Future Sustainability

Analysis and forecast of renewable energy production and investment development in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Mukhtar Saltayevich Yerzhanov — 2025-09-01

This study examines the structural, financial, and policy dimensions of renewable energy development in the Republic of Kazakhstan between 2022 and 2024, offering projections through 2030. Drawing on national legislation, statistical datasets, international benchmarks, and qualitative field insights, it evaluates production dynamics across solar, wind, hydro, and bioenergy systems. Quantitative analysis reveals a 42.8% increase in renewable electricity output over the three-year period, reaching a 6.43% share in total electricity generation by end-2024, yet still below nationally mandated targets for 2030 and 2050. The paper explores the evolving legal framework supporting both utility-scale and distributed energy initiatives, highlighting incentives such as auction-based feed-in pricing, tax exemptions, extended power purchase agreements, and individual producer rights. It identifies systemic barriers, including tariff indexation delays, currency risks, limited access to concessional finance, and infrastructure bottlenecks. Financing structures dominated by debt instruments and international capital flows are mapped through institutional profiles. Comparative policy analysis and stakeholder feedback from events like Qazag Green Fest inform a set of integrated recommendations: expanding energy storage systems; modernizing grid infrastructure; deploying green taxonomies and investor safeguards; and scaling technical education and public awareness campaigns. The findings underscore Kazakhstan’s pivotal opportunity to transition toward energy sovereignty and climate resilience through coordinated public–private strategies, regulatory clarity, and robust investment mechanisms.

Comparative analysis on mechanical and physical properties of jute-banana fiber reinforced epoxy-based hybrid composites: impact of fiber orientation

Sabbir Ahmed — 2025-09-08

Natural fibers are eco-friendly and an alternative to synthetic fibers. In this study, a hybrid epoxy-based composite reinforced with jute and banana fibers with their different orientation [ J(Uni)-B(Uni), J(Uni)- B(Bi), J(Bi)-B(Uni), J(Bi)-B(Bi) ] matrix was evaluated. This research experimentally investigated the physical and mechanical properties, such as theoretical and experimental density, void content, water absorption, tensile strength, impact resistance, and hardness, by varying fiber orientation in the matrix. Key findings demonstrate that fiber orientation significantly influences the mechanical properties and microstructure of the composite. Specifically, orientation has a notably enhanced effect on tensile strength, hardness, and impact resistance, while conversely exhibiting a reduced influence on void formation within the matrix. Among the tested configurations, sample S4, featuring unidirectionally oriented Jute and Banana fibers, delivered the highest tensile strength (53.72 MPa) and hardness (58 HRM), coupled with the lowest observed void content (2.44%). Furthermore, sample S3, combining unidirectional Jute with bidirectional Banana fibers, achieved superior impact resistance (30.86 KJ/m²) compared to other orientations, while also maintaining the lowest level of hydrophilicity (0.79%). These composites have the potential to be an option for material choice that can be used in a high-strength and impact scenario.

Assessment of occupational radiation exposure in academic office environments: a systematic study of the faculty of science, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria

Dennis Solomon Balami — 2025-09-17

Assessing occupational radiation exposure in academic institutions is crucial for ensuring compliance with international safety standards and mitigating risks associated with natural background radiation. To evaluate radiation dose rates across office spaces in the Faculty of Science, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria, and verify compliance with the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) public dose limit. A cross-sectional survey measured gamma radiation at 21 office locations using the RadEye G-10 gamma survey meter. A three-zone protocol recorded dose rates (μSv/hr) one meter outside doors, at thresholds, and one meter inside offices. Geographic coordinates were logged via GPS, and statistical analyses (ANOVA, correlations, K-means clustering) assessed dose variations and spatial patterns. Annual doses were calculated using 2000 working hours/year. The mean dose rate was 0.19 ± 0.05 μSv/hr. Annual doses ranged from 0.24–0.52 mSv (external), 0.24–0.68 mSv (threshold), and 0.24–0.68 mSv (internal), with location A15 reaching 0.68 mSv/year (68% of ICRP limit) in threshold/internal zones. All doses were below the ICRP 1 mSv/year public limit. The Radiation Exposure Index (REI) and K-means clustering identified three Elevated-risk locations (A12, A15, A21; 0.50–0.70 mSv/year). Radiation levels comply with ICRP standards, but three locations warrant quarterly monitoring and material investigations (e.g., granite content). The three-zone protocol and REI provide a replicable framework for radiation safety assessments in academic settings, particularly in developing nations.

Research on safety risk assessment of polyimide foam production line based on AHP-FCE method

Ripeng Gao — 2025-12-01

Polyimide foam, as a high-performance sandwich composite material, is widely used in high-tech manufacturing industries such as aviation and aerospace. Nevertheless, its production process involves numerous hazardous chemicals and sophisticated machinery, which is extremely hazardous to the system itself. Today, the overall assessment tools for multidimensional safety risks on the production line are unsatisfactory. To address this, this paper developed a safety risk assessment system comprising five dimensions: equipment, materials, personnel, environment, and management. The study applied the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to calculate indicator weights and the Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method (FCE) to assess safety risk in a polyimide foam line. The results show that the overall risk level of this production line is Relatively High, and the main sources of risk are equipment factors and process-material factors. Simultaneously, personnel and safety management factors should also be considered. Based on the evaluation findings, specific risk control measures are offered, with both theoretical background and methodological underpinning for the safety design and operational management of polyimide foam production lines.

A low-order dynamical model for delayed thermal drawdown in subsurface energy systems

Coskun Firat — 2026-01-24

Long-term thermal drawdown is a fundamental constraint on the sustainability of subsurface thermal energy systems, yet its onset often does not become apparent for several decades after exploitation begins due to large thermal inertia and slow heat transport processes. This delayed response complicates sustainability assessment and may lead to overestimation of system longevity when early operational data are used. Although high-fidelity numerical simulators can capture delayed thermal behavior, their computational cost and limited interpretability restrict their usefulness for rapid, conceptual analysis at the system level. This study presents a simplified low-order dynamical model to examine delayed thermal drawdown in subsurface energy systems, with geothermal reservoirs considered as a primary application. The system is represented by a lumped thermal state driven by heat extraction and gradual geothermal recharge, with an explicit time-delay term introduced to account for geological memory and delayed thermal response. Analytical and numerical investigations using synthetic production scenarios show that significant thermal drawdown emerges only when production history changes, explaining prolonged early-stage stability followed by later temperature decline. The proposed framework is intended as a screening-level and educational tool that complements high-fidelity numerical simulations and supports long-term management of thermal energy systems.