The upcoming global climate change as a result of anthropogenic action is now increasingly attracting the attention of scientific communities. Over the past three decades, researchers and industries around the world have spent a lot of time and effort developing various carbon capture and storage technologies, which, despite their promise, are still economically complex, with unclear long-term consequences to the environment. As an alternative, biological carbon sequestration is considered an attractive method of atmospheric CO2 fixation with the production of biomass, which, in turn, can be used as a readily renewable feedstock for the production of biofuels and other valuable products. This review focuses on the latest data of microalgae research in terms of key carbon footprint minimization strategies, which include features of the carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM) in microalgae, the main range of biofuels and the possibility of obtaining valuable metabolites based on them, such as bioplastics, biofertilizers, and biologically active compounds. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

Heavy metals (HMs) are an environmental problem that pollutes water, air, soil, etc. HMs and metalloids are environmental pollutants, particularly cadmium, lead, and arsenic. It is liberated from both the natural and anthropogenic processes. HM group accumulates in the ecosystem through anthropogenic activities, mostly by agriculture and industry processes. When they accumulate to toxic levels in soil, it adversely affects plant and crop productivity. Different plant species were assessed to remediate the soil from HMs. According to the review, the highest bioaccumulation concentration factor (BCF) for Torilis leptophylla (L.) Rchb. f. species was 51.52 for Lead (Pb), and the translocation factor (TF) was 17.18 for the Catharanthus roses (L.) G. Don species for chromium and bioaccumulation concentration (BAC) was Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don species was recorded at 83.66 for chromium. The highest levels of BCF and TF for Polygonum labrum species were 1.090 and 1.78 for arsenic. Arsenic is the most poisonous element generated by agrochemicals, burning fossil fuels, smelting metals, and pharmaceutical industries. The common effects of arsenic on plants are oxidative stress, decreasing the bioavailability of the essential elements, and morphological change. Cadmium is toxic because it can cause various diseases in plants, like chlorosis, necrosis, and shunted growth. Moreover, it affects the physiological process, reduces carbon fixation, osmotic pressure, and transpiration, and decreases chlorophyll. Pb is one of the critical HMs extensively found in nature in solid waste deposition, slag from mining, firing in shooting ranges, smelting, and automobiles. It is naturally produced from weathering, erosion of rock layers, and ore deposit phenomenon. It reduces the conduction power of the plant stomata, which ultimately affects the transpiration process and reduces the crop yield. Further studies should focus on cost-effective strategies to enhance the phytoremediation of contaminants and the unknown effects of HMs on plants. © Engineered Science Publisher LLC 2024.

The inhibitory properties of the product obtained from manganese ore sampled from Zhairem deposit were studied on low-carbon steel (St3) in an aqueous medium. Standard gravimetric method and electrochemical measurements were used. It is shown that calcium-manganese phosphate product with composition СаО:MnO:Р2О5 (1.00:0.11:1.54) and the phosphate content from phosphorus pentoxide (73.64±1.33, wt.%), reduces the corrosion rate of steel St3 in the entire studied concentration range from 1 to 100 mg/L of Р2О5. In contrast to the well-known sodium polyphosphate inhibitor, it has been established that anti-corrosion treatment of water with a calcium-manganese phosphate inhibitor reduces the rate of accumulation of salt rust deposited on the steel surface. This was obtained to be practically zero at a concentration of 50 mg/L of P2O5. The results of electrochemical tests were confirmed by noting and calculating polarization curves of gravimetric measurements. During the study of the surface morphology of steel samples after being exposed to inhibitor solutions using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive analysis, the formation of uniform coatings consisting of compounds of calcium, manganese, iron and phosphorus was established. IR spectroscopic studies confirmed the formation of a protective coating in calcium-manganese solutions consisting of calcium, iron, and possibly manganese hydrodiphosphates. © The Author(s) 2025.

