In addition to soda, the Solway production process yields large amounts of waste sludge that contains a high percentage of CaCO3 and Ca(OH)2. In this paper, solid waste sludge from a soda factory in Bosnia and Herzegovina of a certain granulation was used to remove metal ions from the binary system initial concentrations of 500 mg/L. The research results showed that the precipitation efficiency for the binary system Cu - Ni was 99.810% at a pH of 11.42 for Cu2+ and 99.896% for Ni2+ at a pH of 10.86, while for the binary system Pb - Zn it was 99.84% at the same pH value of 10.64. This research has shown that it is very difficult to separate and remove metal precipitation from binary systems because the optimal pH for one metal does not correspond to another metal.

In this paper, the influence of biological acid dough with a strain of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum) on the properties of the dough and the addition of sourdough on the quality of crackers was investigated. Changes in total titratable acidity and pH were monitored during the fermentation of the sourdough (24 hours). In the dough for the production of gluten-free crackers, the influence of the addition of sourdough on the total titratable acidity and pH value was examined. The content of water, protein, fat, starch, crude fiber, pH value and total titratable acidity was determined by flour samples for the production of gluten-free crackers and gluten-free crackers. The influence of sourdough on the sensory properties of crackers was examined. The mineral composition of zinc was determined and the contribution of the daily recommended intake was assessed. In samples of crackers subjected to storage for 5, 10, 20 and 30 days, a change in water content was monitored. The length of fermentation had a significant impact on the dynamics of pH change and on the total titratable acidity during the fermentation of sourdough. The results of the study showed that the control sample has a higher pH value than the samples with sourdough. The reason for that is the development of acetic acid during fermentation. The change in water content in the crackers over 30 days was significantly higher in the control sample compared to the samples with sourdough. Crackers with sourdough contain a significantly higher percentage of protein, ash, fiber, zinc at the expense of reducing carbohydrates.

During the last few years, we have witnessed more frequent floods affecting the northeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the valley of the Spreca River. Flooded soil has undergone various changes, in terms of numerous deficiencies and heavy metal contamination, where such soil represents a great danger both for people and animals. Therefore, in this paper the physicochemical analysis of soil and degree of pollution is determined. The aim of soil sampling and analysis is to determine its status after water withdrawal, in terms of nutrient supply, and to determine possible chemical pollution. Based on the results obtained, agricultural producers will receive recommendations regarding restoration of production on these areas, the choice of cultivated culture, corrective measures or remediation of these areas. As part of the analysis, hygroscopic moisture, acid-base soil status, oxidoreduction potential, organic matter content, carbonate content and heavy metals content were determined. Based on the performed analyzes, the soil was shown to be of neutral character (determined in 1M KCl), and weakly alkaline (determined in distilled H2O) with predominantly reducing condition prevailing in the soil. The conducted analyzes have shown that the soil is very poor in humus, and that the heavy metals content is within the limit values determined by the Rulebook on Determination of Allowed Quantities of Harmful and Dangerous Substances in Soil and Method of Testing there of (“Official Gazette of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, number 52/09). Therefore, from the aspect of the pollution degree, the soil from this plot belongs to the first class when it comes to iron, manganese, cadmium and lead, to the second class when it comes to zinc, and the third class when it comes to copper.

During the last few years, we have witnessed more frequent floods affecting the northeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the valley of the Spreca River. Flooded soil has undergone various changes, in terms of numerous deficiencies and heavy metal contamination, where such soil represents a great danger both for people and animals. Therefore, in this paper the physicochemical analysis of soil and degree of pollution is determined. The aim of soil sampling and analysis is to determine its status after water withdrawal, in terms of nutrient supply, and to determine possible chemical pollution. Based on the results obtained, agricultural producers will receive recommendations regarding restoration of production on these areas, the choice of cultivated culture, corrective measures or remediation of these areas. As part of the analysis, hygroscopic moisture, acid-base soil status, oxidoreduction potential, organic matter content, carbonate content and heavy metals content were determined. Based on the performed analyzes, the soil was shown to be of neutral character (determined in 1M KCl), and weakly alkaline (determined in distilled H2O) with predominantly reducing condition prevailing in the soil. The conducted analyzes have shown that the soil is very poor in humus, and that the heavy metals content is within the limit values determined by the Rulebook on Determination of Allowed Quantities of Harmful and Dangerous Substances in Soil and Method of Testing there of (“Official Gazette of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, number 52/09). Therefore, from the aspect of the pollution degree, the soil from this plot belongs to the first class when it comes to iron, manganese, cadmium and lead, to the second class when it comes to zinc, and the third class when it comes to copper.

The effect of pH and initial concentration on the removal of Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions from their monocomponent and two-component aqueous solutions using Na2CO3 as a chemical precipitation agent was investigated in this paper. Monocomponent aqueous solutions  of Cu(II) and Ni(II)  ions with their initial concentrations of 50 and 500 mg/L and two-component aqueous solution with initial concentration of 500 mg/L were prepared. The precipitation was carried out by batch method at room temperature by stirring the solution at 300 rpm for 5 minutes, resulting in the formation of precipitates. The resulting precipitate was separated by filtration from the solution. The experiment proved that Na2CO3 is a good agent for removing Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions from their monocomponent water solutions of 50 and 500 mg/L concentration and two-component water solution with initial concentration of each metal 500 mg/L. The percentage of Cu(II) removal was higher at lower pH values compared to Ni(II) removal.