This literature review examines the application of Fibre Optic Sensors (FOS) in the structural health monitoring of concrete buildings, an increasing issue in contemporary construction owing to the demand for safer and more resilient infrastructure. This review aims to evaluate the current state of FOS applications and estimate their efficacy. The study employed modelling and experiments with FOS to measure deformations in various concrete samples. FOS, which are thin fibres with an optical cable inside, was used in the study. The sensors were integrated into concrete structures to measure deformations. The research indicates that FOS, specifically Fibre Bragg Gratings, deliver higher reliability and accuracy in quantifying deformations in concrete, surpassing conventional approaches in precision and environmental durability. FOS are non-contact sensors that excel in extreme environments, including elevated humidity and temperature fluctuations, rendering them suitable for monitoring essential infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels, and buildings. The analysis highlights critical challenges, such as the necessity for advanced sensor integration techniques and better calibration procedures to guarantee consistent data accuracy. Moreover, it underscores the possibility of amalgamating FOS with additional monitoring systems to provide comprehensive, real-time structural health management solutions. Although FOS are now utilised in several concrete buildings, the study indicates that more research is necessary to enhance sensor technologies and investigate new applications, including the incorporation of artificial intelligence for data processing. This evaluation underscores the necessity of creating economical, scalable solutions for the extensive application of FOS in building projects. ©2025 by authors, all rights reserved.

After undergoing biological treatment, wastewater still contains substances with endotoxic activity, such as lipopolysaccharide. However, due to the increasing practice of treating wastewater to make it suitable for drinking (potable reuse), the removal of these endotoxic active materials is crucial. These substances can be harmful to human health, leading to a condition called endotoxaemia. Furthermore, environmental endotoxins pose risks to pharmaceutical manufacturing processes and the quality of the final pharmaceutical products. Ultimately, the most significant concern lies with the patient, as exposure to such substances can have adverse effects on their health and well-being. Activated carbon has a proven efficiency for endotoxin removal; rice husk (RH), as a type of natural lignocellulosic agricultural waste, is a unique carbon precursor material in terms of its availability, large-scale world production (over 140 million tons annually), and is characterized by the presence of nanoscale silica phytoliths, which serve as a template to create additional meso/macropore space within the nanoscale range. High surface area RH/lignin-derived honeycomb monoliths were prepared in this study via extrusion, followed by carbonization and physical and chemical activation to develop additional pore space. The nanoporosity of the carbon honeycomb monoliths was established by means of low-temperature nitrogen adsorption studies, using calculations based on QSDFT equilibrium and BJH models, as well as mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and SEM investigations. An alternative method for the elimination of the bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)—a conventional marker—using filtration in flowing recirculation systems and the adsorbent activity of the monoliths towards LPS was investigated. Since LPS expresses strong toxic effects even at very low concentrations, e.g., below 10 EU/mL, its removal even in minute amounts is essential. It was found that monoliths are able to eliminate biologically relevant LPS levels, e.g., adsorption removal within 5, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min of circulation reached the values of 49.8, 74.1, 85.4, 91.3%, and 91.6%, respectively.

Coal mining predisposes soils to heavy metal (HM) accumulation, which adversely affects the ecological environment and human health, particularly in extremely arid and vulnerable areas. In this study, soil samples were gathered from the Black Mountain Open Pit Coal Mine in Turpan City, Northwest China to determine the health risk of heavy metals (HMs). Results showed that positive matrix factorization model divided the sources of soil HMs into four categories, i.e., natural and animal husbandry (43.46%), industrial transportation (22.87%), fossil fuel combustion (10.64%), and atmospheric deposition and domestic pollution (23.03%). All kinds of pollution evaluation indices showed that Cd (cadmium) and Pb (plumbum) pollution was evident. The Monte Carlo simulated health risk assessment results showed that 4.00% non-carcinogenic risk and 12.00% carcinogenic risk were posed to children, and the positive matrix factorization-based health risk assessment showed that fossil fuel combustion had the highest contribution to the health risks to adults and children, while industrial transportation was the lowest. In this study, the risks of HMs in the soil of mining area were analyzed using source analysis, which not only provides reliable data support for the prevention and control of HM pollution in the soil of this arid mining area, but also provides a theoretical basis for subsequent regional research. © Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Science Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025.

