Russian zirconium industry: current issues in raw material supply

The relevance of the research is connected with Russia’s long-term import dependence on zirconium raw materials. Goal of this research: to study the dynamics of commodity flows (production, import, export, consumption) of Russian zirconium raw materials; its prices (world and Russian); the raw material base of zirconium in Russia and the prospects for national production of its extraction and processing. Methods: statistical, graphic, logical. Results: Russia imports the vast majority (3.5–14.9 kt/year or 98–100 % of consumption) of consumed zircon concentrate. At the same time, almost all of the baddeleyite mined in Russia (4.0–9.3 kt/year or (96–100 % of production) is exported. Since 2018 has there been a decrease in its export supplies and an increase in the national consumption (up to 60 % of production). Russia has existing deposits, including a useful zirconium component, but all are connected with a certain economic and technological complexity in their development. In 2022, the national production of selective zircon concentrate began during the development of the Tugan titanium-zirconium deposit. This deposit covers up to 30 % of Russia’s demand for zirconium raw materials up to 2023. Furthermore, the construction of the 2-nd stage of the Tugan mining and processing plant will increase its supply to 15 kt/year. This will completely cover Russian demand for zirconium raw materials. Work is in progress on Zashikhinsky field preparation, where, in the course of enrichment of tantalum-rare-earth ores, up to 8 kt/year of zircon concentrate will be additionally extracted. The emerging trend of reducing Russia’s import dependence on zirconium raw materials, and in the future its complete elimination will allow consumption of zircon and zirconium oxides to be increased in the most demanding area of their use – for dampening the glaze of ceramic tiles. The presence of an independent and sufficient national mining base of zirconium raw materials will allow Russian production of metal zirconium, zirconium refractory and abrasive products, solid fuel energy cells and other zirconiumcontaining applications to be developed

Российские технологические транзитные товарные потоки критического минерального сырья

The aim of the work is to analyze transit technological flows of critical mineral raw materials, which were formed in Russia by changing of the CIS economic relations in the 90s of the XX century. The transit chain of alumina import and primary aluminum ingots export is the largest transit technological commodity flow and is the foundation of the stable operation of the Russian aluminum industry. Quite significant previously transit technological flow of chromite concentrate imports and exports of ferrochromium is gradually reducing its transit volumes due to changes in the logistics of supplying raw materials. The transit chain of imports of lithium carbonates and lithium oxides, and in the end most of the lithium hydroxides exports, is a perfect example in terms of a pure transit technological commodity flow that helped to maintain the Russian lithium industry working capacity during the economic transition. Research results of transit technological flows of critical raw materials could be used to plan the import substitution of critical goods and risk reduction of production and sale of existing mineral product transit flows. Due to the limited possibilities for import substitution of alumina, the transit flow of commercial aluminum products bears increased risks of its effectiveness. The transit technological flow of chromite concentrate imports and exports of ferrochromium is becoming uncritical due to the reduction in imports of chromium raw materials from Kazakhstan and the increase in chromite production in Russia. The transit chain of the total import of lithium carbonates and the export of produced lithium hydroxides may disappear (or be reduced) due to the planned development of the mining production of lithium raw materials in RussiaЦелью работы стал анализ транзитных технологических потоков критического минерального сырья, которые сформировались в России в результате изменений экономических связей СНГ в 90-е годы XX века. Транзитная цепочка импорта глинозема и экспорта алюминия первичного является самым крупным транзитным технологическим товарным потоком и служит основой стабильной работы российской алюминиевой промышленности. Бывший ранее весьма значительным транзитный технологический поток импорта хромитового концентрата и экспорта феррохрома постепенно сокращает свои объемы транзита ввиду изменения логистики поставок сырья. Транзитная цепочка импорта карбонатов и оксидов лития и в конечном счете большей части экспорта производимых гидроксидов лития является ярким примером чистого транзитного технологического товарного потока, который способствовал поддержанию работоспособности российской литиевой отрасли в переходный экономический период. Результаты исследований транзитных технологических потоков критического минерального сырья могут быть использованы для планирования импортозамещения критических товаров и снижения рисков производства и реализации существующих транзитных потоков минеральных продуктов. Ввиду ограниченности возможностей импортозамещения глинозема транзитный поток алюминиевых товарных продуктов несет повышенные риски своей результативности. Транзитный технологический поток импорта хромитового концентрата и экспорта феррохрома становится некритичным из-за сокращения импорта хромового сырья из Казахстана и наращивания добычи хромитов в России. Транзитная цепочка тотального импорта карбонатов лития и экспорта производимых гидроксидов лития может исчезнуть (или сократиться) ввиду планируемого развития добывающих производств литиевого сырья в Росси

Collaborative Learning at Engineering Universities: Benefits and Challenges

This paper concerns the cutting edge educational approaches incorporated into syllabuses of the most progressive Russian higher technical schools. The authors discuss one of the active methods in teaching foreign languages – collaborative learning implemented in e-courses. Theoretical and historical aspects of this approach are addressed, as are its suitability for engineering education and possible ways of introducing collaborative learning into e-courses. Collaborative learning technology offers wide prospects for teachers of foreign languages as it enables the use of various patterns of interaction, promotes discussion, opinion exchange, peer assessment and building an e-learning community, fosters the development of e-culture and netiquette, and prepares future specialists for work in their professional sphere under the new conditions imposed by society’s technological and cultural development. This paper describes real pedagogical experience of teaching English to students using the platform Moodle, focusing on the capacity of different Moodle instruments for designing group work tasks. Recommendations are given for their usage and the results of implementing a collaborative learning approach into certain e-courses offered at Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) are presented

Collaborative Learning at Engineering Universities: Benefits and Challenges

This paper concerns the cutting edge educational approaches incorporated into syllabuses of the most progressive Russian higher technical schools. The authors discuss one of the active methods in teaching foreign languages – collaborative learning implemented in e-courses. Theoretical and historical aspects of this approach are addressed, as are its suitability for engineering education and possible ways of introducing collaborative learning into e-courses. Collaborative learning technology offers wide prospects for teachers of foreign languages as it enables the use of various patterns of interaction, promotes discussion, opinion exchange, peer assessment and building an e-learning community, fosters the development of e-culture and netiquette, and prepares future specialists for work in their professional sphere under the new conditions imposed by society’s technological and cultural development. This paper describes real pedagogical experience of teaching English to students using the platform Moodle, focusing on the capacity of different Moodle instruments for designing group work tasks. Recommendations are given for their usage and the results of implementing a collaborative learning approach into certain e-courses offered at Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) are presented