The presence of various organic and inorganic contaminants in wastewater leads to serious health effects on humans and ecosystems. Industrial effluents have been considered as noticeable sources of contaminating water streams. These effluents directly liberate the pollutants such as dye molecules and heavy metal ions into the environment. In the present study, three biowaste materials (groundnut shell powder, coconut coir powder and activated corn leaf carbon) were utilized and compared for the removal of acid blue dye 113 from aqueous solutions. The characterization study of newly prepared sorbent material (H3PO4-activated corn leaf carbon) and the other utilized sorbents was carried out by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR), along with Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) Analysis. The influence of experimental conditions such as pH, initial dye concentration, temperature, contact time, and sorbent dosage on the removal efficiency of the dye were appraised. The adsorption isotherm and kinetic result of acid blue dye 113 adsorption onto the sorbents best obeyed from Sips and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Overall, the outcomes confirmed that the newly synthesized sorbent material (carbonized H3PO4-activated corn leaf) has superior adsorption capacity, rapid adsorption, and higher suitability for the removal of toxic dyes from the contaminated waters. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.

Beryllium-based intermetallic compounds, such as Be12Ti, are increasingly being considered as a material capable of replacing pure beryllium in structural elements of fusion reactors. Be12Ti is considered as a neutron breeder material, a structural part of the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed of the DEMO reactor. It is expected that the replacement of beryllium by Be12Ti will make it possible to reduce the capture of tritium in the blanket without a significant decrease in the neutronic characteristics. Unlike beryllium, beryllides have relatively recently begun to be considered for use in nuclear and thermonuclear facilities, so the radiation resistance of these compounds remains little studied. This paper presents the experimental results on effect of low temperature neutron irradiation to properties of titanium beryllide samples manufactured by industrial technology in the Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMP, Kazakhstan). The manufactured samples before and after irradiation were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), hydrostatic weighing method, dimension method and microhardness measurement by Vickers method. © 2024 The Authors

The continued search and urgent need for renewable fuel sources have necessitated the exploration of microalgae to identify relevant species for making biofuels. The aim of the study was bioprospecting and screening native microalgae strains from freshwater habitats of the Almaty region, Kazakhstan, to assess the potential for producing biofuel. The studied strains demonstrated simultaneous biomass productivity, lipid productivity, suitable fatty acid composition, and biodiesel properties. The sequence analysis of the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer partial region and ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase gene (rbcL) led to the identification of five microalgae: Monoraphidium griffithii ZBD-01, Nephrochlamys subsolitaria ZBD-02, Ankistrodesmus falcatus ZBD-03, Parachlorella kessleri ZBD-04, and Desmodesmus pannonicus ZBD-05. P. kessleri had the highest biomass production (1.42 ± 0.08 g L−1 day−1), lipid productivity (29 ± 1.2 g L−1day−1), and C16–C18 fatty acid contents (90%), followed by A. falcatus and M. griffithi. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis indicated that the dominant fatty acids in these strains were palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids. The calculated biodiesel properties of P. kessleri and A. falcatus based on fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) profiles showed relatively good fuel properties (cetane numbers - 48 and 50; iodine and saponification values - 83.4 and 103.6 g I₂/100 g oil, 260.8 and 199.5 mg KOH g−1), which correlate well with. Our results suggest that P. kessleri and A. falcatus are promising strains for biodiesel production due to their high lipid productivity, fatty acid profile with relatively high content of oleic acid, and suitable biodiesel properties. The isolated native species of microalgae from natural freshwater bodies of the Almaty region present opportunities for further exploitation for the sustainable production of biomass and biodiesel. © 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC

The detrimental impact of human activity on the global ecological situation has resulted in the active exploration and development of alternative energy sources. Efficient solar energy utilization can significantly contribute to resolving the current energy crisis, because approximately 1.36 kW m−2 of solar radiation reaches the Earth's surface, and this can be used to satisfy the global energy requirements. Among various prevalent sunlight conversion technologies, photocatalytic materials are potentially useful for hydrogen production and other relevant applications. Existing technologies for the production and use of photocatalysts do not sufficiently address the target characteristics owing to the low solar conversion efficiency and service life in addition to high costs. However, recent advances in SrTiO3-based heterostructures indicate that photocatalysts can potentially compete with modern solar energy technologies in terms of their practical application. In this review, we systematically consider the advancement in the production and application of SrTiO3-based photocatalysts in various fields. The methods for obtaining complex heterostructures with different classes of nanomaterials are comprehensively discussed. The aim of this review is to highlight the advantages and limitations of using SrTiO3-based photocatalytic systems. Finally, the future prospects of using SrTiO3-based photocatalysts are considered from the perspective of their practical applications. © 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC

