The ways of intensification of domestic wastewater treatment processes at small wastewater treatment plants with capacity of 40 m³/day due to modernization of process scheme and application of bioaugmentation technology are considered. The directed selection of community with the introduction of fungal culture Penicillium brasilanum, which presumably plays the role of "biological framework" in the formation of aerobic sludge granule, was carried out. It is found that the isolated fungal culture contributes to the improvement of sedimentation properties. It is concluded that the introduction of fungal culture into the activated sludge community of wastewater treatment plants reduces the sludge index.

The problems related to the treatment of surface runoff polluted by suspended solids are evaluated. The peculiarities of morphology and composition of suspended solids particles contained in surface runoff are considered. The design and the principle of operation of the developed experimental testing bench for tests to determine the efficiency of retention of solid particles by different filtering materials and life-size FOPS® filters are presented. It is shown that narrow particle size distribution fractions of natural zeolite can be used to evaluate both the retention of suspended solids by filter materials (or FOPS® filters) and the porous structure of fiber filter materials.

The results of the study of ecological condition of disturbed lands during underground coal mining in the areas of the Moscow Coal Basin in the territory of Tula region are presented. According to the data of satellite imagery, the number and areas of mine spoil heaps are determined. It is established that using the existing methods of spoil heaps reclamation, the probability of effective restoration of ecological balance on their surface is very low. The complex of works is proposed for a radical change in the architecture of spoil heap landscapes by means of introduction of new technologies, the practical implementation of which will considerably increase rates of restoration of ecological balance on these technogenic objects left after closing of coal mines.

Study results of disturbed lands ecological state in the course of underground coal mining in the coal-saturated areas of the Moscow Coal Basin in the Ryazan region are presented. The number and areas of mine spoil heaps are revealed, and their influence on the reduction of forest and arable land area is established. The calculation of economic efficiency of farms in the liquidation of mine spoil heaps on agricultural land previously taken out from the turnover for the needs of the coal industry was carried out.

Study results of disturbed lands ecological state in the course of underground coal mining in the coal-saturated areas of the Donetsk Coal Basin in the Rostov region are presented. Types and areas of technogenic landscape objects formed in the course of coal industry enterprises activity are revealed. The complex of works on acceleration of the ecological balance restoration on the surface of these objects is offered, consisting in application of loose rocks of Quaternary age with the thickness not less than one meter and planting of bushes and trees with sowing of herbaceous vegetation in the inter-rows of cereal and leguminous crops.

Study results of disturbed lands ecological state in the course of underground coal mining in the coal-saturated areas of the Kizelovsky Coal Basin in the Perm Krai are presented. Types and areas of technogenic landscape objects formed in the course of coal industry enterprises activity are revealed. The complex of works on acceleration of the ecological balance restoration on the territory subjected to long-term technogenic impact of coal mining enterprises is offered.

The use of technology of changing the shape of low-profile small-sized mine spoil heaps and open sites with coal mining wastes, poured at the stages of construction is substantiated and the prospects of further exploitation of coal mines are evaluated. Working processes of electric crawler dragline, allowing to refuse the operation of mining transport equipment with diesel engines, which in practice is the basis of mechanization of the whole complex of mining works, are stated. It is concluded that the developed technology, based on the application of draglines with electric drive and increased process parameters of the working equipment in comparison with hydraulic excavators, allows to carry out highly effective special works on changing the architecture of mine spoil heaps and sites with coal mining waste in order to accelerate the restoration of ecological balance on the surface of the latter.

The use of technology of changing the shape of high-profile large-sized mine spoil heaps dumped in the process of preparation of coal deposits for underground mining and the prospects of further exploitation is substantiated. The volume of toxic substances emitted into the atmosphere during the operation of mining transportation equipment with diesel engines in the course of changing the landscape architecture and mining reclamation of mine spoil heaps has been determined. It is concluded that the developed technology, based on the application of draglines with electric drive and increased process parameters of the working equipment in comparison with hydraulic excavators, allows to carry out highly effective special works on transformation of slopes of mine spoil heaps in order to accelerate the restoration of ecological balance on the surface of the latter.

The data of landscape-geochemical studies of the main components of the environment (snow, surface water, soils and vegetation) near the sedimentation ponds of the industrial site of the former Baikal pulp and paper mill, Baikalsk, at the mouth of the Kharlakta and Babkha rivers on the southwestern coast of Lake Baikal are presented. Increased content of heavy (HM) and alkaline-earth metals, SO₄^2–, NO₃^–, NH₄⁺, PO₄^3– was detected in the snow near the Baikalsk town, exceeding background readings. Concentrations of F^–, NO₃^–, NH₄⁺, Pb, Mo, Mn, Zn, Sr and V in surface waters of local lake shore sites exceed sanitary and hygienic norms. Soil contamination with HM in the recreational and industrial zone located on the shore of Lake Baikal has been revealed. Correlations between the concentrations of macro- and microelements in soils and their indicators such as the content of organic carbon and physical clay fraction have been established, which indicates the presence of biogeochemical barriers on which Na, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Co accumulate in values above the background readings and MAC.

It is noted that the efficiency of protection and rational use of water resources decreases due to uncertainty of information about spontaneously changing indicators of their quality, uniqueness of such variability and, consequently, due to impossibility to develop uniform rules of economic use of water bodies and watercourses. It is shown that these problems arise not only in water bodies subjected to intensive anthropogenic impact, but also in those remaining in practically natural conditions. The results of the authors' studies of the rivers of the Altai Mountains are presented, where such features of melt (freshly formed) water as structural shifts in time series of its quality indicators, clustering of volatility, non-seasonal cyclicity and long memory of time series were discovered. It was concluded that it is necessary to take into account not only external conditions but also intrinsic dynamic characteristics of water flow to assess water composition and properties in order to reliably predict its quality and ensure efficient water use.

The soil-ecological condition of the sites after reclamation was analyzed and an attempt was made to demonstrate that it is possible to use NDVI vegetation index values as an additional tool for its assessment. It was found that in the areas where organ-accumulative embryozems dominate in the soil cover structure (more than 85 %) their soil-ecological condition is characterized as satisfactory (from 22 to 29 %). It was revealed that NDVI vegetation index for the reclamation sites (average value from three images for 2024) above 0.3 indicates the soil-ecological condition after reclamation of disturbed lands as satisfactory. It is concluded that the application of NDVI index as an indicator of soil-ecological condition of reclamation sites is possible, but for more accurate information it is necessary to create a database of long-term studies based on instrumental methods in the field.