Interview
Science should not upset the eternal balance between them
Recently, our country has taken important steps towards developing human capital, commercializing scientific research and supporting knowledge transfer. If one of the main goals here is to satisfy the demand for highly qualified personnel with comprehensive training, then the other is the development of local production through the use of the results of high-level fundamental research conducted by Azerbaijani scientists, at a minimum to minimize import dependence of strategic products. In this area there are research institutes specializing in the field of exact and natural sciences, where the important results obtained by our scientists are successfully applied in production. Thus, the complex scientific and technical work awarded the State Prize in the field of technology for 2024 includes the application in production of important scientific and technical achievements got by Azerbaijani scientists. We tried to find answers to these and other questions in an interview with the leader of this complex scientific work, Director General of the Institute of Chemistry of Additives, academician Vagif Farzaliyev.
Brief information:
We inform you that the main direction of scientific activity of academician Vagif Farzaliev is the development of the scientific basis for the creation of highly effective additives for lubricating oils, fuels and cutting fluids and high-quality compositions based on oils, fuels and cutting fluids. He conducts systematic fundamental research in the field of synthesis of new additives, studying the mechanism of their functional action, as well as the influence of their composition and structure on efficiency. A number of additives and lubricating oils created under his leadership and with his direct participation, including special-purpose oils, have found application in industry.
The results of academician Vagif Farzaliyev’s multifaceted scientific research in this direction are reflected in almost 1000 scientific works, including more than 150 author certificates of the USSR and patents of Azerbaijan, 5 monographs. According to the global information networks Google Scholar Citations and ResearchGate, 250 scientific papers in his field of research have been included in various international electronic systems and have been cited by about 2,500 scientists around the world. The Hirsch index is 31. Under his leadership, 6 doctors of science and 24 doctors of philosophy were trained.
– Vagif muallim, the complex scientific and technical work, awarded the State Prize, is called the most successful applied scientific invention in our country in recent years. We would like to know your opinion on this matter.
-I express my deep gratitude to each of those who highly appreciate our work. At the same time, although this is far from modest, I admit that one of the most successful applied scientific and technical works of the Institute of Chemistry of Additives is, of course, associated with the creation of a new analogue of motor oil for military equipment. These special-purpose oils have successfully passed practical tests in engines of all brands of tanks at the disposal of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the testing commission considered it appropriate to use this oil in tank engines for this purpose.
By the way, I would like to note that since Azerbaijan is historically the birthplace of oil production, its refining on an industrial scale and the production of lubricating oils, the development and production of additives on the territory of the former Union was carried out for the first time in our republic. Academician Ali Guliyev, who founded the institute, and our other talented scientists were awarded the State Prize of the USSR and the State Prize of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1970.
Awarding an important scientific and technical achievement of the Institute of Chemistry of Additives with the highest state prize is a natural result of the continuation of the scientific tradition created in Azerbaijan. This is also a vivid example of how our head of state attaches the greatest importance to science and scientists of Azerbaijan.
– What other scientific results of the institute have been successfully introduced into production or recommended for use?
– Another important applied work is the creation of the “Depressor AKI” additive, which reduces the freezing point and dynamic viscosity of highly paraffinic oils from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan and ensures their transportation over long distances along the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipelines. and related to its use. Currently, thousands of tons of additives are produced at NPO Ashgar.
At the same time, the republic has created a technology for the regeneration of waste oils used in internal combustion engines of various types and causing environmental stress, and based on regenerated oil and appropriate additives, using this technology, lubricating compositions for various purposes have been created, including special purposes for diesel engines. The technology for regenerating used oils and a special-purpose lubricating composition created on the basis of regenerated oil , due to their strategic importance, are protected by “secret” patents of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Specifically, a technology has been created for the regeneration of Musella-40 motor oil, which creates an environmental load and is used in modular power plants, and separate work is underway to apply this technology.
The institute has created and also organized the production of a new analogue of motor oil M-14GB, which is used in the Marine Oil and Gas Production Association of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan and is imported from abroad.
Industrial production of antimicrobial additives “Azin-1”, “Azin-2”, “Azin-3” and “Azin-4”, which protect cutting fluids and petroleum products from biological damage, has been organized.
To protect oilfield equipment from corrosion and engine cooling systems from destruction due to cavitation, corrosion inhibitors were created, production technology was developed and pilot production was organized.
– Can all these high scientific results of yours be assessed as steps serving to create the unity of science and production?
– You know that the economy of any state is built on three huge pillars – science, education and the production process. The speed of economic development depends on the unity of these pillars – the degree of integration.
During the times of the former USSR, the relationship between science and industry was extremely strong, since all production enterprises were owned by the state and mainly because technology was not imported from abroad.
