KBSU joins the research of microplastics

Svetlana Khashirova, vice-rector for Research at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after Kh.M. Berbekov, is taking part in the second international conference «Microplastics in Polymer Science», which is the main platform in Russia for experts from all related fields to discuss various issues related to microplastics. The conference is being held on October 1-5, 2024, in Veliky Novgorod at the Scientific and Technical Center «Intellectual Electronics — Valdai» (Novgorod Technical School).

The report by the vice-rector of KBSU is devoted to monitoring microplastics in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic and ways to solve the issue of recycling plastic waste. In her speech, Svetlana Khashirova noted that microplastics have already penetrated into the most remote areas of the republic and even to the top of Elbrus, which is shown by the research of the new laboratory for environmental monitoring of environmental objects, created at KBSU within the framework of the Priority 2030 program. Having outlined the scale of the problem, the professor proposed ways to solve it using promising methods of recycling plastic waste and demonstrated successful practices of KBSU in this area, in particular, recycling masks during the coronavirus pandemic. The vice-rector placed special emphasis on the need to foster environmental culture among the population starting from preschool age and state support for enterprises producing plastic products that adhere to the concept of a circular economy.

The problem of microplastics is now at the forefront of the global research agenda. Next year, it is planned to develop an international agreement regulating environmental pollution with plastic waste. So far, there is no convincing evidence that microplastics are as harmful as they say. This interdisciplinary field of science is just being formed, and we must join this problem so that the balance between polymer producers and environmentalists is objective and optimal for the development of the country’s economy. We hope to cooperate with the Center for the Study of Microplastic Problems in Veliky Novgorod, which is at the forefront of microplastic science in our country, as evidenced by the level of the conference in which our university took part,

— Svetlana Yuryevna commented.