In their investment decisions commercial banks and private funds traditionally evaluate projects-based solely on their private returns, while often neglecting social and environmental concerns. More recently, however, climate change fears and rising inequality prompted calls for more environmentally and socially responsible governance of investment activities (ESG initiatives). For example, numerous pension funds and development agencies started shifting investment priorities away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy production. These efforts are hindered by the absence of well-developed techniques for evaluating investment projects in terms of their social and environmental impacts. This study investigates and outlines possible strategies for integrating social and environmental priorities into an investment selection process. We developed project selection and evaluation processes that a national development agency or a public fund could employ to enhance social effectiveness of its investment activities. More specifically, our general pre-investment evaluation procedure includes algorithms for determining optimal investment portfolios, taking in account both standard financial profitability criteria and ESG priorities. Copyright © 2025 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Expert estimates in the Concept of Kazakhstan 2013 transition to green economy forecasted water deficit in the nearest future. The water deficit indicator is the level of water supply identified as the ratio of forecast resources or mineable reserves to water demand. The article presents up-to-date data on water demand of economy branches and urban and rural population need for drinking water, as well as estimated values of water consumption for 2030 and 2040. Taking into consideration that groundwater as a water supply source has some advantages as compared to surface water: higher quality, more reliably protected against pollution and contamination, less exposure to seasonal and multi-annual fluctuations, the level of water supply was assessed as applied to RK groundwater. Taking into account the fact that statistics are presented with a breakdown into administrative regions, and distribution of geological formations is not limited by borders of surface water flow basins or national frontier, GIS-assessment of groundwater resources and water demand of population and economy branches are given in this article by administrative territory system and hydro-economicadministrative zoning of Kazakhstan. As the result of appraising the Kazakhstan administrative regions’ degree of water supply, it was shown that by proven reserves of drinking and service water, the Republic as a whole belongs to countries with a reliable supply of proven drinking and service groundwater reserves, Atyrau and North-Kazakhstan regions are identified as experiencing deficit, and Mangistau and Akmola – as partially supplied. While assessing the degree of supply within limits of hydro-economic basins a conclusion was made that the highest degree of supply with own groundwater resources has Balkhash-Alakol and Yertis (Irtysh) basins. Those experiencing deficit of groundwater is Tobol-Torgai, Nura-Sarysu, and Yesil basins. This research has been funded by the Ministry of Ecology, Geology, and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. BR10262555). © 2022, National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. All rights reserved.

This paper reports on the synthesis of thin films of tungsten disulfide (WS2) by сhemical vapour deposition (CVD) using powders of sulfur and tungsten oxide obtained from tungsten metal powder. It is shown that the synthesized ultra-thin 2-dimensional (2D) films of WS2 have appropriate structural and optical properties suitable for their application in the manufacturing of electronic and optoelectronic devices. Proposed method for the synthesis of 2D few-layered WS2 can significantly accelerate the synthesis rate and will make it possible to control the stoichiometry and shapes of nanocrystals by controlling the amount of sulfur by magnetic mechanism. Moreover, obtained fewlayered crystals demonstrate long-term stability to external factors, since the synthesis and the research carried out during the year. During this time, no signs of degradation of the TMDs structure were detected.

In Zhambyl region there is a significant number of self-discharging artesian wells, large majority of which are not equipped with regulating devices. As a result of spouting, a considerable amount of groundwater is lost every year, and fertile land is swamped and salinized, causing considerable damage to agriculture in the region. Assessment of the potential for flowing well operation of pressure groundwater in Merke district has been carried out based on the analysis of the results of the expedition surveys. The capacity of perspective self-discharging wells is 0.536 m3/s and for the growing season is estimated at 6.947 million m3, which, taking into account the average irrigation of 4515 m3/ha allows to provide irrigation of agricultural crops on additional 220 ha. At development of self-discharging wells the main method of irrigation is sprinkling, under which water consumption during irrigation is reduced, there is no discharge, optimal soil water regime is provided and microclimatic indicators in plant development environment are improved. © 2022, National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. All rights reserved.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in natural waterways have significant risks to both ecological systems and human health. The development of effective removal strategies for EDCs that are selective, economical, efficient, and recyclable remains challenging due to the complexity and variability of aquatic environments. Herein, we present a proof-of-concept adsorption approach for removing bisphenol A (BPA), a common EDC, and its derivatives using A-b-cyclodextrin functionalized molecularly imprinted membranes (A-b-CDMIMs). The A-b-CDMIMs were prepared through a straightforward phase inversion method, combining the selectivity of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with the host–guest interactions of b-CD and the solvent-responsive properties of triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA). The unique combination of these features in A-b-CDMIMs offers a significant advantage over traditional adsorbents, addressing common challenges such as non-specific adsorption and reduced efficiency in repeated cycles. The maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) of the A-b-CDMIMs for BPA was 73.22 mg g-1, indicating high adsorption efficiency. Furthermore, when combined with a solvent-programmed adsorption-release strategy, the A-b-CDMIMs exhibited remarkable stability and maintained a removal efficiency of approximately 90% even after undergoing five cycles. These characteristics suggest that A-b-CDMIMs represent a cost-effective and sustainable approach for environmental remediation and large-scale water treatment applications. © The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 2025.

