The study of the composition and distribution of hydrocarbons in oil and dispersed organic matter represents a key tool for determining their genetic features. This paper presents the results of complex geochemical studies carried out on oil samples from the eastern part of the Caspian depression. The methods of adsorption and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry were used to study hydrocarbons of different oil fractions, which allowed to determine their biomarker and isotopic composition. The study also included analysis of the calculated reflectivity of vitrinite to assess the degree of catagenetic transformation of organic matter. The results obtained indicate the marine origin of the oil and distinguish its facies-genetic type, showing a predominantly marine and mixed genesis. Cross-correlation of isotope and biomarker data confirmed the genetic relationship between the oil and its potential sources. The calculated reflectivity of vitrinite allowed us to determine the degree of catagenesis of the petroleum parent rocks, indicating their early stage of catagenetic transformation. These results reflect the significance of geochemical methods of investigation for revealing the genesis of oil, its sources and the degree of catagenetic transformation, which is important for predicting the oil and gas content of sedimentary basins. © 2024, National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. All rights reserved.

Nitrogen emissions in the form of NOx with flue gases from thermal power plants are the most serious pollutants gener-ated during the combustion of coal. The calcium carbonate gas scrubbing process used today is expensive, generates a lot of waste, and leaves a significant amount of SO2 in the gas. Virtually no NO x removal. In this paper, we consider the behavior of nitrogen oxides during the purification of exhaust gases from thermal power plants with a carbonate melt of alkali metals. Based on the thermodynamic analysis of reactions between NO x and alkali metal carbonates, the possibility of reducing their concentrations in the exhaust gases is shown. It has been established that the process of NOx absorption in the temperature range of 573…823K is accompanied by the formation of stable potassium nitrite (KNO2) in the melt, as evidenced by the high negative values of the Gibbs energies of the reactions. The results of balance experiments fully confirm the established regularities. One can foresee that carbonate melt-based SO2 removal may become a practical and economical scrubbing method for sulfur-poor flue gases emitted by non-ferrous metal production plants, thereby contributing to the limiting of harmful sulfur and NOx emissions into the atmo-sphere. © 2022, Ore and Metals Publishing house. All rights reserved.

The article deals with the research of component composition and catalitic reactivity of metallurgical waste prod-ucts. The slags component composition was investigated by X-ray fluorescence analysis. The slag stuff has been modified with alkali (NaOH) and mineral acids (HNO3, H2 SO4, НCI and H3 PO4), and their catalytic reactivity in the catalytic decomposition of ethyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide has been determined for the first time. The re-vealed catalytic reactivity of the slag staff for the decomposition of ethyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide indicates the need for a more detailed research and development of an industrial non-ferrous waste treatment technology. © 2023, Faculty of Metallurgy. All rights reserved.

We investigated the potential of tailings generated from chrysotile asbestos fiber production as a source of iron, nonferrous metals, and gold. We proposed the use of granulometric separation and systematically examined different enrichment processes, namely magnetic separation, gravity concentration, and enrichment using a Knelson concentrator, to extract the valuable components. The characterization of the initial tailing samples revealed that it comprises primarily of serpentine, brucite, antigorite, hematite, vustite, sillimanite, and magnesium oxide. Using the suggested enrichment process, we isolated gold, chromite, and nickel-cobalt concentrates as valuable products in addition to magnetite. The new approach exhibited high separation efficiency for iron, nonferrous metals, and gold, allowing their satisfactory extraction. © 2022 by the authors.

In the context of sustainability, the concept of balanced development is crucial at both global and regional levels. This principle is equally significant for specific regions, natural-economic complexes, and local communities. Sustainable regional development necessitates a holistic approach to addressing economic, social, and environmental challenges, which are particularly pertinent at the regional scale. The sustainable development of nations is intrinsically linked to their integration into global processes; however, its resilience and stability are contingent upon balanced regional progress. The West Kazakhstan region exemplifies an economic powerhouse within the country and plays a pivotal role in national regional policy. This study introduces a conceptual model designed to evaluate sustainable development through the balanced interaction of various indicators. The results reveal a disparity between the financial and economic potential of different regions and their environmental challenges. These findings form the foundation for developing a new paradigm of sustainable development that emphasizes the integration of economic growth, social stability, and environmental security. The proposed model has the potential to be adapted in various regions of the world facing similar climatic, water, and social challenges. However, it is necessary to consider local characteristics, data availability, and institutional contexts.

Beryllium-based intermetallic compounds, such as Be12Nb, are attracting growing interest for their high thermal stability and potential to replace pure beryllium as neutron reflectors and multipliers in both fission and future fusion reactors, with additional applications in metallurgy, aerospace, and hydrogen technology. The paper presents the results of an investigation of the thermal treatment and phase formation of the intermetallic compound Be12Nb from a mixture of niobium and beryllium powders in the temperature range of 800–1300 °C. The phase evolution was assessed as a function of sintering temperature and time. A nearly single-phase Be12Nb composition was achieved at 1100 °C, while decomposition into lower-order beryllides such as Be17Nb2 occurred at temperatures ≥1200 °C, indicating thermal instability of Be12Nb under vacuum. Careful handling of sintering in low vacuum minimized oxidation, though signs of possible BeO formation were noted. The findings complement and extend earlier reports on Be12Nb synthesis via plasma sintering, mechanical alloying, and other powder metallurgy routes, providing broader insight into phase formation and synthesis. These results provide a foundation for optimizing the manufacturing parameters required to produce homogeneous Be12Nb-based components and billets at an industrial scale. Additionally, they help define the operational temperature limits necessary to preserve the material’s phase integrity during application. © 2025 by the authors.

