AP26196213 «Development of a risk-oriented model for the sustainable management of municipal solid waste landfills in the Akmola region» (Kurmanbayeva Aigul Saparbekovna)

Information on scientific and (or) scientific-technical projects of grant financing by Ministry of Science and Higher EducationRepublic of Kazakhstan

1) Grant financing Grant financing of scientific and (or) scientific-technical projects for 2024-2026 (implementation period 36 months)

Project summary

Project title

AP26196213 «Development of a risk-oriented model for the sustainable management of municipal solid waste landfills in the Akmola region»

Project manager

Kurmanbayeva Aigul Saparbekovna

Implementation period

2025 - 2027

Amount of funding

115 456 989

Topicality

The main method of waste disposal both in Kazakhstan and around the world remains storage in municipal solid waste landfills. According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, over4 million tons of municipal waste were generated in the country, an average of25.41% was recycled in the republic in2022. The proportion of recycled waste was only7.9%. The majority of the waste was accumulated in landfills in the Akmola region. The number of landfills in the country exceeds3,000, and the majority of them, about80%, do not meet hygiene standards and environmental requirements. In the Akmola region alone there are249 landfills,225 of which are unlicensed. For such landfills, there is usually no project documentation, there are no limits for waste disposal and no burial technologies are observed. They do not have dosimetry devices, scales, filtering and gas removal system, etc. As part of the implementation of the concept of the transition of the Republic of Kazakhstan to a “green economy”, it is planned to increase the share of storage of sanitary waste to95% by 2030, which emphasizes the importance of assessing the condition of landfills and their compliance with sanitary and Environmental standards.

The accumulation of waste in landfills is one of the cheapest, most effective and at the same time most dangerous disposal methods. If not operated properly, landfills can become sources of increased environmental risk. Various decomposition reactions occur in the thickness of the stored waste, producing landfill gases and toxic filtrate released into the atmosphere, which can contaminate surface and groundwater. As the waste rots, the temperature rises and the risk of fires and smoke increases. Failure to comply with sanitary and epidemiological standards can lead to outbreaks of disease among the population. When choosing a location for the landfill, the location of the groundwater is not always considered. The problem of sustainable waste management, monitoring the environmental status of landfills and their compliance with hygienic and environmental standards is one of the most pressing.

Objective

To assess the geo-ecological status of some municipal solid waste landfills in the Akmola region, identify possible risks and establish a risk-oriented management model to reduce environmental impacts and ensure effective management, monitoring and environmental safety.

Project outcomes

The obtained results are reflected in the analytical review of scientific and theoretical works and scientific articles

- at least 2 (two) articles in a peer-reviewed scientific publication indexed by the Social Science Citation Index, which is included in the 1 (first) or 2 (second) quartile in terms of impact factor on the Web of Science database and (or) has a percentile of at least 65 (sixty five) CiteScore on the Scopus database, or reviews);

- at least 3 (three) articles and (or) reviews in peer-reviewed foreign and (or) domestic editions recommended by CQASHE MSHE RK;

- at least 4 (four) articles in the materials of international scientific and practical conferences in Kazakhstan.

The project working group plans to publish

a monograph “Geoecological assessment and modeling of the sustainable management of municipal solids”. Landfills”;

- Publication of a textbook “Geoecological Risk Assessment”.

The authors of the project will create a working risk-based model for sustainable management in municipal landfills, taking into account the studied data and identified risk factors, which will serve as a tool for predicting, preventing and minimizing hazardous situations and environmental disasters. For the practical use of the model, detailed scientific and technical recommendations are being developed, which contain clear rules of action and action. Stakeholders, represented by managers of waste management companies, are included as experts in the created model and recommendations.