This article explores the durability and cracking defects associated with 3D-printed concrete, a rapidly emerging technology in construction. As the demand for innovative building techniques grows, understanding the long-term performance of 3D-printed structures becomes crucial. The most important properties of these products are the resistance to freezing and thawing and the possibility of cracking during maintenance. A fine-grained concrete mixture with expanded perlite additive was tested on strength, freezing–thawing resistance, and the reasons for cracking were analyzed during maintenance. Some differences between the results from standard concrete specimens and the results from 3D-printed concrete were obtained experimentally. During the research, 3D-printed concrete specimens were produced with industrial equipment, the density and compressive strength were determined, the mass loss of concrete specimens after freeze/thaw cycles was tested. By reducing the water-to-cement ratio to 11%, the strength of concrete with expanded perlite additive increased from 68.2 to 71.1 MPa. For concrete with W/C equal to 0.47 after 28 freeze/thaw cycles, the mass loss of 3D-printed specimens reaches 2.09 and 56 freeze/thaw cycles 9.17 kg/m2, and large surface defects were obtained. An analysis of the origin and recommendations for preventing cracks from occurring in 3D-printed products were carried out. The findings underscore the need for optimized mix designs and printing parameters to enhance durability. Copyright © 2025 Gintautas Skripkiunas et al. Advances in Civil Engineering published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sludge from wastewater treatment is a complex and challenging by-product of water treatment processes. Despite the technical, environmental, and health challenges, this material can be valuable in agriculture, industry, and energy production. Sewage sludge with organic matter is considered a macro source of micro and macro elements. New technologies and compliance with health and environmental standards are essential for better sludge management. Considering the need for sustainable resources and environmental protection, the future of sludge use looks promising and can help reduce environmental impacts and increase resource efficiency. The introduction of organic matter into the soil by affecting different physical, chemical, nutritional, and biological characteristics of the soil can improve or increase the growth of plants. As a result of microbial processes and under the influence of intracellular and extracellular enzymes, the ground is provided for plant growth by changing the form of elements from organic to inorganic form. This study investigates the effect of different levels and frequencies of fertilization with sewage sludge on soil activity and quality. For this purpose, wastewater and soil analyses were used, and wastewater treatment was evaluated using two liquid sludge methods for organic fertilizer and bulking materials for mineral fertilizer. The results showed that by changing the volume of treated materials and the amount of wastewater added to the soil, the characteristics of the soil change over a 2-year period. In general, the application of sewage sludge increased the organic carbon and total soil nitrogen and enzyme activities in the soils treated with sewage sludge.

This work is dedicated to the analysis and development of an integrated production system that combines wells and surface facilities to select the optimal operating mode for equipment. The main focus is on studying data analysis methods, as well as collecting and processing information, which ensures high accuracy in process control and optimal use of technological capabilities. The integration of data from various levels of the production chain, from the well to the surface facilities, opens up new opportunities for optimizing equipment performance and improving resource management quality. Integration of wells and surface facilities – The effective integration of wells and surface facilities is crucial for optimizing production processes, minimizing operational costs, and reducing environmental impact. Integrated management systems allow the automation of many processes, providing continuous monitoring of operating parameters, automatic adjustment of settings, and supplying data for quick decision-making. This includes real-time data collection, analysis, and the use of the obtained information to select optimal operating modes, which helps improve both overall efficiency and safety in production processes. In the modern oil and gas industry, the efficient use of equipment at all stages of hydrocarbon production is of particular importance. Optimizing the operation of wells and surface facilities is a key aspect for increasing economic efficiency and reducing environmental impact. In this regard, the development and application of integrated systems that enable real-time control and adaptation of equipment operating modes has become a relevant and significant task. © 2025, Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation JSC. All rights reserved.

