The significance and challenges of hydrotreatment processes for vegetable oils have recently become apparent, encompassing various reactions like decarbonylation, decarboxylation, and hydrogenation. Heterogeneous noble or transition metal catalysts play a crucial role in these reactions, offering high selectivity in removing oxygen and yielding desired hydrocarbons. Notably, both sulphided and non-sulphided catalysts exhibit effectiveness, with the latter gaining attention due to health and toxicity concerns associated with sulphiding agents. Nickel-based catalysts, such as NiP and NiC, demonstrate specific properties and tendencies in deoxygenation reactions, while palladium supported on activated carbon catalysts shows superior activity in hydrodeoxygenation. Comparisons between the performances of different catalysts in various hydrotreatment processes underscore the need for tailored approaches. Transition metal phosphides (TMP) emerge as promising catalysts due to their cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness. Ultimately, there is an ongoing pursuit of efficient catalysts and the importance of further advancements in catalysis for the future of vegetable oil hydrotreatment.

The thermal decomposition of an ammonium dinitramide-based energetic compound was conducted for the first time using a dispersive inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, DTA-TG analysis, and pyrolysis at a constant temperature. A liquid droplet was injected over synthesized CuO catalytic particles deposited on lanthanum oxide-doped alumina. The thermal behavior of the ADN liquid monopropellant revealed that decomposition in the presence of catalytic particles occurs in two distinct steps, with the majority of ejected gases being detected in real-time analysis using the DIP-MS technique. At a temperature of 280 °C, pyrolysis confirmed the catalytic decomposition behavior of ADN, which occurred in two distinct steps.

Infant mortality in Kazakhstan is six times higher compared with the EU. There are several reasons for this, but a partial reason might be that less than 30% of Kazakhstan’s population has access to safe water and sanitation and more than 57% uses polluted groundwater from wells that do not comply with international standards. For example, nitrate pollution in surface and groundwater continues to increase due to intensified agriculture and the discharge of untreated wastewater, causing concerns regarding environmental and human health. For this reason, drinking water samples were collected from the water supply distribution network in eight districts of Almaty, Kazakhstan, and water quality constituents, including nitrate, were analyzed. In several districts, the nitrate concentration was above the WHO and Kazakhstan’s maximum permissible limits for drinking water. The spatial distribution of high nitrate concentration in drinking water was shown to be strongly correlated with areas that are supplied with groundwater, whereas areas with lower nitrate levels are supplied with surface water sources. Based on source identification, it was shown that groundwater is likely polluted by mainly domestic wastewater. The health risk for infants, children, teenagers, and adults was assessed based on chronic daily intake, and the hazard quotient (HQ) of nitrate intake from drinking water was determined. The non-carcinogenic risks increased in the following manner: adult < teenager < child < infant. For infants and children, the HQ was greater than the acceptable level and higher than that of other age groups, thus pointing to infants and children as the most vulnerable age group due to drinking water intake in the study area. Different water management options are suggested to improve the health situation of the population now drinking nitrate-polluted groundwater.

A possibility of lowering the formation of trans-isomers during hydrogenation of vegetable oils over a low-loaded palladium catalyst supported on activated diatomite was studied. The comparison to the commercial nickel catalyst led to establish that the activated diatomite is a promising support of the catalyst for hydrogenation of plant oil. Palladium particles of 2–10 nm in size (3–6 nm particles predominated) were shown to be uniformly distributed over the support surface. It was shown experimentally that the Pd catalyst was more active and selective at low temperature than the nickel catalyst to provide two-fold decrease in the concentration of trans-isomers in the hydrogenated fat.

The development of efficient and environmentally sustainable membrane materials is essential for advancing water purification technologies. This review examines composite membranes that combine the properties of MXene and nanocellulose, focusing on their structural features, functional characteristics, and potential advantages in water treatment applications. Nanocellulose provides a biodegradable, renewable matrix with abundant surface functional groups, while MXene offers high hydrophilicity, electrical conductivity, and adsorption capacity. Based on a critical evaluation of published studies, the review outlines various fabrication strategies, discusses key factors affecting membrane performance—including morphology, surface modification, and interfacial interactions—and highlights the synergistic effects between the two components. The article systematizes current approaches to designing MXene/nanocellulose membranes and establishes a foundation for future scientific and technological development in this field.