy with a focus on minerals.

Although members of the association “Mountain Crystal” mainly presented domestic minerals and semi-precious stones, the content of EcoCeo perfectly matched a series of exhibitions and sale exhibits of the exhibitors from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.

Links:

http://rmschools.eu

www.ecoceo.eu

https://vito.be

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1422330431407311/ (Association “Mountain Crystal”)

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Experimental classes and laboratory exercises for students of the elementary school “Georgi Stojkov Rakovski”

On March 1, 2022, The Chemistry department hosted four classes of pupils of the ninth grade of the Elementary School “Georgi Stojkov Rakovski” from Banja Luka. In the amphitheater of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, pupils and teachers attended a short introductory lecture where the hosts presented their department and the importance of chemistry in industry, laboratory tests, as well as the activities that contribute to environmental protection. After that, as part of the section “Safety in the chemical laboratory”, pupils were introduced to the Guidelines for Chemical Laboratory Protocols and Safety Rules, as well as the warning signs that chemists encounter during their daily work.

The second part of the program included a tour of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Students visited the aquarium, various biological collections, and at the end the Microscopy Laboratory, where the students studied prepared zoological microscope slides.

After these activities, the visit continued at the Chemistry Study Program. Students in pairs actively participated in performing the laboratory experiment. Under the supervision of professors, assistants, and associates, each pair of pupils determined the concentration of a hydrochloric acid solution by volumetric method – alkalimetry.

The purpose of this lab experiment, during one school hour, was for pupils to deepen their knowledge in the field of “Acids and Bases“, to independently use laboratory glassware and techniques, and to learn how to process and interpret the results obtained after the experiment. After the experiment, the students visited other chemical laboratories: Laboratory for sample preparation, Laboratory for materials, Laboratory for synthesis, Laboratory for thermal treatment of samples, as well as Laboratory for instrumental analysis. During the tour, the students saw a collection of minerals whose deposits are on Bosnia and Herzegovina territory, and helped by teaching staff, based on the solubility of selected minerals in hydrochloric acid, performed their classification.

The students showed great interest and willingness to actively participate in the experiments and passed on their positive experiences to teachers and friends. From a large number of activities, they singled out laboratory experiments – alkalimetry, mineral determination, as well as work on a microscope.

Links:

https://georgistojkovrakovski.org/

https://georgistojkovrakovski.org/strucna-posjeta-ucenika-pmf-u/

We want to motivate: Team Chemistry Department champion of the Republic in scientific achievements for the fourth time

The scientific team of the Chemistry Department has won the award for scientific achievements for the fourth year in a row. On that occasion, the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development, Higher Education and Information Society of the Republic of Srpska awarded the representatives of the Chemistry Department team with recognition and a monetary award for the achieved success. The line minister Srdjan Rajčević pointed out that this team represents everything that higher education should be.

The achievement of the scientific research team Chemistry Department was achieved by all criteria – cooperation with the economy, cooperation with European and international scientific research teams within projects and exchanges of students and staff, as well as achieved notable scientific productivity. In the previous year, teachers and associates published 17 papers in reference scientific journals, both independently and in cooperation with colleagues from the country and the world.

Members of the Chemistry Department team who have contributed to the progress of international projects and cooperation with industry are Prof. Dr. Milica Balaban, Head of the Chemistry Department, Asst. Prof. Dr. Suzana Gotovac Atlagić, team coordinator, Sanja Pržulj, MA, senior assistant and member of project teams, Dejana Savić, assistant and member of project teams, Sunčica Sukur, a research assistant on the project and B.Sc. Sladjana Radivojevic, master student, a participant in project activities. The combination of knowledge and experience results in notable results, and the Chemistry Department team desire to inspire and motivate students and colleagues to participate in international activities and exchanges, for which there are exceptional opportunities. Also, the industry of Bosnia and Herzegovina is growing significantly, which undoubtedly opens opportunities for cooperation and the development of new ideas. By cooperating with industry and creating topics for final papers related to applied chemistry, Chemistry Department keeps pace with the trends of similar study programs in the world.

Links:

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGmKUDrVf64

Chemistry Department presented research results at EMEC21

The Chemistry Department participated in the prominent international conference EMEC21 (The 21^st European Meeting on Environmental Chemistry) in Novi Sad from November 30 to December 3, 2021, organized by the European Association for Chemistry and Environment, Serbian Chemical Society and Matica Srpska. The venue of the conference was Matica Srpska, an academic institution in Serbia of great importance.

In addition to participants from Serbia as hosts and countries in the region, the conference was attended by researches from Russia, Germany, Slovenia, France, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Poland, Spain, Ireland, the United Kingdom and other countries, who deal with environmental chemistry and related areas. In total, over 150 papers were presented, through a hybrid mode of work that lasted three days, which was diverse with high-quality scientific presentations by internationally recognized researchers. Chemistry Department presented a total of three papers supported by the projects RM@Schools 4.0, RIS RESTORE and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. The titles of the papers are as follows:

Introduction of Innovative Green Material Chemistry Demonstrations in Early Education: Case Study Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Research on Developing a Sustainable Way of Neutralizing the Red Mud for its Further Exploitation,

Micro Liquid-Liquid Extraction-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Method for the Analysis of Bisphenol A in River Water Samples.

The Chemistry Department is especially proud that its students from the first and second cycle of studies was the presenters at the conference. In this way, students had the opportunity to meet top scientists working in the field of environmental chemistry, to learn about advances in this and related fields, as well as to form ideas for their future research. They also upgraded their experience in presenting scientific results. It should be noted that Prof Dr Milica Balaban from our Department participated in the conference as a member of the International Scientific Committee.

Links:

https://emec21.rs/

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

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

https://www.mpn.gov.rs/

Assistant professor Ivan Samelak

Among the many awards and recognitions achieved by students and employees of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, we were especially pleased with the last one. Assistant professor Ivan Samelak from the Department of Chemistry was awarded the gold card of the restaurant Le Coq as the author of the scientific paper with the greatest impact factor. The owner of the restaurant, Mr. Goran Kurtinović also awarded student Martina Dragičević from the Department of Mathematics and Informatics.

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