This scientific research explores the possibility of remotely controlling an ozone generator ETRО-02, based on electric spark discharge, through the Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The presented ozonator is designed to sterilize and purify drinking and wastewater. The use of IoT technology can enhance the efficiency of the ozonator and allow for remote monitoring and control of its operation process. The aim of this research is to describe the architecture and working principles of the system developed for managing the operational modes of the ozonator through IoT technology. This system can automatically adjust the ozone level through sensors, controllers, and other electronic components, as well as provide the user with timely information about the device's status. The research also pays special attention to the security, reliability, and scalability of the system. As a result, this study contributes to the development of a remote control system for ozonators using IoT, aimed at improving their efficiency in water purification and agriculture sectors.

This chapter discusses current practices and new developments in the preparation of activated carbons for the adsorption of pollutants. There is widespread pollution such as pharmaceuticals and heavy metals in global surface water that needs to be mitigated and carbon sorbents made for it can be part of the solution. Preparing carbons for such challenge requires tailoring carbon's structure and surface chemistry to maximise interaction with low concentrations (part per billion level) of a variety of pollutants. The preparation of effective carbon sorbents constitutes a technical challenge. This chapter explores treatments and analytical approaches for the preparation and development of modified carbons to remove water pollutants. Effective carbons will help to control global contamination problems but should not be the source of more pollution: carbon dioxide emissions during the production and maintenance of carbon sorbents are a concern. © 2025 by IGI Global Scientific Publishing. All rights reserved.

What does effective research and development look like in the creative industries and how might it lead to successful innovation? This book is an answer to that question. Building upon place-based creative industry research, the book focuses on evidence from the media sector, while encompassing a range of creative practices, from digital tourism to dance. Leveraging unique empirical data from the Welsh creative industries, the authors map a series of pathways for creative businesses. In so doing, the book offers new frameworks for assessing innovative practice and highlights options for tailored institutional funding. Channelling research insights, this shortform book helps researchers, policy-makers and reflective practitioners to understand how to deliver effective strategies for the creative sector. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. © 2025 Ruxandra Lupu, Marlen Komorowski, Justin Lewis and Máté Miklos Fodor.

The storage of sewage sludge in landfills is still the primary method of their disposal in many countries. Therefore, finding sustainable solutions for the reuse of this waste is an important issue to be addressed. This paper presents the results of research on processing sewage sludge generated at the wastewater treatment plants of Almaty, Kazakhstan, for use in the manufacturing of ceramic bricks. The chemical composition of the sewage sludge was determined, showing the presence of 35.7% silicon dioxide, 7.3% aluminum oxide, 11.2% iron oxide, and 10.6% calcium oxide. Experimental studies established that adding sewage sludge to clay reduces the compressive strength of ceramic bricks while increasing their flexural strength. Furthermore, as the proportion of sewage sludge in the clay mixture increases, the average density of the ceramic bricks decreases, while water absorption increases. It was also found that ceramic bricks made from a mixture of 90% clay and 10% sewage sludge demonstrated the best physico-mechanical properties. This composition showed increased flexural strength and a simultaneous reduction in the average density by 15.4%, indicating the improved structural quality of the manufactured bricks. © 2025 by the authors.

This paper presents an improved Almaty Ankle Exoskeleton V.2 (AlmAnkleExo V.2) by integrating three electric actuators to enhance structural efficiency and reduce energy consumption. The work applies conceptual design, CAD modeling, and motion simulation to evaluate kinematic performance and biomechanical compatibility. Simulation results indicate that the new design effectively supports movement, improves energy efficiency, and performs suitable structural dynamics. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

As part of this study, an ankle rehabilitation device was developed for patients suffering from motor disorders caused by incomplete spinal cord injury (ISCI), stroke, or cerebral palsy. First, the research models and dynamic equations of the device were considered. Secondly, the prototype ankle rehabilitation device is made of PLA plastic and uses linear actuators to simulate outward and inward flexion exercises (dorsiflexion and plantar flexion) for the patient. The advantages of the device are its simple design, low cost, and the possibility of installation on recovery equipment. The device can work quickly in experiments, in addition, the rehabilitation robot can work stably and is convenient to use for patients. © 2024 Nursultan Zhetenbayev, et al.

