Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) is an effective but highly toxic fuel conventionally used as a rocket propellant. Removal of corrosive, poisonous, mutagenic, and carcinogenic UDMH and its derivatives requires high efficiency, abundantly available, and low cost materials. This study develops a new carbon-mineral catalytic adsorbent for the remediation of soils contaminated with toxic rocket fuel components (RFC) and investigates its efficiency. The modified carbon-mineral sorbent (CMS) is obtained from the semi-coke and modified with Cu(NH ₄ ) ₂ [Cu(C ₂ O ₄ ) ₂ ]. CMS production process is developed and detoxification efficiency using CMS is tested on soil samples from the areas where RFCs contaminated wrecks of separating stages of carrier rockets (SSCR) crash-land. The structure and physicochemical parameters of CMS, as well as the migration activity of rocket fuel transformation products in the soil at the SSCR impact sites, have been investigated, along with the mechanism and transformation pathways. CMS total pore volume: 0.30 cm ³ /g, iodine sorption capacity: 45–47 mg/g, and specific surface area: 486–502 m ² /g. The obtained CMS demonstrated highest efficiency in the sorption and catalytic decomposition of RFCs at soil-to-sorbent ratio of 5:1 with CuO content up to 21.3 wt% and soil-sorbent contact time of 24 h. The soil detoxification reached is 87–99% for the RFC transformation products concentrations ranging from 0.185 to 5.10 mg/kg. CMS with CuO exhibits high sorption capacity and catalytic activity allowing complete restoration of soil contaminated with UDMH and its derivatives.

Sewage sludge (SS)-derived materials were investigated as low-cost heterogeneous catalytic materials for polystyrene (PS) pyrolysis, focusing on the effects of thermal treatment, HCl leaching, and Fe impregnation. Sewage sludge ash (SSA), sewage sludge char (SSC), and HCl-leached Fe-impregnated sewage sludge char (Fe-LSSC) were evaluated as in-situ catalytic materials. Catalyst-to-PS ratios of 1:1–1:10 were investigated in a horizontal semi-batch tubular reactor operated in an in-situ catalyst–polymer contact mode at 800 °C. Thermal pyrolysis produced 63.9 wt.% PyOil and 12.6 wt.% PyGas. SSA increased the PyOil yield to 78.0 wt.% at 1:10 and promoted lighter aromatics; at 1:1, light aromatics increased to 66.8 wt.%, BTEX from 5.8 to 24.58 wt.%, and PAHs decreased to 11.8 wt.%. SSC showed a weaker, non-monotonic effect, with PyOil decreasing to 54.4 wt.% and PyChar increasing to 4.7 wt.% at 1:2. Fe-LSSC produced the strongest changes, increasing PyGas to 28.0 wt.% at 1:1 and H₂ to 75.3 vol.% at 1:2. The gasoline-range fraction reached 82.1 wt.% at 1:2, while PAHs decreased to 8.79 wt.% at 1:1. Catalyst reuse altered gas composition, whereas thermal regeneration partially restored catalytic behavior. Overall, SS-derived materials exhibited distinct, loading-dependent catalytic functions, while HCl leaching and Fe impregnation enhanced the conversion of PS pyrolysis vapors toward lighter aromatic and gaseous products.

The article presents the results of research work on the production of granulated active coal from coke breeze, coal from the Shubarkol deposit. The authors carried out work to determine the binder, the optimal coke/binder weight ratios. The physicochemical characteristics of granular active carbon have been studied. The results of the studies showed that the characteristics of the obtained GAC-Sh based on coke breeze are comparable to those of activated carbon grade AG-3

Plastic waste and sewage sludge (SS) are abundant, heterogeneous waste streams whose utilization and recycling are constrained by contamination, variable composition, and limited resource recovery. This review evaluates their integrated thermochemical conversion, focusing on co-incineration, co-pyrolysis, co-gasification, hydrothermal co-carbonization, hydrothermal co-liquefaction, and the use of SS-derived char (SSC) and sewage sludge ash (SSA) as catalytic materials. Co-processing benefits arise from complementary feedstock properties: plastics provide high carbon, hydrogen, volatile matter (VM), and heating value, whereas SS contributes oxygenated intermediates and mineral phases containing Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, and P. Among the reviewed routes, co-pyrolysis shows the strongest evidence of non-additive interactions, including hydrogen transfer, altered decomposition kinetics, and changes in liquid composition. Co-gasification can enhance H₂ formation and tar conversion, while hydrothermal routes are especially attractive for wet SS but remain comparatively underexplored. The review further distinguishes SSA, dominated by mineral acid–base and redox functionality, from SSC, which combines these mineral effects with adsorption and surface reactions on a porous carbon matrix. Key barriers include catalyst deactivation, chlorine and sulfur poisoning, heavy-metal migration, feedstock variability, and limited pilot-scale validation. Future development requires mechanistic controls, catalyst stability testing, techno-economic analysis, life-cycle assessment, and integrated nutrient recovery to establish practical circular waste-management systems.