With concerns about water scarcity in arid regions, innovative solutions are imperative to meet the increasing water demand for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) processes. This article presents a study on the preparation of superhydrophobic sand for water-saving and storage, with a focus on potential applications in EOR. The results of the research indicate that the maximum water contact angle after sand hydrophobization was 158°. The water storage capacity of the sand was assessed by growing plants in soil layered with superhydrophobic sand. When superhydrophobic sand was used both above and below the soil, the soil remained moist for more than 10 days. In contrast, without the use of superhydrophobic sand, soil moisture lasted for only 3 days. This research demonstrates the potential of superhydrophobic sand in prolonging soil moisture, making it a valuable asset for water-saving applications in EOR and arid regions.

Sodium silicate is used in various industries. Sodium silicate is a basic component in the production of silicate adhesives and paints, silica gel, welding electrodes, corrugated packaging, and geopolymer concretes and cements. All this is currently not produced in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The article discusses the methods of production of sodium silicate and substantiates the possibility of organizing production in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The authors have studied all the available experience in the production of sodium silicate, both now and in the past. At this stage of the research, an analysis was made of the experience in the production of serial and pilot sodium silicate in the USSR in the past and in countries where development has not been suspended at the present time. All possible sources of raw materials of technogenic and natural origin were studied. Business trips and expeditions to natural deposits were carried out and samples of raw materials from various natural and man-made sources were delivered. Studies have been carried out to determine the available volumes of raw materials. Various technologies for melting sodium silicate have been studied, incl. by unconventional schemes, such as smelting in cyclone furnaces. For melting in electric furnaces, various schemes of energy-saving methods for melting sodium silicate were analyzed. Promising ones have been identified. The following types of sodium silicate production were analyzed in the study: traditional smelting (carbonate method), wet method, sodium chloride sublimation method, sulfate method, cullet smelting. The optimal variant has been chosen, which makes it possible to reduce the cost of electricity by several times when introducing a highly efficient innovative technology of electric melting into practice.

Heavy oil with a high pour point and high viscosity is transported in a heated oil pipeline with many oil pumping and heating stations. Electricity and fuel costs account for a large share of total pumping cost. Minimizing the total operating cost of pumps and heating furnaces used to pump oil requires optimization of their hydrodynamic parameters, and, above all, the distribution of pressure and temperature along the pipeline. The application of graph theory and dynamic programming to determine the problem of the global optimum of energy consumption is given in a heated oil pipeline with many oil pumping and heating stations. The problem of mass and heat transport was solved numerically. The results of the optimization problem were applied to a digital section of a heated trunk interstate oil pipeline 450 km long. The results of thermohydraulic calculations were consistent with the actual data of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. Energy saving is 38.9 % in the optimal regime.

The investigation of hydrogen storage properties of hydride perovskites have been emerged as great research domain in recent times. The current study focuses on the first principles exploration of lithium based hydrides, LiXH 3(X=Al, Ga, In), for hydrogen storage and other physical properties. The structural properties of these hydrides show that the lattice constants of LiAlH 3, LiGaH 3 and LiInH 3 are 3.68, 3.74, and 4.09 Å. respectively. The gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity (C wt%) of LiAlH 3, LiGaH 3 and LiInH 3 is 7.57, 3.66 and 2.37%, respectively. The negative formation energy for these compounds show the stability of these hydrides. The electronic band structures and density of states of under study hydride perovskites validate their metallic nature. The complex dielectric constant, reflectivity and absorption coefficient are investigated to reveal optical response of LiXH 3(X=Al, Ga, In). The significant thermodynamic parameters like Debye temperature, specific heat capacities, entropy and thermal expansion coefficient under the effect of temperature and pressure are elaborated to determine the thermodynamic stability. For better understanding of thermoelectric characteristics of these compounds, thermoelectric parameters under wide range of temperature are also studied. The excellent gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity and volumetric hydrogen storage density of these hydride perovskites make them promising materials for hydrogen storage applications.

The mausoleum-khanaka of Khoja Akhmed Yasawi in Turkestan has been actively investigated for almost 200 years. In parallel, repair and restoration work is actively underway. However, the now widespread version of the centuries-old sequence of construction of the complex is questionable. A comparative analysis of archaeological research conducted in the 1930s and 1950s, modern architectural planning, and compositional studies by authors of this article allowed us to confirm previously unemphasized assumptions and draw innovative conclusions: At the end of the fourteenth century, not a new building was being built, but several buildings of different times from the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth centuries were combined into one building by covering the courtyard with a dome and building a portal with corner towers; The exterior cladding combined the facades of individual pre-existing blocks; The Main Dome has not been completed, as it should be double, not single; The Portal and corner towers continued to be built in several stages throughout the sixteenth century;—the portal and the main dome must be completed in accordance with the design plan of the late fourteenth century to prevent the ongoing destruction of the monument. The early completion of the centuries-old construction of the Mausoleum-khanaka will be of great cultural and historical importance. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

In modern realities, inequality is not only an urgent problem but is quite acutely perceived by society, especially in the post-pandemic period. This paper aims to analyze and evaluate the impact of inequality on the economic growth of Kazakhstan. In theoretical and empirical works, there are trends of both positive and negative effects of inequality on the growth of the economies of various countries. The research methodology is based on the development of the concept of interregional and country inequality. Methods such as retrospective analysis, generalization and systematization, comparative analysis, and regression analysis were applied. The information basis of the study was the database files for 16 regions of Kazakhstan and a period of 25 years from 1993 to 2018, available on the website of the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Based on the analysis of the calculated inequality coefficients, it was determined that the gap between interregional and country inequality is insignificant. Over 25 years, there has been a considerable increase in interregional and country inequality in Kazakhstan. The econometric analysis confirmed the existence of a significant negative link between inequality and economic growth and a positive relationship between income and GRP. In general, the study’s main hypothesis on the impact of inequality on the dynamics of economic growth in Kazakhstan is confirmed by empirical calculations. Thus, when developing and defining an effective regional policy, it is necessary to take into account the impact of inequality on economic growth, as it is statistically significant.

