Scientific activity

Faculty members of the Department of Chemistry conduct research within the "Chemistry and Earth Sciences" scientific and educational cluster. This cluster is based on the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Physical and Economic Geography, and the Department of Environmental Management and Engineering of the Faculty of Natural Sciences (FNS).

The following scientific schools, institutes, and laboratories operate on the basis of the Department of Chemistry:

• Laboratory of Petrochemistry and Polymer Materials – headed by Cand. Sci. (Chem.), Prof. Seitenova G.Zh.;
• Research Institute of New Chemical Technologies – director Cand. Sci. (Chem.) Iskakova Zh.B.;
• Scientific Laboratory of Green Technologies – a shared-use laboratory.

Research work by faculty members and doctoral students is carried out within international programs and grants, grants of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MSHE RK), and initiative-based topics. Over the past 5 years, 320 scientific papers have been published based on the results of research (56 of them in ranked journals, including 25 publications indexed in Scopus and Web of Science).

The department's faculty develop fundamental research directions, contribute to the development of their own scientific schools, and carry out exploratory and applied projects with strong prospects. Department members lead and participate in the working groups of projects funded by the MSHE RK; the number of such projects grows every year. The research projects address current environmental problems, the processing of raw materials and waste, and the search for and synthesis of new compounds and preparations.

Ongoing Research Projects (2022–2026)

The total funding of research projects carried out by department scientists during 2022–2026 exceeds 2.1 billion tenge.

Program-Targeted Funding (PTF) of the MSHE RK:

1. "Establishment of a Scientific and Technological Park for Petrochemistry and Polymer Materials to Provide Services and Implement Applied R&D Results in Priority Sectors of the Country's Economy" – IRN BR24992883, 2024–2026, 912,000,000 tenge, project leader Seitenova G.Zh.
2. "Development of a 'Green' Economy in Kazakhstan through the Processing of Mineral Raw Materials and Waste by the Pyrolysis Method" – IRN BR21882171 (SDG 9.4), contract No. 269/23-25 dated 03.08.2023, 2023–2025, 630,000,000 tenge, project leader Aibuldinov E.K.
3. "Establishment of a Construction and Engineering Center Providing a Full Cycle of Accredited Services in the Construction and Road Construction Sector of the Republic of Kazakhstan" – IRN BR21882278, contract No. 14 dated 22.08.2024, 2024–2025, project leader Seitenova G.Zh.

Grant Funding (GF) of the MSHE RK:

4. "Processing of Manganese Raw Materials from Deposits in Central Kazakhstan to Obtain New Products Based on Manganese Oxide Phases" – IRN AP23488858, contract No. 189/GF24-26 dated 09.09.2024, 2024–2026, 119,845,441 tenge, project leader Safarov R.Z.
5. "Improving the Resource Efficiency and Energy Saving of Oil-Refining Product Preparation Technology by Hybrid Modeling" – IRN AP23487495, 2024–2026, 113,951,020 tenge, project leader Seitenova G.Zh.
6. "Isolation of Sensitizing Agents Used in Photodynamic Therapy from Algae of Kazakhstan's Water Bodies and Study of Their Properties" – IRN AP19677547, contract No. 269/23-25 dated 03.08.2023, 2023–2025, 99,243,541 tenge, project leader Iskakova Zh.B.
7. "Monitoring and Mapping of the Ecological State of the Air Environment in Pavlodar Using Machine Learning Methods" – IRN AP19677560, contract No. 269/23-25 dated 03.08.2023, 2023–2025, 84,209,441 tenge, project leader Safarov R.Z.
8. "Improvement of Bio-Catalytic Device Electrodes Using Graphene Materials for Green Hydrogen Production in Wastewater Treatment" – IRN AP14871780, contract No. 192/30-22-24 dated 18.10.2022, 2022–2024, 77,996,651 tenge, project leader Sugurbekova G.K.
9. "Synthesis of Hydroxyl-Containing Amidines for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Use of the Resulting Polymeric Ionic Liquids to Obtain Biodegradable Composites" – IRN AP23488935, 2024–2026, 41,732,311 tenge.
10. "Stimuli-Responsive Track Membranes for the Separation of Water-Organic Emulsions" – IRN AP14972816, contract No. 314/ZhG-2-22-24 dated 20.10.2022, 2022–2024, 19,000,000 tenge, project leader Muslimova I.B.
11. "Synthesis of New N-Heterocyclic Carbene Gold Complexes as Potential Antiproliferative Therapeutic Agents against Cancer" – IRN AP13268729, contract No. 161/ZhG-1-22-07 dated 07.10.2022, 19,000,000 tenge, project leader Tashenov E.O.
12. "Synthesis of Multicomponent Composite Catalysts and Study of Their Properties in Photocatalytic Decomposition Reactions of Various Classes of Antibiotics" – IRN AP14971803, contract No. 314/ZhG-2-22-24 dated 20.10.2022, 2022–2024, 18,996,719 tenge, project leader Nurpeisova D.T.

