THE WAY OF WATER, OR HOW A UNIQUE PROJECT IS BEING IMPLEMENTED

Scientists used sunflower seed husks and mineral raw materials to create filters.

The project was based on the well-known principle of “turning waste into income.” Scientists at S. Amanzholov East Kazakhstan University have been experimenting for several years with converting seed husks into activated carbon. After all, black powder is known worldwide as an excellent adsorbent: it absorbs and retains harmful or polluting substances and purifies the environment.

In different countries, it is made from wood processing waste, coffee grounds, coconut shavings, straw, etc. In East Kazakhstan, where sunflowers occupy almost half of the fields, researchers turned their attention to husks – waste products generated in huge quantities at oil mills.

According to Bauyrzhan Tuyakbaev, a researcher at the Shygys Bastau University Technology Park, the researchers tested dozens of different modes: they experimented with finer and coarser fractions, set the temperature higher or lower, and used all kinds of additives.

“In the furnace, at a certain temperature, the crushed raw material undergoes carbonization, forming activated carbon granules,” explained the researcher. “They have a porous structure and work like a sponge. This process is called adsorption. We add additives so that the substance can be bound and passed through a press.”

The final product is a three-layer cartridge. The first layer is a mixture of composite materials that filter out suspended solids and other mechanical impurities. The second layer is activated carbon, which removes chlorine, heavy metal compounds, and organic matter. The third layer consists of shungite, an amazing mineral found only in northwestern Russia and eastern Kazakhstan, in the Abai region.

In terms of its structure, shungite consists of myriad spherical carbon molecules assembled into a crystal lattice. These “balls” are capable of absorbing and retaining all kinds of impurities, heavy metals, and radionuclides. In 2012, environmentalists in East Kazakhstan used this raw material to clean up the Glubochanka River from man-made pollution.

The domestic water filter project has reached its final stage. Equipment worth almost 150 million tenge has been installed in the university’s technology park, including a plasticizer, mixers, shredders, a cooling system, and presses. As Bauyrzhan Tuyakbayev noted, if we evaluate the finished product, the only imported component will be the plastic used to manufacture the body. Everything else is sourced from East Kazakhstan.

“According to the test results, our filter is not inferior to foreign counterparts,” the researcher emphasized. “It has a service life of 4–5 months and is half the price. All lines have been assembled and communications prepared. We plan to launch full-cycle production in November.”

The creation of filters is a relevant area of applied science, the development of which is in demand both now and in the long term. According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, about 70% of the country’s surface water bodies are subject to some form of pollution. In eastern Kazakhstan, the accumulated historical waste from mining and metallurgical industries has a negative impact. Approximately one-fifth of industrial wastewater is inadequately treated.

Today, the region’s universities are ready to offer technologies based on biopolymers, ceramics, carbon materials, and graphite oxide modifications. Plans include the development of solutions for the modernization of treatment facilities.

https://kazpravda.kz/n/put-vody-3v/

Material from the personal correspondent for the East Kazakhstan region of the newspaper “Kazakhstanskaya Pravda” GALINA VOLOGODSKAYA