The pursuit of rapid and sensitive detection methods for bioactive compounds in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a continuous quest in the field of natural product chemistry. Herein, we report the development of a novel nanocomposite material comprising bismuth molybdate (Bi2MoO6) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), which has been successfully applied to the ultrasensitive and simultaneous detection of the bioactive flavonoids baicalein and chrysin. These compounds, known for their potent anticancer and antioxidant properties, are prevalent in TCM and nutraceuticals. The Bi2MoO6-MWCNTs nanocomposite was meticulously characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and cyclic voltammetry (CV), revealing its structural and functional attributes. The optimized electrochemical sensor, based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with the nanocomposite, demonstrated remarkable sensitivity with a linear response range of 0.001–5.0 μmol·L−1 for baicalein and 0.007–3.0 μmol·L−1 for chrysin, alongside impressively low detection limits of 0.2 nmol·L−1 and 1.4 nmol·L−1, respectively. The sensor’s performance was further validated through its application in the analysis of human serum and Scutellaria baicalensis extracts, showcasing its robust repeatability, selectivity, and stability. This work not only advances the field of TCM analysis but also opens new horizons for the integration of hollow bimetallic oxides with carbon-based materials in electrochemical sensing, offering a strategic approach to the rapid assessment of bioactive constituents in complex matrices. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.

The elastic deformation energy accumulated at the edges of a fault in the earth’s crust in a seismically active area can be released with a small external impact, causing vibrations that propagate in the form of a sound wave through the lithosphere and can be detected on its surface. As a trigger effect that causes such a vibration, an ionization can be used that is created in the deep lithosphere by particles of the penetrating component of cosmic rays. This idea was once proposed in the number of theoretical studies. An experiment to test this hypothesis was started at the cosmic ray facility at the Tien Shan Mining Scientific Station. As a result, short-term sporadic acoustic emission signals were recorded by highly sensitive microphone detectors of the station. Presumably, the origin of this emission can be associated with seismic processes occurring in the area of a deep earth fault, located directly under the station. A statistically significant temporal correlation has been found between acoustic emission and high-energy cosmic ray muon events up to 100 TeV. If the further research in this direction is confirmed, then the effect of stimulated acoustic emission from a seismically active region of the earth’s crust may be of interest for solving the problem of short-term earthquake prediction. © 2022, Eurasian Journal of Physics and Functional Materials. All Rights Reserved.

Development of civilization is directly connected with the use of the Earth's minerals. Even at the Stone, Bronze and Iron ages, it was understood that various things made of minerals could be used as tools after proper treatment. Since the mid-18th century, historical progress was influenced by scientific and technological advancements. In the 20th century, high technologies became implemented, based on various composites of ferrous, nonferrous, noble, rare and rare earth metals, and on various sources of energy. Gradually, the mineral-industrial megacomplex formed as a material and engineering basis of the scientific and technological progress. A mineral deposit as an initial natural object is the predominant component being later on transformed into the mineral-industrial megacomplex. Sectorial complexes operate starting from exploitation of a deposit and finishing with the delivery of an end product to the users of the industry. One of the goals of the science and technology progress is to establish connection between the mineral and industrial sectors taken as the existing branch-wise industrial clusters. In the present historical circumstances, this is mining and processing of natural minerals and manmade materials. The article describes Kazakhstan's industrial complex comprised of the sectors of geological exploration, hydrogeology, oil-and-gas, metallurgy, chemistry, fuel, nonmetals and construction in mining. The lead role of minerals in evolution of science, technology and civilization is shown. The value of a mineral deposit as a source of mineral raw material is substantiated. The definition and meaning of a mineral-industrial megacomplex are given. It is demonstrated that new technologies and equipment, adapted to natural and process properties of raw materials at a specific deposit, can ensure high level of extraction of rare and rare earth metals from this object. © 2025 Publishing house Mining book. All rights reserved.

At present in urban areas the anthropogenic factors impact on groundwater prevails over natural ones. Relevance of the research is determined by the need to make justified management decisions on the drainage of urban areas flooded as a result of industrial and civil construction. The use of mathematical modeling methods allows to simulate changes in hydrogeological conditions during the operation of different variants of drainage systems and choose the optimal drainage scheme. Purpose of the work is to evaluate the efficiency of the designed drainage system with the use of numerical modeling methods to predict flooding process of Pavlodar territory caused by the transformation of the relief as a result of construction and water leaks from the water supply and sewerage. Studies include the development of geoinformation and hydrodynamic models of hydrogeological conditions and solving problems of changes forecasting in groundwater levels as a result of the operation of various drainage systems. Based on the results of the work the determining role of technogenic factors (water leakage from utilities, construction of a dam leading to the CHP, etc.) in groundwater level increase has been confirmed. Four scenarios of the drainage network operation are reproduced, involving various combinations of horizontal drains and drainage wells, the possibility of drainage water into the waste discharge into mined-out open pit. The optimal scheme of water reduction is determined, which consists in the joint use of horizontal drains and existing drainage wells. The performed studies have shown the expediency of using hydrogeological numerical modelling methods in solving problems of evaluating the effectiveness of the designed drainage systems in urban areas.