This paper represents the results of a study of the chemical composition of salt lakes within the Burabay rock mass in eastern Kazakhstan. We sampled water and bottom deposits, geochemically analyzed the composition of the salt lakes, and performed aerial photography of the lakes to geometrize them. We studied the linkage between the rare-metal mineralization of granites of the Burabay rock mass and the salt lakes within the territory. Based on the obtained data, we identified the prospects of the survey area for rare metals. The surveys included 15 water samples and 15 bottom-deposit samples. To identify the source of salt in the lake water and deposits, the chemical composition of Burabay rocks was analyzed and seven samples of coarse-grained and porphyritic granites were selected. It was established that the water and bottom deposits accumulated elevated concentrations of valuable components (i.e., Sr, Rb, and U); this fact may be considered as an argument for conducting special surveys of small lakes in the region. The results obtained can be used for conducting further explorations and mining operations in the survey area in order to revive the rare-metal industry in the region, which will allow the development of new high-tech production and the creation of new jobs in this sphere.

The lack of scientific knowledge about the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of the economic value of products and ecosystem services obtained from the environment, especially soil, in line with various destruction factors, has justified the change of using forest land to other profitable activities. Failure to comply with such information caused in Kazakhstan, like many other developing countries, the political and economic decision-making process regarding the current uses and future existence of environmental resources was faced with many ambiguities. In this study, the current state of the environment in Atyrau district was obtained through the collection of information and tests of water, air, sound, and soil. Environmental effects were predicted based on scientific and technical documents and through knowledge, experiences, and numerical calculations. Direct and indirect, short-term and not long-term effects were investigated and introduced. The effort to obtain the correct selections and the optimal allocation of natural resources remains under the control of the problems related to the risks and the uncertainty of the remaining evaluations. The laziness of the theoretical foundations and the neglect of practical considerations in the selection of cognitive methods for conducting economic valuation studies can lead to the destruction of the remnants of environmental fields quickly in the middle of two extremes made. The results showed that production and economic activities increase the density of the soil, increase the apparent specific weight and reduce the porosity of the soil and damage to the environment. In addition, among its benefits can be the creation of employment and relative prosperity, reduction of immigration, reduction of social corruption and pointing out the mental health of the community, regional and national importance. It also help to increase the future development plans in the region, especially in the industry sector and increasing the added value caused by the labor force, converting raw materials into consumable products in industrial production, which causes economic prosperity in this region. In this article, based on the main theoretical foundations and practical considerations related to the methodology of economic valuation studies, the main research findings on environmental valuation are reflected, and the bottlenecks and arguments needed in this regard are clarified.

The object of consideration is seismic design, and the subject of the study is the determination of the reduction coefficient. One of the important problems of earthquake-resistant design is to determine the effect of low-cycle fatigue of reinforced concrete on the reduction coefficient and determine its optimal value. This problem is not disclosed and is not specifically taken into account in the standards for earthquake engineering when determining the maximum bearing capacity of types of structures due to the lack of study of the issue. To solve the problem, a series of experimental studies were carried out on low-cycle fatigue of reinforced concrete bending elements and frame units. The range of results of the reduction coefficient values and the degree of influence of monocyclic fatigue on the properties of the reduction coefficient are obtained. A feature and characteristic of the results obtained is that the reduction coefficient Rμ depends on the nature of the hysteresis deformation pattern and the plastic life of structural elements estimated by the plasticity coefficient μ, which is significantly influenced by low-cycle fatigue manifested at peak accelerations of strong seismic impacts. The above test algorithm, the feature and characteristics of the results obtained made it possible to solve the problem under study. The results obtained are accepted for practical use in the action of seismic loads: on the calculation of strength taking into account new low-cycle coefficients, reduction coefficients for determining the spectra of design reactions and seismic loads, taking into account energy absorption. New reduction coefficients are proposed for determining the spectra of calculated reactions and seismic loads

This study presents an integrative investigation of four rare and threatened plant species—Taraxacum kok-saghyz L.E. Rodin, Astragalus rubtzovii Boriss., Schmalhausenia nidulans (Regel) Petr., and Rheum wittrockii Lundstr.—native to the Ile Alatau and Ketmen ridges of the Northern Tian Shan in Kazakhstan. Combining chloroplast genome sequencing, geobotanical surveys, and anatomical and population structure analyses, we aimed to assess the ecological adaptation, genetic distinctiveness, and conservation status of these species. Field surveys revealed that population structures varied across species, with T. kok-saghyz and S. nidulans dominated by mature vegetative and generative individuals, while A. rubtzovii and R. wittrockii exhibited stable age spectra marked by reproductive maturity and ongoing recruitment. Chloroplast genome assemblies revealed characteristic patterns of plastid evolution, including structural conservation in S. nidulans and R. wittrockii, and a reduced inverted repeat region in A. rubtzovii, consistent with its placement in the IR-lacking clade of Fabaceae. Morphological and anatomical traits reflected habitat-specific adaptations such as tomentose surfaces, thickened epidermis, and efficient vascular systems. Despite these adaptations, anthropogenic pressures including overgrazing and habitat degradation pose significant risks to population viability. Our findings underscore the need for targeted conservation measures, continuous monitoring, and habitat management to ensure the long-term survival of these ecologically and genetically valuable endemic species. © 2025 by the authors.