Towards Sustainable Air Quality in Coal-Heated Cities: A Case Study from Astana, Kazakhstan
Agibayeva A. Kumisbek A. Nauyryzbay A. Avcu E. Zhalgasbayev K. Karaca F. Guney M.
November 2025Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Sustainability (Switzerland)
2025#17Issue 22
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 PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 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, PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 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 SO42− (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.
atmospheric pollutants , environmental sustainability , health impact assessment , inhalation bioaccessibility , particle morphology , particulate matter (PM) , sustainable urban development , urbanization impact
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Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan
Department of Built Environment, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, 0176, Norway
School of Earth Science & Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 61005, South Korea
Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemnitz University of Technology, Erfenschlager Str. 73, Chemnitz, 09125, Germany
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, 41001, Turkey
The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, London, WC1E 7HB, United Kingdom
The Environment & Resource Efficiency Cluster (EREC), Nazarbayev University, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department of Built Environment
School of Earth Science & Environmental Engineering
Institute of Materials Science and Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction
The Environment & Resource Efficiency Cluster (EREC)
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