Specialists from the KarRC RAS and the Petrozavodsk water utilities company – PKS-Vodokanal JSC will cooperate in research on the properties and possible uses of artificial soils. The corresponding agreement was signed by the organizations’ CEOs, Olga Bakhmet and Alexander Safronov, at a meeting of the Environmental Council under the Government of the Republic of Karelia, which discussed the development of a circular economy in the region and the republic’s participation in the Environmental Well-being national project. The signed document is an example of collaboration between Karelian scientists and an industrial enterprise in the field of zero-waste production.

The agreement envisages joint studies, dissemination of research results in the form of scientific reports, articles, educational materials and other publications presenting the research outcomes, as well as the organization of joint events: seminars, conferences, roundtables, symposia, etc.

– Specialists at PKS-Vodokanal JSC already have experience in waste composting and designing artificial soil. Hence, the goal of our joint work is to demonstrate in which areas these soils can be used, what plant species can grow on them, where it is advisable to use such soils, and where it is not, – clarified KarRC RAS leader Olga Bakhmet.

The cooperation is expected to be long-term.

– In 2026, we will take the first steps and get the first results, while the actual design of artificial soil and its various uses in collaboration with Vodokanal’s specialists is certainly a long-term project, – explained Olga Bakhmet.

Petrozavodsk wastewater treatment facilities currently employ an advanced technology for sewage sludge processing. It annually converts some 30,000 cubic meters of sludge into artificial soil – a resource with high potential for urban landscaping and greening.

Specialists at Vodokanal expect the upcoming research to handle an important challenge – to expand optimal pathways for commercialization of the product. This would prevent surplus accumulation, raise process efficiency, and ensure stable operation of the composting system for years to come. Collaboration with the scientific community is a new step towards a circular economy, where the target is to send all the generated artificial soil into circulation, thus closing the loop.



Remarkably, many speakers at the Environmental Council appealed to the scientific community, inviting it to take part in researching wastes generated by the economy and possibilities for their processing and use. This call came from the republic’s officials as well as the leaders of enterprises engaged in industrial waste processing and use of recycled resources.



Another matter discussed at the meeting was the “Clean Ladoga” project for developing a comprehensive program for the environmental rehabilitation of Lake Ladoga. Earlier, Olga Bakhmet addressed a joint meeting of the Environmental Council under the Governor of St. Petersburg and the Public Environmental Council under the Governor of the Leningrad Region with the proposals to expand this project to include water bodies located throughout Ladoga’s catchment area. These proposals, based on over 60 years of monitoring and studies of Karelian water bodies, are currently being considered for inclusion in the federal project.