Contract-Based R&D:

13. "Inventory of Green Plantations in the Sanitary Protection Zone of an Enterprise with Subsequent Integration of the Results into a Green Plantations Map" – client LLP "Research Center for Labor Protection and Industrial Safety", contract No. 2 dated 09.03.2023, May–July 2023, 1,500,000 tenge, project leader Safarov R.Z.

Current Research Directions

• Processing of manganese raw materials from Kazakhstan's deposits to obtain manganese oxide phases and new products based on them;
• Monitoring and mapping of atmospheric air conditions using machine learning methods; development of information systems and databases to optimize monitoring of air pollution by heavy metals;
• Electrochemical and biocatalytic systems for producing "green" hydrogen in wastewater treatment;
• Synthesis of composite and photocatalytic systems for the decomposition of antibiotics and pharmaceutical pollutants; monitoring of wastewater in Kazakhstan's cities;
• Membrane technologies for the separation of water-organic emulsions;
• Carbon dioxide capture and production of biodegradable composites based on polymeric ionic liquids;
• Synthesis of metal-complex compounds (including gold carbene complexes) with potential antitumor activity;
• Isolation of sensitizers for photodynamic therapy from algae in Kazakhstan's water bodies;
• Processing of mineral raw materials and waste by the pyrolysis method as part of "green" economy development;
• Petrochemistry and polymer materials; hybrid modeling of oil-refining processes; obtaining asphaltenes from petroleum feedstock as organic semiconductors for nanoelectronics;
• Development of catalytic systems by processing spent automotive catalysts and metallurgical production waste;
• Reducing the technogenic impact on water resources through water recycling technology;
• Study of the composition and biological activity of essential oils of plants from Central and Southeast Asia;
• Study of technogenesis at industrial sites in Kazakhstan with the compilation of eco-technogeochemical maps of pollutant distribution;
• Assessment of atmospheric deposition of heavy metals and radionuclides based on moss biomonitor analysis.

Cooperation and Human Resources

Research work is carried out in close cooperation with leading domestic and foreign scientific organizations (Nazarbayev University, Institute of New Chemical Technologies, Engineering Laboratory, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Institute of Combustion Problems).

Since 2020, the university has introduced the "teacher-researcher" category. At the Department of Chemistry, this status is held by Dr. Sci. (Chem.), Prof. Sugurbekova G.K. (researcher), Cand. Sci. (Chem.), Prof. Seitenova G.Zh. (researcher), and Cand. Sci. (Chem.) Safarov R.Z. (teacher-researcher). All of them lead active grant projects of the MSHE RK.

To attract young people to science, postdoctoral programs are implemented. PhD Sumon Reza (University of Brunei) was invited to a postdoctoral position at the Institute of New Chemical Technologies. Under the MSHE RK "Zhas Galym" ("Young Scientist") program, postdoctoral positions were taken by PhD Nurpeisova D.T., PhD Tashenov E.O., and Muslimova I.B.; all three currently lead independent grant projects of the MSHE RK, confirming the effectiveness of the young-scientist training program.