TY  - JOUR
A1  - Akimbekov, Nuraly S.
A1  - Digel, Ilya
A1  - Tastambek, Kuanysh T.
A1  - Sherelkhan, Dinara K.
A1  - Jussupova, Dariya B.
A1  - Altynbay, Nazym P.
T1  - Low-rank coal as a source of humic substances for soil amendment and fertility management
JF  - Agriculture
N2  - Humic substances (HS), as important environmental components, are essential to soil health and agricultural sustainability. The usage of low-rank coal (LRC) for energy generation has declined considerably due to the growing popularity of renewable energy sources and gas. However, their potential as soil amendment aimed to maintain soil quality and productivity deserves more recognition. LRC, a highly heterogeneous material in nature, contains large quantities of HS and may effectively help to restore the physicochemical, biological, and ecological functionality of soil. Multiple emerging studies support the view that LRC and its derivatives can positively impact the soil microclimate, nutrient status, and organic matter turnover. Moreover, the phytotoxic effects of some pollutants can be reduced by subsequent LRC application. Broad geographical availability, relatively low cost, and good technical applicability of LRC offer the advantage of easy fulfilling soil amendment and conditioner requirements worldwide. This review analyzes and emphasizes the potential of LRC and its numerous forms/combinations for soil amelioration and crop production. A great benefit would be a systematic investment strategy implicating safe utilization and long-term application of LRC for sustainable agricultural production.
KW  - soil remediation
KW  - crop yield
KW  - soil health
KW  - soil amendment
KW  - low-rank coal
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11121261
SN  - 2077-0472
N1  - This article belongs to the Special Issue "From Waste to Fertilizer in Sustainable Agriculture"
VL  - 11
IS  - 12
PB  - MDPI
CY  - Basel
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Alexyuk, Madina
A1  - Bogoyavlenskiy, Andrey
A1  - Alexyuk, Pavel
A1  - Moldakhanov, Yergali
A1  - Berezin, Vladimir
A1  - Digel, Ilya
T1  - Epipelagic microbiome of the Small Aral Sea: Metagenomic structure and ecological diversity
JF  - MicrobiologyOpen
N2  - Microbial diversity studies regarding the aquatic communities that experienced or are experiencing environmental problems are essential for the comprehension of the remediation dynamics. In this pilot study, we present data on the phylogenetic and ecological structure of microorganisms from epipelagic water samples collected in the Small Aral Sea (SAS). The raw data were generated by massive parallel sequencing using the shotgun approach. As expected, most of the identified DNA sequences belonged to Terrabacteria and Actinobacteria (40% and 37% of the total reads, respectively). The occurrence of Deinococcus-Thermus, Armatimonadetes, Chloroflexi in the epipelagic SAS waters was less anticipated. Surprising was also the detection of sequences, which are characteristic for strict anaerobes—Ignavibacteria, hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria, and archaeal methanogenic species. We suppose that the observed very broad range of phylogenetic and ecological features displayed by the SAS reads demonstrates a more intensive mixing of water masses originating from diverse ecological niches of the Aral-Syr Darya River basin than presumed before.
KW  - ecological structure
KW  - metagenomics
KW  - microbial diversity
KW  - shotgun sequencing
KW  - Small Aral Sea
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mbo3.1142
SN  - 2045-8827
VL  - 10
IS  - 1
SP  - 1
EP  - 10
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Weinheim
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Akimbekov, Nuraly
A1  - Digel, Ilya
A1  - Abdieva, Gulzhamal
A1  - Ualieva, Perizat
A1  - Tastambek, Kuanysh
T1  - Lignite biosolubilization and bioconversion by Bacillus sp.: the collation of analytical data
JF  - Biofuels
N2  - The vast metabolic potential of microbes in brown coal (lignite) processing and utilization can greatly contribute to innovative approaches to sustainable production of high-value products from coal. In this study, the multi-faceted and complex coal biosolubilization process by Bacillus sp. RKB 7 isolate from the Kazakhstan coal-mining soil is reported, and the derived products are characterized. Lignite solubilization tests performed for surface and suspension cultures testify to the formation of numerous soluble lignite-derived substances. Almost 24% of crude lignite (5% w/v) was solubilized within 14 days under slightly alkaline conditions (pH 8.2). FTIR analysis revealed various functional groups in the obtained biosolubilization products. Analyses of the lignite-derived humic products by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectrometry as well as elemental analysis yielded compatible results indicating the emerging products had a lower molecular weight and degree of aromaticity. Furthermore, XRD and SEM analyses were used to evaluate the biosolubilization processes from mineralogical and microscopic points of view. The findings not only contribute to a deeper understanding of microbe–mineral interactions in coal environments, but also contribute to knowledge of coal biosolubilization and bioconversion with regard to sustainable production of humic substances. The detailed and comprehensive analyses demonstrate the huge biotechnological potential of Bacillus sp. for agricultural productivity and environmental health.
KW  - humic acid
KW  - Bacillus sp
KW  - lignite
KW  - Biosolubilization
Y1  - 2021
SN  - 1759-7277
VL  - 12
IS  - 3
SP  - 247
EP  - 258
PB  - Taylor & Francis
CY  - London
ER  -