Growing concerns over greenhouse gas emissions and energy insecurity caused by the depletion of conventional fuels have led to a search for sustainable fuel alternatives. As an alternative energy carrier, hydrogen (H2) is particularly attractive as only water is released during combustion. The process of H2 production from genetically engineered phototrophic microorganisms through biophotolysis leads the way to solve energy shortages. Genetically engineered cyanobacteria species are potential candidates due to their superior properties for reducing greenhouse gases and using solar energy as an energy source. The review discusses the mechanisms and enzymes involved in H2 production by cyanobacteria and applications of genetic engineering. A critical analysis of the fundamental issues attributed to the technical advancement of photobiological cyanobacteria-based H2 production is provided, as well as the perspectives for future research to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through the creation of waste-free technology. © 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC

In our era, water pollution not only poses a serious threat to human, animal, and biotic life but also causes serious damage to infrastructure and the ecosystem. A set of physical, chemical, and biological technologies have been exploited to decontaminate and/or disinfect water pollutants, toxins, microbes, and contaminants, but none of these could be ranked as sustainable and scalable wastewater technology. The photocatalytic process can harmonize the sunlight to degrade certain toxins, chemicals, microbes, and antibiotics, present in water. For example, transition metal oxides (ZnO, SnO2, TiO2, etc.), when integrated into an organic framework of graphene or nitrides, can bring about more than 90% removal of dyes, microbial load, pesticides, and antibiotics. Similarly, a modified network of graphitic carbon nitride can completely decontaminate petrochemicals. The present review will primarily highlight the mechanistic aspects for the removal and/or degradation of highly concerned contaminants, factors affecting photocatalysis, engineering designs of photoreactors, and pros and cons of various wastewater treatment technologies already in practice. The photocatalytic reactor can be a more viable and sustainable wastewater treatment opportunity. We hope the researcher will find a handful of information regarding the advanced oxidation process accomplished via photocatalysis and the benefits associated with the photocatalytic-type degradation of water pollutants and contaminants.

Membrane separation technologies face persistent challenges in balancing high water permeability, effective solute rejection, and resistance to fouling. Against the backdrop of escalating global water scarcity, nanofiltration (NF) has become a robust and sustainable solution for water purification. In this context, sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA), a zwitterionic polymer distinguished by simultaneous cationic and anionic functional groups, has attracted substantial attention owing to its exceptional hydrophilicity and electroneutrality. These attributes promote the formation of dense hydration layers and introduce steric repulsion effects, thereby significantly mitigating the membrane fouling. This review provides a systematic overview of fouling phenomena and classifies them into four principal categories: organic, inorganic (scaling), colloidal, and biofouling-based on their distinctive mechanisms of interaction with membrane surfaces. A comprehensive examination of the chemistry, morphology, and integration strategies of SBMA is presented, detailing the surface coating, surface grafting, and physical blending approaches for both polymeric and thin-film composite membranes. Numerous examples underscore the transformative impact of zwitterionic functionalization on separation performance, with marked improvements in antifouling behavior, flux recovery, and solute rejection. Finally, we discuss the remaining challenges and potential opportunities for optimizing zwitterionic membrane systems to satisfy the urgent demands of global water treatment. By illuminating key structure-property- performance relationships and highlighting innovative material engineering pathways, this review aims to guide the next generation of SBMA-based membranes toward greater durability, efficiency, and sustainability in water and wastewater treatment applications. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

This article presents results of assessing monitoring state of technogenic load on natural environment in the context of development of the Zhanazhol oil field in the Aktobe region and activities of other oil-producing enterprises in Kazakhstan. It is demonstrated that, due to production activities of several large oil-producing enterprises, significant accumulations of oil-contaminated soils have formed on the territory of the Republic, causing substantial environmental pollution. Principal potential sources of soil contamination with oil and petroleum products include on-land transport vehicles, oil storage facilities, oil refineries, and transportation systems for petroleum products. The most problematic environmental situations associated with land pollution, particularly during accidental spills of oil and petroleum products during production and transportation, have been identified and evaluated.. Therefore, within oil-producing fields, it is crucial to implement reclamation measures aimed at restoring soil fertility. Reclamation method has been developed for soils contaminated with petroleum products using biopreparations derived from plant and food industry waste. Scientific significance of this study lies in the advancement of oil spill remediation methods based on the use of rice husks and biopreparations that contribute to mitigating and eliminating environmental impacts of oil production and transportation. Study results can be applied to reclamation of oil-contaminated lands in other regions and serve as a reference for master’s and PhD dissertations at the Kazakh National Research Technical University named after K.I. Satpayev. © 2025, National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. All rights reserved.