The NATO Advanced Research Workshop "Role of Interfaces in Environmental
Protection" has been held on May 27-30, 2002 in Miskolc, Hungary, under
leadership of co-directors Prof Sandor Barany from the University
ofMiskolc, Hungary, and Prof Nataliya Klymenko, National Academy of
Sciences of Ukraine. The objective of the ARW was to highlight colloidal
and biocolloidal aspects of environmental pollution and technologies to
monitor, remediate, abate and prevent pollution. It is known that the
solution of majority of environmental problems is closely connected with
phenomena at the interfaces. The behaviour, transport of dispersed
particles in the environment, the main phase separation methods in water
treatment, purification of liquids, aerosols removal, many soil
remediation processes as well as the methods of protection of human
organisms from hazardous matters, are based on concepts of colloid
chemistry, i.e. properties of interfaces and their behaviour in
different media. Examples of these methods are: filtration,
ultrafiltration, flotation, coagulation, hetero-coagulation and
flocculation, adsorption, adhesion of micro-organisms to surfaces,
membrane separation methods, etc. A very important and special aspect of
the topic is the human protection using colloid-chemical approaches,
i.e. the adsorption, aggregation and adagulation properties of differe t
materials. Examples are: adsorption of hazardous organic materials,
drugs, heavy- metals and radionuclides on activated carbon, silica,
cellulose derivatives, etc.