Satbayev University scientists presented the first results of research on removing micro-plastics from wastewater

Satbayev University’s team of scientists made a presentation at XVI International Symposium "Combustion and Plasma Chemistry. Physics and Chemistry of Carbon and Nanoenergetic Materials" (Almaty). Almagul Kerimkulova, a member of the group, presented a poster presentation at the symposium on "Technological solutions for removing micro-plastics from model waters" topic. The work aroused great interest among the symposium participants, which brought together leading experts in physics, chemistry and materials science sphere.

Participants of "Modeling the effects of micro-plastics on health and elaborating the wastewater treatment methods to improve the quality of water systems" project, led by Kulyash Alimova, c.t.s., head of “Engineering Systems and Networks” department, are working to solve a serious environmental problem: the smallest particles of a new pollutant of 21^st century, micro-plastics, accumulate in reservoirs, soil and the body of living beings, causing diseases, disrupting the ecosystems and food chains.

During the symposium, the research team presented the first results of experiments on removing the most common types of plastics (PET, PP, PE) from water. Sorbents of various structures (zeolite, ionite, synthesized carbon sorption material) were studied. Experiment showed the high efficiency of the selected sorbents: the retention of micro-plastic particles was 82.7-97.8%.

The study results will provide a better understanding of wastewater quality and guidance on effective management of the water treatment system in Kazakhstan, taking into account the micro-plastics content. Wastewater treatment technologies created by scientists at Satbayev University to reduce the concentration of micro-plastics will contribute to improving the quality of water resources and human habitat.

Scientific work is carried out within the framework of GF IRN project AP26104611 (2025-2027).