The third Future Technologies Forum was dedicated to new materials and chemistry. Leading scientists of the country, along with government and business representatives, discussed the latest and most promising developments that will help Russia achieve technological sovereignty.
At the forum, Ivan Tananaev, Director of the Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Rare Elements and Mineral Raw Materials, Deputy Director General for Research at the Kola Science Centre (KSC) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, formulated two key provisions of the strategy for developing materials for the Arctic territories. These provisions might enable the region to function within a self-sustaining closed-loop economy.
The Arctic contains all the necessary resources for the creation of new materials: critical metals, construction materials, and other mineral resources. Therefore, it is essential to learn how to produce materials for Arctic development locally and from local raw materials.
According to the scientist, there are two examples of such production.
Reliable power supply is crucial for Arctic development, especially along the Northern Sea Route. For instance, while creating a new production chain for the Kolmozerskoye deposit, which contains a quarter of all lithium reserves in Russia, an effective technology for the quantitative extraction of battery-grade lithium from mineral raw materials was developed, followed by the production of cathode and anode materials, solid-state, and classic current sources. This could enable the region to build a production facility for lithium-ion batteries or accumulators.
To develop the infrastructure of the Northern Sea Route, chemists from the Kola Science Centre, in collaboration with colleagues from the Far Eastern Federal University, patented environmentally friendly non-dispersible heat sources based on nature-like matrices for the creation of radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). Their design allows for the conversion of thermal energy from the radioactive decay of a nuclide into electricity in local systems necessary to provide navigation equipment along the Northern Sea Route.
Developing Arctic territories for human habitation and for the benefit of the country's economic independence requires combining the efforts of big business, academic science, and major universities. This is how consortia designed for major breakthroughs are formed, says Ivan Tananaev. According to the researcher, the region has received financial support due to its high potential and indices of scientific work.
…this support was received from the government not because the magic word "Arctic" was uttered in important offices. The fact is that the Murmansk Region ranks third in the Northwestern Federal Region after St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region in terms of the number of scientific workers, and the volume of innovative goods, works, and services is three times higher than the national average.
In the Russian North, under such conditions, a new trend is emerging: strengthening Arctic support settlements, creating new jobs and opportunities, and ensuring young people's access to sought-after specialised secondary and higher education. This is how a new infrastructure is being formed, replacing the inefficient use of labour resources outside workers' permanent residences and aligning with noospheric ecological principles.
The harsh climatic conditions of the Arctic seriously complicate the development of mineral resources. A systematic search for new special materials for construction and energy helps to overcome these difficulties. The Kola Science Centre is the only division of the Russian Academy of Sciences located entirely beyond the Arctic Circle. Established 95 years ago to study the Arctic, it now directs its efforts towards achieving guaranteed scientific and technological sovereignty in the development of the Arctic mineral resource base, the press service says. The priority area of its work has become the science of Arctic materials.
The advantage of Centre's scientists lies in their ability not only to create new Arctic materials from local mineral resources but also to test them directly on site. Currently, the focus is on the rational development of the North. Scientists assess the natural resources of the region, the economic efficiency of activities in the Arctic, and key climatic issues. Recent academic publications devoted to the economy of the Russian Arctic Zone include:
The Arctic Century also previously wrote about the first natural nickel oxalate discovered in the Murmansk Region. The research was also conducted at the Kola Science Centre.
Source: KSC
Also read the publication:
Icelanders Have One Trump Card Against Trump
