Semyon Isaakovich Volfkovich was born in 1896 in the city of Ananyev, former Kherson province (now Odessa region, Ukraine).
Despite excellent grades, because of his Jewish origin, he could not immediately enter the higher school he wanted, and for two years he attended the People's University of A. L. Shanyavsky.
In 1920, he defended his dissertation on the topic "Production of enriched superphosphate",[1] received the title of industrial engineer and remained at the institute as a teacher.
In 1921, he began working at the Institute of Fertilizers of the Supreme Soviet of the National Economy as an engineer, where he subsequently held the positions of head of the laboratory, head of the technological department, chief engineer and deputy director of the institute for scientific work.
From 1930 he worked as a professor at Moscow Higher Technical University, and two years later he became head of the department of general technology.
After the war of 1941–1945 Volfkovich worked as a professor at M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, where he also headed the department of chemical technology.
Vinokurova, the technology for producing boric acid was studied,[6] on the basis of which a scheme for its production was then developed at NIUIF.
Volfkovich also devoted part of his research to the study of factory processes for the production of superphosphate, phosphoric acid, phosphorus salts,[7][8][9] etc.
Technological work was mainly devoted to two main areas: the study of new ways to produce concentrated fertilizers (ammophos, nitrophos, double and enriched superphosphates,[10] nitrogen-potassium fertilizers[11]) and the integrated use of raw materials and waste (phosphogypsum,[12][13] sulfur and fluoride gases[14]).
Together with other scientists, S. I. Volfkovich studied the processes of sulfite oxidation and the chemistry of decomposition of apatite nepheline ore by acids.
Among them: • “Technical processing of potassium salts” (NNSTU, 1932, 128 p.) • “Technology of nitrogen fertilizers” (ONTI, 1935, 371 p.) • “Mineral raw materials of the main chemical industry” (Promizdat, 1926, 104 p.) • “Processing of Khibiny apatites for fertilizers” (Goskhimtekhizdat, 1932, 64 p.) • “General chemical technology”, (M.: Higher school, 1953, vol.