This study investigates the attribution of climate change to trends in river discharge during six decades from 1955 until 2014 in 12 selected river catchments across six Central Asian countries located upstream of the main rivers. For this purpose, the semi-distributed eco-hydrological model SWIM (Soil and Water Integrated Model) was firstly calibrated and validated for all study catchments. Attributing climate change to streamflow simulation trends was forced by factual (reanalysis) and counterfactual climate data (assuming the absence of anthropogenic influence) proposed in the framework of the ISIMIP (Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project) or ESM without anthropogenic forcing that were firstly tested and then compared. The trend analysis was performed for three variables: mean annual discharge and high flow (Q5) and low flow (Q95) indices. The results show that trends in the annual and seasonal discharge could be attributed to climate change for some of the studied catchments. In the three northern catchments (Derkul, Shagan, and Tobol), there are positive trends, and in two catchments (Sarysu and Kafirnigan), there are negative streamflow trends under the factual climate, which could be attributed to climate change. Also, our analysis shows that the average level of discharge in Murghab has increased during the historical study period due to climate change, despite the overall decreasing trend during this period. In addition, the study reveals a clear signal of shifting spring streamflow peaks in all catchments across the study area.

The use of unregulated pesticides and chemical fertilizers can have detrimental effects on biodiversity and human health. This problem is exacerbated by the growing demand for agricultural products. To address these global challenges and promote food and biological security, a new form of agriculture is needed that aligns with the principles of sustainable development and the circular economy. This entails developing the biotechnology market and maximizing the use of renewable and eco-friendly resources, including organic fertilizers and biofertilizers. Phototrophic microorganisms capable of oxygenic photosynthesis and assimilation of molecular nitrogen play a crucial role in soil microbiota, interacting with diverse microflora. This suggests the potential for creating artificial consortia based on them. Microbial consortia offer advantages over individual organisms as they can perform complex functions and adapt to variable conditions, making them a frontier in synthetic biology. Multifunctional consortia overcome the limitations of monocultures and produce biological products with a wide range of enzymatic activities. Biofertilizers based on such consortia present a viable alternative to chemical fertilizers, addressing the issues associated with their usage. The described capabilities of phototrophic and heterotrophic microbial consortia enable effective and environmentally safe restoration and preservation of soil properties, fertility of disturbed lands, and promotion of plant growth. Hence, the utilization of algo-cyano-bacterial consortia biomass can serve as a sustainable and practical substitute for chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and growth promoters. Furthermore, employing these bio-based organisms is a significant stride towards enhancing agricultural productivity, which is an essential requirement to meet the escalating food demands of the growing global population. Utilizing domestic and livestock wastewater, as well as CO2 flue gases, for cultivating this consortium not only helps reduce agricultural waste but also enables the creation of a novel bioproduct within a closed production cycle.

Both the insufficiency of water resources and the contamination of even transboundary water bodies are serious problems. Water quality analyses of the transboundary (between Russia and Kazakhstan) Ural River and the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea, and their assessment are the main research questions of this study. It is shown that the Ural River is heavily contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls, heavy metals, oil contaminants, and pesticides, arising from industrial enterprises and agricultural objects. The results show that these toxicants are not only present in water, but they are also accumulated in the muscular tissues of all fish (Abramis brama, Sander lucioperca, Aspius aspius). The Caspian Sea is heavily contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons due to off shore oil production. A sufficiently high level of accumulation of petroleum hydrocarbons, organochlo-rine pesticides and heavy metals was determined in the muscles of Caspian fish. All these contaminations lead to the loss of biodiversity and bio-productivity of the Caspian Sea. The authors pro-pose a methodology for a quantitative assessment of the environmental safety level in relation to the Kazakh part of the Caspian Sea, based on bioindication methods. Recommendations, aimed for maintaining acceptable values of water resources quality, are suggested.

Development of lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion batteries) with high safety and solidity features has become a main challenge of researchers when practical implementations for large-scale energy storage systems are prioritized. In this work, we introduce a useful and efficient strategy to manufacture a long-standing and high-rate carbon-doped TiO2 (C-TiO2) as an anode material. Titanium (TiO2) and C-TiO2 were successfully prepared through hydrothermal method in order to improve the electrical performance of Li-battery. The structure and thermal properties were investigated by XRD, Raman and TGA; whereas the electrical properties were evaluated by Glvanostatic discharge–charge measurements. The density function theory (DFT) results revealed that TiO2 doped with carbon atoms causes considerable stress inside the crystal lattice of TiO2, and to avoid or minimize this stress the lattice of TiO2 underwent relaxation and then optimized. The performance of the prepared electrodes in Li-battery was analyzed by 100 cycles at different calcination temperatures of 400 and 450 °C. The results also showed the charge capacities of 400 and 500 mAhg−1 at 100 mAg−1.

The article describes the world’s experience in developing the solar industry. It discusses the mechanisms of state support for developing renewable energy sources in the cases of five countries that are the most successful in this area—China, the United States, Japan, India, and Germany. Furthermore, it contains a brief review of state policy in producing electricity by renewable energy facilities in Kazakhstan. This paper uses statistical information from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the International Energy Agency (IEA), British Petroleum (BP), and the Renewable Energy Network (REN21), and peer-reviewed sources. The research methodology includes analytical research and evaluation methods to examine the current state of solar energy policy, its motivators and incentives, as well as the prospects for its development in Kazakhstan and in the world. Research shows that solar energy has a huge development potential worldwide and is sure to take its place in gross electricity production. This paper focuses on the selected economic policies of the top five countries and Kazakhstan, in what may be considered a specific research limitation. Future research suggestions for the expansion of Renewable Energy (RE) in Kazakhstan could include analysing the impact of introducing dedicated policies and incentives for solar systems and exploring the benefits and challenges of implementing large RE zones with government–business collaboration.

As unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly employed across various industries, the demand for robust and accurate detection has become crucial. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) has developed as a vital sensor technology due to its ability to provide rich 3D spatial information, particularly in applications such as security and airspace monitoring. This review systematically explores recent innovations in LiDAR-based drone detection, deeply focusing on the principles and components of LiDAR sensors, their classifications based on different parameters and scanning mechanisms, and the approaches for processing LiDAR data. The review briefly compares recent research works in LiDAR-based only and its fusion with other sensor modalities, the real-world applications of LiDAR with deep learning, as well as the major challenges in sensor fusion-based UAV detection.

The research proposes new energy-saving façade constructions with closed horizontal vents, the analysis of which was carried out in ANSYS environment by the finite element method. The result of the analysis of the thermal resistance of the developed facade structures shows that a decrease in the volume of thermal insulation material by 31.25% leads to a significant decrease in the thermal resistance of the fence for all values of the external temperature, that is, at the absolute minimum by 26.31%, at the absolute maximum temperature by 26.41%, at the average temperature of the coldest five-day security 0.92 by 26.47% and at an average temperature of the first month after the end of the heating period (April) 26.54%. A similar decrease was also observed when comparing facade structures with a heat-reflecting screen: at an absolute minimum temperature of 24.9%, at an absolute maximum temperature of 24.76%, at an average temperature of the coldest five-day security of 0.92 by 24.28% and at an average temperature of the first month after the end of the heating period (April) of 24.07%. At the same time, during the analysis, it was additionally found that with the same volume indicator of the heat-insulating material in the developed new façade constructions, the heat-reflective screen presence results in an increase in the heat resistance value by 10–19%, depending on the climatic conditions of the outdoor environment. Thus, the research results can be used in buildings’ design and construction in order to reduce heat consumption and energy saving.

In the area of the Mangystau oilfields a severe deficit of potable and technical water exists. The reserves of the underground waters may play a significant role in its elimination. The prospecting works have been carried out there since 1960-s and a substantial reserves are discovered, which however are used in a very insufficient volume The principal cause of such situation is related to design of the water supply wells, whose total output does not meet the existing needs. In the presented paper the specifics of the principal methods of water supply wells are considered as related to the Samskoye underground water field. The focus is made upon drilling the large diameter wells with reverse flush fluid circulation, which is popular in western countries. The adduced materials are substantiating the significant advantage of that method in volume and quality of the produced water, as well as in the life period of the water supply wells. The paper demonstrates, that under the local conditions the advantages of the method can reveal themselves especially intensely, while its shortcomings would tell in minimal degree. Study of the peculiarities of the main methods of drilling water intake wells; study of hydrogeological conditions of the Sama area. Critical analysis of the main ways of turning is applicable to the Samsk region; justification of the choice of the most effective method of drilling. The benefits of the circulatory system with a reverse wash over other methods of treatment can be considered proven. It provides a sharp increase in the coefficient of use of local resources of underground water, which is the main problem of local water supply to underground water. The need for a wide range of this method is obvious.

The rapid pace of development of the world economy requires the progressive improvement of modern energy storage devices such as lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The main limiting factor in the specific capacity of LIBs is the anode material, which is traditionally graphite. One possible solution is to use SiOx, which has a higher theoretical capacity than commercial carbon. Despite this, SiO2 has several disadvantages that limit its widespread use as an anode material for LIBs due to low electrical conductivity and short cycling life associated with volume changes during alloying–dealloying of lithium ions during charge-discharge. We have proposed an inexpensive and simple method for obtaining amorphous SiO2 particles in a carbon shell to solve these shortcomings. SiO2 was synthesized from biological waste material - rice husks, and the carbon shell was obtained from sucrose, which is also obtained from biomass. Surface morphology, structural analysis, and chemical composition were examined using XRD, thermogravimetric analysis, TEM, SEM, Raman and FTIR. The resulting composite shows a high performance of 450 mAh/g at a current density of 50 mA/g after 50 cycles and high cyclic stability compared to pure SiO2, which at 50 cycles showed 295 mAh/g at a current density of 50 mA/g. The proposed inexpensive and easily scalable method for obtaining a SiO2/C hybrid composite is a possible solution for creating next-generation LIBs.

A limited supply of oil prompts the search for non-traditional energy sources to replace traditional ones. This makes hydrogen gas an appealing alternative source. Photosynthetic organisms capture sunlight very efficiently and convert it into organic molecules. A promising wild strain was isolated for the first time, from the rice paddies of Kazakhstan (Kyzylorda and Almaty regions), which can be considered as one of the most active hydrogen producers compared to the literature. The result showed that among the 13 isolated and collection cyanobacterial strains, Synechocystis sp. S-1 is the most active H2 producer (2.35 μmol H2 mg−1 Chl a h−1) in the light. In contrast, the wild-type cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis A-1 had higher productivity, nitrogenase activity, and a stronger capacity to produce hydrogen in the dark (8.67 μmol H2 mg−1 Chl a h−1), which matched the maximum yield obtained in the research. The metabolic modulation performed significantly increased hydrogen production. The highest photohydrogen production rate was observed in cells incubated with 25 μmol HEPES and 50 μmol sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3).