Cyanide-containing effluents from hydrometallurgical gold extraction pose significant environmental risks due to their high toxicity. This study investigates the detoxification of cyanide-laden tailings from the Altyntau Kokshetau gold extraction facility (Kazakhstan) using sodium percarbonate in alkaline conditions. Employing response surface methodology (RSM) and central composite design (CCD), we optimized key parameters—pH (10–12), sodium percarbonate dosage (1.5–4.0 g), reaction time (10–40 min) and temperature (20–25 °C)—achieving 83.33% detoxification efficiency within 40 min and 99.99% after 8 h, reducing cyanide from 443.2 mg/L to 0.05 mg/L. The process follows biphasic pseudo-first-order kinetics ((k1 = 0.0517) min–1 initially, (k2 = 0.01665) min–1 subsequently), driven by HO• radical-mediated oxidation of (Formula presented.) to (Formula presented.), as described by (Formula presented.)). pH emerged as the dominant factor, optimizing radical stability and (Formula presented.) protonation (pKa ≈ 9.21) at pH 10. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed the presence of cyanide complexes ((Formula presented.), (Formula presented.)) in tailings, underscoring the need for effective treatment. The method ensures compliance with stringent environmental standards (e.g., ICMI limit of 0.2 mg/L), offering a scalable, eco-efficient solution for mitigating the environmental footprint of gold mining operations. © 2025 by the authors.

Large volumes of wastes from beneficiation of manganese ores, dispersed iron and carbon-containing sludges are accumulated at large concentrating and metallurgical plants. Millions of tons of manganese wastes have been accumulated at the Dzhezdinsky mining and concentrating plant. Processing of small and dispersed metal-containing industrial wastes cannot be carried out via conventional technology. Development and implementation of the new technology for the processing of these wastes into valuable metal alloys is a very urgent problem. The highly efficient technology for the preparation and assembling of charge based on manganese wastes from beneficiation of manganese ores at the Dzhezdinsky mining and concentrating plant has been developed. The device for air-gravitation beneficiation of manganese wastes has been developed, which makes it possible to obtain a manganese-containing product with a high manganese content (up to 28 %). The method of stage-by-stage preparation of complex fine mixtures (with fraction less than 1 mm), consisting of manganese wastes, mill scale and charcoal, is shown, with substantiation for each operation with determination of the optimal parameters (temperature, consumption of components, etc.) is displayed. The composition of the final single-component charge obtained in the form of granulated pellets is given. Comprehensive analytical studies of intermediate and final products were performed using atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma and X-ray phase analysis. It ensured step-bystep quality control of the products obtained during preparation of the single-component charge. The results of the research will be used for the preparation and efficient processing of fine manganese wastes from the Dzhezdinsky mining and concentrating plant in Kazakhstan for production of high-quality alloys that are demanded on the domestic and world markets.

The article presents the analysis of widespread spectral indexes of the results of the Earth remote sensing data thematic processing to reveal the most representative one for applying under conditions of critical increase of groundwater level and salinity as well as salinized soil. Long-term monitoring data and multispectral images of the LandSat-8 satellite were collected for the Golodnostepsky irrigation land. Sites with the most disturbing ameliorative conditions were identified using GIS. 74 sites comply with this criterion where cotton, rice, and cucurbits crops are cultivated. Seasonal multispectral data of the region covering emphasised sites and spectral indexes were processed and calculated: NDVI, SAVI, MSAVI-2, GEMI, ARVI, IPVI, MTVI, TDVI, NDWI, MNDWI, NDSI. The following results turned out to be the most informative vegetation indexes: NDVI (yearly changes variation range 0.40) and SAVI (yearly changes variation range 0.44). At the same time the least informative vegetation indexes became IPVI (yearly changes variation range 0.19) and GEMI (yearly changes variation range 0.11). It was shown that vegetation indexes data are highly correlated with the amount of precipitation, an average air temperature and crop yield. Among water indexes, NDWI (yearly changes variation range 0.32) turned out to be more preferable than MNDWI (yearly changes variation range 0.15). The information value of the index of salinity NDSI for the sample turned out to be low (yearly changes variation range 0.17), which can be explained by agricultural and ameliorative activity at the site under research (ploughing, sprouting, vegetation, saline washing, etc.) © 2023 EDP Sciences. All rights reserved.

The process of preservation of archaeological and historical-cultural heritage of the country is not only a matter of formation of the legislative framework, the work of archaeologists and restorers, but also a specific study of the geological and natural environment in which the archaeological site was formed. The article presents the data of geological and geomorphological study of rock formations with petroglyphs of the UNESCO World Heritage property Tamgaly archaeological complex. In the course of field and cameral works, carried out by order of the Scientific Restoration Laboratory “Ostrov Krym” in 2022-2023, detailed studies of I–III groups of petroglyphs were carried out, abiotic and biotic factors affecting the preservation of this unique archаeological monument were shown. © 2024, Margulan Institute of Archaeology. All rights reserved.