Considerable emphasis has been devoted to fabrication of bio-nanocomposites from natural waste resources and recruiting them for low-cost removal of pollutants from water resources. In this research, using dialdehyde cellulose nanocrystal (DCNC) and wool keratin, a highly-beneficial and recyclable biocomposite (Keratin/DCNC) was triumphally fabricated to remove Cd+2 and Crystal violet from water media. Beeswax recycling wastewater, as a culture medium, was exploited to produce bacterial cellulose (BC) at the lowest plausible cost, and keratin was extracted from wool wastes. The adsorption of the adsorbates was optimized and a complete study was carried out on the kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic aspects of adsorption processes. The adsorbent showed excellent recyclability and maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 695.56 and 1166.67 mg/g for Cd+2 and Crystal violet, respectively. The results proved the favorability of the processes and indicated that Keratin/DCNC has a high potential for being exploited for treatment of waters and wastewaters. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

This study examined the effect of partially replacing semi-reinforcing carbon black grade N550 (up to 10 pts. wt.) and fully replacing industrial chalk with natural shungite mineral in industrial formulations of elastomer compositions intended for manufacturing various rubber technical products. It has been shown that due to the high content of carbon and silicon components in the composition of shungite mineral micropowders, their use as a filler in elastomer formulations significantly improves the physical and mechanical properties of rubber technical products (RTPs) manufactured using such compositions. It was determined that the use of SM as a partial replacement for carbon black in rubbers intended for molded rubber technical products contributes to a reduction in Mooney viscosity (up to 26.8%) and optimal vulcanization time (up to 23.7%), achieving rubbers with the required set of physical–mechanical properties and with an enhancing sealing capability (up to 19.7%). It has been established that the use of shungite mineral micropowders as a complete replacement for industrial chalk increases the strength of rubber products (RTPs) by up to 18.5% and enhances their resistance to liquid aggressive environments.

The potential of cyanobacteria to perform a variety of distinct roles vital for the biosphere, including nutrient cycling and environmental detoxification, drives interest in studying their biodiversity. Increasing soil erosion and the overuse of chemical fertilizers are global problems in developed countries. The option might be to switch to organic farming, which entails largely the use of biofertilisers. Cyanobacteria are prokaryotic, photosynthetic organisms with considerable potential, within agrobiotechnology, to produce biofertilisers. They contribute significantly to plant drought resistance and nitrogen enrichment in the soil. This study sought, isolated, and investigated nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterial strains in rice fields, and evaluated the effect of Mo and Fe on photosynthetic and nitrogenase activities under nitrogen starvation. Cyanobacterial isolates, isolated from rice paddies in Kazakhstan, were identified as Trichormus variabilis K-31 (MZ079356), Cylindrospermum badium J-8 (MZ079357), Nostoc sp. J-14 (MZ079360), Oscillatoria brevis SH-12 (MZ090011), and Tolypothrix tenuis J-1 (MZ079361). The study of the influence of various concentrations of Mo and Fe on photosynthetic and nitrogenase activities under conditions of nitrogen starvation revealed the optimal concentrations of metals that have a stimulating effect on the studied parameters. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Chloridizing processing of accumulated ash and slag waste of the Kazakhstan CHP plants has been studied. The possibility of separating iron from ash by magnetic separation to obtain a commercial iron-containing product (≈50% Fe) is demonstrated. It is shown that the residual iron content in the non-magnetic ash fraction is minimal (1.2%), while the aluminum content is about 98%. In the mullite composition, silica is mainly present in the non-magnetic ash fraction (≈97%). The silicon content in the non-magnetic fraction obtained after wet separation increased from 27.7 to 29.5 wt.%. It has been established that the complete decomposition of mullite occurs when the non-magnetic ash fraction is roasted at 1,100°C for 60 minutes, and the CaCl2 consumption is twice the stoichiometric value required for the decomposition of mullite. An increase in the degree of aluminum extraction into a cinder is caused by a change in the phase composition of ash during roasting, which occurs as a result of dehydration of low-solubility compounds. The resulting cinder contains the gelenite and anorthite phases, which are highly soluble in HCl. It has been found that the quantitative gelenite-to-anorthite ratio in the cinder, obtained under the optimal roasting conditions, is 5:1. For practical purposes, it is essential to provide for the charge mixing conditions during the ash roasting process in the presence of CaCl2, for example, by using a tubular rotary furnace. This will improve the contact between the ash particles and calcium chloride, while creating favorable conditions for the complete breakdown of mullite and formation of highly soluble aluminum compounds in the form of anorthite and gelenite. © 2022, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Background: Equine milk, including its whey proteins, is a source of nutrients and functional components in the human diet, and is especially beneficial for people with weakened immune systems, newborns, and athletes. Objectives Whey proteins in equine milk constitute approximately 20% of the total protein content and include various fractions such as albumin, globulin, and lactoferrin. Lactoferrin is one of the most extensively studied whey proteins in equine milk. Methods: HPLC-Mass analysis, enzymatic hydrolysis, modeling of 3D structure and biological activity in silico. Results: It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties, making it a promising candidate for influencing the various aspects of cardiovascular disease pathogenesis. The products of Lactoferrin hydrolysis by trypsin were confirmed using HPLC. The half-lives of the hydrolysate in the bloodstream and in an intestine-like environment were predicted in silico. Various biological activities (antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, and antiangiogenic) were also estimated in silico and compared with the corresponding activities of lactoferrin hydrolysate amino acid sequences from camel and dromedary milk. Conclusions: The three-dimensional modeling of lactoferrin hydrolysate peptides was performed to support the development of computational models or simulations, as well as to investigate their potential antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, or immune-modulating functions in clinical or nutritional applications. © 2024 by the authors.