This study justifies the prospect of using aerial imagery from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for technological monitoring and operational control of municipal solid waste landfills. It presents the results of surveys (aerial imagery) of a number of Russian landfills, which were carried out using low-cost drones equipped with standard RGB cameras. In the processing of aerial photographs, both photogrammetric data processing algorithms (for constructing orthophotoplans of objects and 3D modeling) and procedures for thematic interpretation of photo images were used. Thematic interpretation was carried out based on lists of requirements for the operating landfills (the lists were compiled on the basis of current legislative acts). Thus, this article proposes framework guidelines for the complex technological monitoring of landfills using relatively simple means of remote control. It shows that compliance with most of the basic requirements for landfill operations, which are listed in both Russian and foreign regulation, can be controlled by unmanned aerial imagery. Thus, all of the main technological operations involving waste at landfills (placement, compaction, intermediate isolation) are able to be controlled remotely; as well as compliance with most of the design and planning requirements associated with the presence and serviceability of certain engineering systems and structures (collection systems for leachate and surface wastewater, etc.); and the state of the landfill body. Cases where the compliance with operating standards cannot be monitored remotely are also considered. It discusses the advantages of air imagery in comparison with space imagery (detail of images, operational efficiency), as well as in comparison with ground inspections (speed, personnel safety). It is shown that in many cases, interpreting the obtained aerial photographs for technological monitoring tasks does not require special image processing and can be performed visually. Based on the analysis of the available world experience, as well as the results of the study, it was concluded that unmanned aerial imagery has great potential for solving problems of waste landfill management.

Oil production is currently impossible without drilling wells, so millions of tons of drilling waste contaminated with oil, chlorides, and heavy metals are generated every year in Russia alone. This article presents the results of a comparative life cycle assessment of water-based drill cuttings management technologies applied in Russia, including disposal, solidification, and reinjection. Life cycle assessment of the drilling waste management was performed using OpenLCA software, Ecoinvent 3.8 database and ReCiPe Midpoint (H) impact assessment method. Fossil depletion, climate change and human toxicity were chosen as impact categories. Data from oil producing companies on the composition of drilling waste and information from drilling waste treatment companies on the technologies and reagents used were also applied. To compare alternative technologies the following scenarios were compared: Scenario 0 «Landspraying», scenario 1 «Disposal», scenario 2 «Solidification» (scenario 2a – in a waste pit, scenario 2b – without a waste pit), and scenario 3 «Reinjection». Sensitivity analysis was performed to test for variations in results for oilfields located in different regions and for differences in mass of reagents used. The environmental impact of scenario 0 (landspraying) depends mostly on drilling waste composition, which is largely determined by human toxicity that can differ from 17 up to 2642 kg 1,4-DCB-eq per 1 t of drill cuttings, when for other scenarios it is from 24 up to 73 kg 1,4-DCB-eq per 1 t of drill cuttings. It means, that drilling waste landspraying is the best option only if the level of pollutants in the waste is very low. Among the other scenarios of drill cuttings management aimed at isolating pollutants from the environment, solidification technologies have the greatest environmental impact, primarily due to their use of binders. Among all scenarios, 2a and 2b have the biggest environmental effect in most impact categories. The production of cement and lime for drilling waste solidification was the main contributor to fossil depletion (64% of the total amount for scenario 2a and 54% for scenario 2b), and greenhouse gas emissions (49% of the total amount for scenario 2a and 70% for scenario 2b). However, the application of soil-like material (solidified drill cuttings) as an inert ground in swampy areas can make migration of heavy metals possible. Scenario 3 (reinjection) is associated with the least impact on the environment and the main contributor is electricity production (75% of greenhouse gas emissions). Sensitivity analysis shows that oilfield location does not affect the data for reinjection, but the impact assessment changes up to 60% for drill cutting disposal due to different waste pit design depending on permafrost and groundwater levels. Differences in the mass of used cement and lime change results for solidification scenarios considerably (up to 80%).

This paper presents an analysis of bio-oil quality depending on the type of input biomass, the process conditions and the catalytic systems used. Analysis of various catalytic system choices showed the prospects of using nickel and iron metal salts as homogeneous catalysts given that their use provided increases of 24.5% and 22.2%, respectively, in the yield of light-boiling bio-oil fractions (with a boiling point of up to 350 °C). Composition analysis of the bio-oils carried out using gas chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed that fatty acids are the predominant group of substances in bio-oils produced from sewage sludge. Bio-oil synthesized from bark and wood waste contains phenolic alcohols and a limited range of cyclic hydrocarbons as the main components. In bio-oil produced from macroalgae, oxygen and nitrogen compounds of the piperazinedione and amides type are predominant. The sulfur and nitrogen content in all types of bio-oils is at an acceptable level. The results allow researchers to assert that organic waste processing enables production of sufficiently high-quality fuel, which can then be jointly processed with natural oil. Bio-oil produced from secondary sludge has the best quality, characterized by a high content of low-weight aliphatic compounds (with a boiling point of up to 350 °C), along with insignificant levels of nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen.

Biofuel such as linseed oil has an energy potential of 48.8 MJ/kg, which is much lower than fossil diesel fuel 57.14 MJ/kg. Existing biofuels need to increase the energy potential for use in traditional engines. Moreover, biofuel production demands cheap feedstock, for example, sawdust. The present paper shows that the technology to synthesize high-energy liquid vehicle fuels with a gross calorific value up to 53.6 MJ/kg from renewable sources of plant origin is possible. Slow pyrolysis was used to produce high-energy biofuel from sawdust and linseed oil. The proposed approach will allow not only to preserve the existing high-tech energy sources of high unit capacity based on the combustion of liquid fuels, but also to make the transition to reducing the carbon footprint and, in the future, to carbon neutrality by replacing fossil carbon of liquid hydrocarbon fuels with the carbon produced from biomass.