KazNU Scientists Investigate Priority Water Pollutants in Kazakhstan and Their Photodegradation

Kazakhstan experiences water scarcity across all its regions and is listed among countries with extremely high levels of water stress. The country's dependence on rivers originating in neighboring states, combined with chemical pollution from industrial and agricultural activity, further compounds this problem.

The Baikonur Cosmodrome uses highly toxic unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) as fuel for heavy rocket launches, which decomposes into numerous hazardous transformation products — triazoles, nitrosamines, pyrazoles, and imidazoles. Nitrogen-organic pesticides runoff from agricultural fields represents an additional source of contamination. Several studies indicate that transformation products can be more toxic than their parent compounds, underscoring the need for comprehensive chemical and ecotoxicological characterization.

To develop tools for the comprehensive chemical and ecotoxicological characterization of priority organic water pollutants in Kazakhstan and to further study their photodegradation.

For the first time in Kazakhstan, the project will study sunlight-induced degradation of UDMH transformation products in water. Combining targeted quantitative analysis with non-target screening and in vitro tests using luminescent Aliivibrio fischeri bacteria creates a unique integration of a green analytical methodology with bioanalysis. This closes a critical scientific gap by enabling the simultaneous identification and biological impact assessment of transformation products.

The project comprises five tasks: developing a multi-analyte method for quantifying nitrogen-organic compounds in water based on vacuum solid-phase microextraction and GC-MS; developing a non-target screening method based on mass spectra and retention indices; designing and assembling a photoreactor; studying the photodegradation of priority pollutants; and assessing the toxicity of water samples using in vitro tests.

Vacuum headspace solid-phase microextraction (Vac-HS-SPME) is used to extract analytes from water, improving extraction efficiency by increasing gas-phase diffusion under reduced pressure (based on the Fuller-Schettler-Giddings equation). Analysis is performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A specially designed photoreactor equipped with a 1500 W xenon arc lamp is used to study photodegradation. Experimental parameters are optimized using the Plackett-Burman method and multifactorial design, with data processed in Agilent ChemStation software.

Research results will be published in international journals ranked Q1-Q2 in Web of Science or with a CiteScore percentile of at least 70 in Scopus. The project will strengthen Kazakhstan's contribution to global environmental research on water resource management and support the development of affordable, environmentally friendly monitoring methods for developing countries.

Project results will help government agencies responsible for environmental control of water bodies affected by rocket launches and inefficient agricultural practices make informed decisions based on data about the nature and toxicity of major organic water pollutants.

A new method for quantifying multi-class nitrogen-organic compounds based on vacuum SPME and GC-MS; training of at least 1 PhD candidate; 2 articles in journals ranked Q1-Q2 in Web of Science or with a CiteScore percentile of at least 70 in Scopus; 2 additional articles in journals recommended by KOKSON.

Spanning 36 months (2025-2027), the project will generate new knowledge at the intersection of analytical chemistry, environmental chemistry, physical chemistry, and ecotoxicology, strengthening Kazakhstan's scientific capacity in water resource protection and sustainable management.