The title of the dissertation was “Technological Foundations of Processing Secondary Polymer Raw Materials Using the Vermiculture Method”.

The scientific supervisor was Nataliia Mitina, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Biotechnology and Life Safety of the USUCT SEI.

The research is devoted to the development of a Ukrainian approach to the biodegradation of secondary polymer raw materials under vermiculture conditions. For the first time, the study proposed the use of a biological complex based on Eisenia foetida and the bacteria Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens UKM B-109 and Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca UKM B-91 for the biodegradation of polymer materials based on EVA, CPE, and polypropylene nonwoven materials.

The obtained results can be used in the development of technologies for the disposal of polymer waste, in particular polypropylene nonwoven materials used in the medical, filtration, and other industries.

To conduct the defense, a one-time specialized academic council was established pursuant to Rector’s Order No. 243-k dated May 28, 2026.

The council was chaired by Liliia Frolova, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Inorganic Substances Technology and Ecology of the USUCT SEI.

The reviewers of the dissertation were:

• Lina Sokolova, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Pharmacy, Chemistry and Technologies, Head of the Department of Physical Culture, Sports and Health of the USUCT SEI;
• Oleksii Khlopytskyi, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Inorganic Substances Technology and Ecology of the USUCT SEI.

Official opponents:

• Larysa Cherniak, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Acting Head of the Department of Ecology, Chemistry and Chemical Technologies of the State Non-Commercial Enterprise “State University “Kyiv Aviation Institute”;
• Iryna Rula, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry of Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University.

The research results have already been presented in scientific publications. Among them is the joint work by Yuliia Minina and Nataliia Mitina, “Biodegradation of Polymer-Polymer Mixtures Based on Polysaccharides by Pseudomonas Bacteria”, which demonstrated that in the presence of Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca UKM-91 and Eisenia foetida, the maximum level of EVA degradation reaches 67%, while the biocomplex accelerates the biodegradation process sixfold.

In 2026, Yuliia Minina also became a co-author of the study “Effect of Pseudomonas bacteria on biodegradation of polymer structures”, published in the Journal of Chemistry and Technologies, as well as the paper “Assessment of Degradation Processes in Polypropylene Medical Waste under Biological Impact”. Both publications continue the research direction related to the biological degradation of polymers and the search for environmentally safe approaches to managing such waste.

For Yuliia Minina, the defense was a continuation of her long-term work at USUST. She has worked at the Department of Biotechnology and Life Safety since 2013 and has been an assistant lecturer at the department since 2021.

During the public defense, the members of the one-time specialized academic council discussed the main provisions of the dissertation, its scientific novelty, and the practical significance of the obtained results. Following the defense, the one-time specialized academic council unanimously decided to award Yuliia Oleksandrivna Minina the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of knowledge 16 “Chemical and Bioengineering”, specialty 161 “Chemical Technologies and Engineering”.

We congratulate Yuliia Oleksandrivna and her scientific supervisor, Nataliia Borysivna, on the successful defense of the dissertation and obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy!

We wish them further scientific achievements, professional development, new research ideas, and successful implementation of their scientific and professional plans.

More details about the defense are available on the USUST website via the link