Towards Sustainable Air Quality in Coal-Heated Cities: A Case Study from Astana, Kazakhstan

Akmaral Agibayeva, Aiganym Kumisbek, Aslan Nauyryzbay, Egemen Avcu, Kuanysh Zhalgasbayev, Ferhat Karaca and Mert Guney ()
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Akmaral Agibayeva: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
Aiganym Kumisbek: Department of Built Environment, Oslo Metropolitan University, 0176 Oslo, Norway
Aslan Nauyryzbay: School of Earth Science & Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea
Egemen Avcu: Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemnitz University of Technology, Erfenschlager Str. 73, 09125 Chemnitz, Germany
Kuanysh Zhalgasbayev: The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, London WC1E 7HB, UK
Ferhat Karaca: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
Mert Guney: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-26

Abstract: Despite severe particulate matter (PM) pollution in Central Asia, limited air composition and health impact data are hindering sustainable air quality management and resilient urban planning. This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of PM 2.5 and PM 2.5–10 in the urban environment of Astana, Kazakhstan, a rapidly expanding city with intense winter heating demands. We characterized PM and atmospheric precipitation and assessed health risks using bioaccessible fractions of PM-bound potentially toxic elements (PTEs). Among 388 samples, PM 2.5 and PM 2.5–10 concentrations peaked at 534 and 1564 μg·m −3 , respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) identified soot and coal fly ash, indicating fossil fuel combustion as a major source. Precipitation characterization also showed elevated SO 4 2− (17.8 μg⋅L −1 ), V (108 μg⋅L −1 ), Ni (84.0 μg⋅L −1 ), and Mn (63.2 μg⋅L −1 ). Bioaccessibility tests showed high solubility for Fe (16,229 mg·kg −1 ) followed by V: key indicators of combustion emissions. Non-carcinogenic risk for Ni and V exceeded acceptable limits for adults and children (e.g., HQ: 6.07 for V for adults). Carcinogenic risk exceeded the threshold 10 −6 for Cd (adults), Co, Cr, and Ni. These findings may help advance urban air quality management via integrating bioaccessibility-based health risk assessment and source apportionment, supporting evidence-driven policies for environmentally responsible development in rapidly urbanizing cold-climate regions.

Keywords: atmospheric pollutants; environmental sustainability; health impact assessment; inhalation bioaccessibility; particle morphology; particulate matter (PM); sustainable urban development; urbanization impact (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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