After the collapse of the USSR, Azerbaijan, like the former Soviet republics, moved from a socialist economy to a market economy, and almost the bulk of manufacturing enterprises were transferred to the private sector, and due to this, the relationship between science and production changed. The bulk of private enterprises took the easy path, bringing ready-made technologies from abroad and applying them, and investments in the country’s science decreased to almost zero.
In developed countries, the integration of science and industry is extremely strong, and most private enterprises invest in scientific centers not only in applied work, but also in basic research, since every new technology is obtained as a result of basic research.
In the realities of Azerbaijan, it is very rare to meet those mentioned. But, fortunately, there are companies working in this direction. According to ICA, this year two private companies are working closely in this direction. As IHP, we would like to note with great satisfaction this year two private companies that are actively working in this direction. As one of them, an important result of our joint activities with Elroys LLC is associated with the creation and use of the above-mentioned additive “AKI Depressant”.
The latest successful scientific work of another company, İselTexno LLC, aimed at solving environmental problems, involving the development of the unity of science and production with chemical chemicals, was the creation of a process for processing “acid resin”, which has accumulated in thousands of tons in the territory of Balakhani and creates environmental problems, and consists in use of processed products.
–Vagif muallim, the prestigious COP29 will be organized in Baku on November 11-24 this year. Also, by order of President Ilham Aliyev, 2024 was declared the “Year of Solidarity for the Green World” in the country. In this regard, the country is taking large-scale measures to solve environmental problems and improve the state of the environment. How does the Institute of Chemistry of Additives, as a research institution, participate in this process?
– As you know, the main part of petroleum products is motor and heating fuel. When these fuels are burned in engines, hydroelectric power plants, and industrial plants, toxic gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, light hydrocarbons, sulfur and nitrogen oxides are released into the atmosphere.
During operation of any engine (especially diesel fuel), in addition to these gases, soot particles and significant amounts of carcinogenic compounds (benzopyrene, etc.) formed from aromatic compounds are released into the atmosphere. Currently, most countries in the world have emission criteria for a number of pollutants for diesel engines.
According to research from the Institute of Lung Health at the University of Leicester in the UK and medical centers in other countries, soot particles from transport engines accumulate in the lungs of people, especially young children, and lead to serious complications.
To solve this global problem, an effective anti-smoke additive for diesel fuels was created to reduce air pollution by smoke, which is the main toxic component of diesel engine exhaust gases. Thus, the ИХП-706 additive, which sharply reduces the amount of smoke and carcinogenic substances in gases emitted during diesel operation, is the first anti-smoke additive for diesel fuel not only in our country, but also in the former USSR.
Cleaning oil-contaminated lands and water bodies using microbiological means is one of the main fundamental and applied scientific works of the ICP aimed at eliminating environmental problems. From this point of view, the leading scientists of the institute selected a biological association of microorganisms (bacteria and yeast) with a complex of soil-improving additives for treating soils with different hydrocarbon contents around the Surakhani, Balakhani, Binagadi and Bibi-Heybat fields of Absheron and developed a modern technology for creating preparations.
With the help of this technology, called “bioremediation” of oil-contaminated soils, an effective association of bacteria and yeast was developed using active carbon-hydrogen-oxidizing microorganisms isolated from soils falling into the territory of these fields; on this basis, 4 different biological products were developed for the remediation of oil-contaminated soils and 1 biological product general purpose (“Universal”), recommended for these fields under study.
One of the latest successful applied scientific works in the ICA, aimed at solving environmental problems, is associated with the creation of a processing process and the use of the processed product “acid resin”, collected in the Balakhani region in thousands of tons and creating an environmental problem.
– What work is being done to reduce soil pollution and improve the environment in our capital?
– Thousands of tons of acidic resin, formed as a result of the activities of the Baku Oil Refinery over many years, fell into the territory of the Balakhani village of Absheron and created extreme environmental problems. To reduce this environmental stress and improve the environment, ICA scientists have created an additive that improves the viscosity and low-temperature properties of fuel oil-based fossil fuels by using a product from acid tar, which is a major contributor to natural disasters in the area.
By carrying out processing acid tar and using the processed product, both an important technical and an important environmental problem are solved. The acid resin processing product has already been applied. This includes both the economic development of the country and solving environmental problems. This joint work is also protected by an Azerbaijani patent.
Although ICA is a research institute specializing in the petroleum industry, important aspects of its activities focus on establishing the scientific basis for eliminating the environmental problems caused by this industry and their successful application. Of course, more attention will be paid to these issues, and multifaceted activities will expand. Because COP29, which will be held in our country, will pose new challenges for research institutes, as well as for our chemical scientists. Solving these problems will bring economic development to our republic, as well as environmental safety, which will serve as an example for other countries.
Punhan Efendiyev XQ