In the arid and semi-arid climate of Southern Kazakhstan, groundwater is the primary and most resilient source of water for pasture irrigation. This study provides an integrated assessment of the predicted, natural, and operational groundwater resources across five administrative regions—Almaty, Zhetysu, Zhambyl, Kyzylorda, and Turkestan—considering water quality (total dissolved solids, TDS), potential well yield, and aquifer depth. Hydrogeological maps at 1:200,000 and 1:1,000,000 scales, a regional well inventory, and GIS-based spatial analysis were combined to classify resource availability and identify surplus and deficit zones. Results show that 92.5% of predicted exploitable resources (totaling 1155.2 m3/s) have TDS ≤ 3 g/L, making them suitable for domestic and livestock use. Regional disparities are pronounced: Zhetysu, Almaty, and Zhambyl exhibit resource surpluses, Kyzylorda approaches balance, while Turkestan faces a marked deficit. The developed groundwater availability map integrates mineralization, well productivity, and recommended drilling depth, enabling the design of water intake systems without costly field exploration. This decision-support tool has practical value for optimizing water allocation, reducing operational costs, and improving the sustainability of pasture management under the constraints of limited surface water resources. © 2025 by the authors.

Climate change, uneven distribution of water resources and anthropogenic impact have led to salinization and land degradation in the southern regions of Kazakhstan. Identification of saline lands and their mapping is a laborious process associated with a complex of ground measurements. Data from remote sensing are widely used to solve this problem. In this paper, the problem of assessing the salinity of the lands of the South Kazakhstan region using remote sensing data is considered. The aim of the study is to analyze the applicability of machine learning methods to assess the salinity of agricultural lands in southern Kazakhstan based on remote sensing. The authors present a salinity dataset obtained from field studies and containing more than 200 laboratory measurements of soil salinity. Moreover, the authors describe the results of applying several regression reconstruction algorithms (XGBoost, LightGBM, random forest, Support vector machines, Elastic net, etc.), where synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from the Sentinel-1 satellite and optical data in the form of spectral salinity indices are used as input data. The obtained results show that, in general, these input data can be used to estimate salinity of the wetted arable land. XGBoost regressor ((Formula presented.) = 0.282) showed the best results. Supplementing the radar data with the values of salinity spectral index improves the result significantly ((Formula presented.) = 0.356). For the local datasets, the best result shown by the model is (Formula presented.) = 0.473 (SAR) and (Formula presented.) = 0.654 (SAR with spectral indexes), respectively. The study also revealed a number of problems that justify the need for a broader range of ground surveys and consideration of multi-year factors affecting soil salinity. Key results of the article: (i) a set of salinity data for different geographical zones of southern Kazakhstan is presented for the first time; (ii) a method is proposed for determining soil salinity on the basis of synthetic aperture radar supplemented with optical data, and this resulted in the improved prediction of the results for the region under consideration; (iii) a comparison of several types of machine learning models was made and it was found that boosted models give, on average, the best prediction result; (iv) a method for optimizing the number of model input parameters using explainable machine learning is proposed; (v) it is shown that the results obtained in this work are in better agreement with ground-based measurements of electrical conductivity than the results of the previously proposed global model. © 2023 by the authors.

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

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