Biomass-based carbon nanofibers (CNF) were synthesized using lignin extracted from sawdust and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) (30:70) with the help of the electrospinning method and subsequent stabilization at 220 °C and carbonization at 800, 900, and 1000 °C. The synthesized CNFs were studied by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method. The temperature effect shows that CNF carbonized at 800 °C has excellent stability at different current densities and high capacitance. CNF 800 in the first test cycle at a current density of 100 mA/g shows an initial capacity of 798 mAh/g and an initial coulomb efficiency of 69.5%. The CNF 900 and 1000 show an initial capacity of 668 mAh/g and 594 mAh/g, and an initial Coulomb efficiency of 52% and 51%. With a long cycle (for 500 cycles), all three samples at a current density of 500 mA/g show stable cycling in different capacities (CNF 800 in the region of 300–400 mAh/g, CNF 900 and 1000 in the region of 100–200 mAh/g). © 2022 by the authors.

This study examined the suitability of polyethylene terephtal (PET) waste to provide an alternative modification to bitumen and reduce waste accumulation. The chemical structure and physical properties were evaluated for modified bitumen with different PET flakes content from 2 to 10 %. The effect of PET waste content on bituminous systems was analyzed using IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy, differential thermal (DTA) and thermogravimetric (TGA) analyses. The study of change in the microstructure as a result of bitumen modification was carried out using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Regularities of changes in the structural-group composition of bituminous binders after their modification with PET waste have been established. It is noted that the chemical interaction of the base bitumen with PET flakes occurs due to the formation of associative bonds between the oxygen-containing components of the modifier and bitumen. The influence of the modifier on the physical and mechanical properties was evaluated using standard methods (penetration, extensibility and softening point). Based on the physical and mechanical properties of bitumen, such as needle penetration depth (penetration), ductility and softening point, it was found that the optimal dosage of PET waste in terms of asphalt binder characteristics is 3 %. It has been established that PET waste and original bitumen interact both at the chemical and physical levels and can be considered as a suitable alternative for changing the properties of bituminous binders. Thus, the obtained samples of modified bituminous binders have improved physical and mechanical properties, which makes it possible to produce high-strength asphalt concrete pavements based on them © 2022. Authors. This is an open access article under the Creative Commons CC BY license

Road infrastructure is a key public asset because it benefits the social and economic development of any country. It plays an important role in the development of the industrial complex and the production sector, and the surfaces of transport roads should be of high quality and have a long service life. Road infrastructure, like all infrastructure, requires preservation, maintenance and repair. There are special requirements for roadways that must be observed during construction or repair. The uncertainty of the composition, temperature sensitivity and viscoelastic characteristics of road materials make the structural analysis of pavement very difficult compared to other civil structures, such as bridges, tunnels and buildings. For this reason, the question of how to improve fiber sensors based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) arose. The novelty of this study is to modernize fiber sensors based on FBG so that they display deformation, stress and displacement, temperature and other parameters with much greater accuracy, which would provide a reliable scientific basis for modifying the theory, as well as the use of a fiber sensor based on FBG for simultaneous measurement of deformation and temperature when monitoring the road surface. This article is devoted to a detailed study of the use of fiber-optic sensors (FOS) based on fiber Bragg grating for road surface monitoring. Such a fiber sensor, consisting of a fiber Bragg grating and a pair of grids, can offer the possibility of simultaneous measurement of deformation and temperature for monitoring the pavement. Temperature and deformation measurements were carried out by installing a sensor on the surface of a made asphalt sample. The built-in fiber sensor based on FBG provides important information about how the pavement structure can withstand the load and subsidence of soil and implement road safety and stability measures in a timely manner to evaluate and predict the service life of the pavement. The results of the study showed that the synchronicity, repeatability and linearity of the characteristics of the fiber sensor are excellent. The difference between the experimental and theoretical results was about 7%. Thus, based on the results of the obtained data, the fiber sensor on the FBG can be used for monitoring and designing road surfaces and in general transport infrastructure. © 2023 by the authors.