MOGILEV, 28 March (BelTA) – Daniil Sharoikin, a ninth form student of Mogilev's secondary school No.18, will represent Belarus in the final stage of the international contest Stockholm Junior Water Prize in Stockholm, Sweden in late August, representatives of the Education Office of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee told BelTA.
The school student from Mogilev will participate in the international contest after winning the national elimination round by presenting a colorimetric method to measure the nitrate ions content in well water in Mogilev Oblast villages.
The school student has put together a device, which operation is based on the Beer–Lambert–Bouguer law. The device can precisely measure the nitrate ions content in water. Nitrates in water are 25% more toxic than nitrates in food. Nitrates are capable of causing various diseases in human body. They are particularly dangerous for infants.
Yekaterina Kapralova, a chemistry and biology teacher, one of the scientific supervisors of Daniil Sharoikin's project, explained: “The social importance of this research is aimed at surveying Mogilev Oblast, submitting the results to a water quality control website, and informing the population about the quality of the water they drink. Apart from that, the project has a personal value. We are getting new knowledge about methods to measure the nitrates content in water and their impact on natural ecosystems and living organisms. So far we've examined water in Mogilev District and Shklov District. In the future we intend to determine the quality of water in other populated localities and intend to raise the awareness of the population about the water they drink.”
Coca-Cola Beverages Belarus Company is a financial partner of the national elimination round. The company will also help prepare the Mogilev school student for the Stockholm contest where he will have to compete against school and university students aged 15-20, who have won national stages of the contest in 30 countries. In Stockholm the students will also be able to talk to prominent scientists and make friends with the other guys and girls, who share their interest in preserving water resources on Earth.
