Scientists working for metallurgy

Creation and stages of development

The Abishev Chemical and Metallurgical Institute in Karaganda has been developing along this path for almost seven decades. Today it is one of the leading research centers of Kazakhstan in the field of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. Here they are engaged in the entire technological cycle - from the preparation of ore to the production of finished metal and materials.

But the history of the institute is not just a list of laboratories, technologies and patents. Behind it are generations of scientists, for whom metallurgy was not an abstract science, but a way to solve very specific problems of industry.

The Chemical and Metallurgical Institute was established in Karaganda in 1958. The decision to create it was made at a time when Central Kazakhstan was rapidly turning into one of the largest industrial centers of the country. The history begins with the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR No. 843 of September 27, 1958.

Karaganda, Temirtau, Zhezkazgan, Balkhash are cities around which powerful mining and metallurgical industries were formed. Here they mined ore, smelted metal, developed the chemical industry and mechanical engineering. But the industry needed not only mines and factories. She needed her own scientific base.

An important role in its creation was played by the first president of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR Kanysh Satpayev. It was on his initiative that a decision was made to organize the Chemical and Metallurgical Institute in Karaganda. The new institution was given practical tasks: to study the natural resources of Central Kazakhstan, to look for rational ways of their processing, to help metallurgical and chemical enterprises and to develop scientific research in the region.

The first director was a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR Irdan Azerbayev. He directed the institute from 1958 to 1960. Then for twelve years the director was academician Yevnei Buketov, one of the most famous scientists of Kazakhstan. In 1972, the Institute was headed by Zhantore Abishev, who led it for two decades.

Further, the baton was taken by Vitaly Malyshev, Boris Fialkov, Bolat Hasen, Manat Tolymbekov. Since 2017, the Institute is headed by Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan Saylaubai Baysanov. Each period left its own mark on the history of the Institute.

From Buketov to Abishev

For HMI, the names of the first leaders are not just pages of biography.

Under Yevnei Buketov, research related to the complex processing of copper raw materials developed. In 1969, for the development and development of the technology of complex processing of copper concentrates of the Balkhash Mining and Metallurgical Combine, the scientist was awarded the State Prize of the USSR.

Almost the entire scientific career of Zhantore Abishev was held at the institute - from a graduate student and a junior researcher to a director. For twenty years he led the KMI, while developing his own scientific school. From 1967 to 1992, Abishev headed the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Sulfide Technology. His research was devoted to the deep complex processing of hard-to-enrich mineral and man-made raw materials.

In 2000, the institute was named after academician Zhantore Abishev.

It is no coincidence that today his name is perceived not only as a tribute to the scientist. This is a kind of a sign of continuity: problems are changing, equipment is becoming more modern, digital technologies are emerging, but the main principle remains the same - fundamental science should reach production.

A special page is associated with Boris Fialkov. In the difficult years of the formation of independent Kazakhstan, he was engaged in a combination of fundamental research and applied developments. Under his leadership, tools were created to control and control the combustion processes of fuel and the work of various metallurgical furnaces.

And the name of Manat Tolymbekov is associated with most of the work on manganese ores, ferroalloys and direct doping became manganese. Under his leadership, the Institute expanded cooperation with the largest enterprises of Kazakhstan and CIS countries.

Thus, a scientific school gradually developed, in which generations of scientists did not start from scratch, but continued and developed the ideas of their predecessors.

By the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 642 dated July 22, 1993, KMI was included in the National Center for Complex Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan - RSE "NC KPMS RK".

By the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan of March 12, 2012 "On reorganization of the National Center for Complex Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan" and in accordance with the letter of the Committee of State Property and Privatization, the Institute was reorganized into a branch of the Republican State Enterprise on the right of economic management "National Center for Complex Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan" of the Committee of Industrial Development of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Chemical and Metallurgical Institute named after J. Abishev".

When an idea becomes a technology

Today, there are 14 research laboratories in KMI. Among them are laboratories of ore enrichment, steel metallurgy, ferroalloys, pyrometallurgical and thermochemical processes, electrochemistry, chemical analysis, waste physicochemistry and others. The Institute also has a testing center accredited according to the requirements of GOST ISO/IEC 17025.

Behind the dry names of laboratories are quite practical tasks.

How to get metal from complex raw materials? How to use waste production? How to reduce the consumption of expensive materials? How to involve in the processing of ore that was previously considered substandard? How to improve the quality of steel? How to make production more economical and at the same time reduce the burden on the environment?

These are the questions the researchers are looking for answers to. Over the years, they have developed more than a hundred technologies. Some have passed semi-industrial testing, some have already been implemented at enterprises, other developments are at the implementation stage. The main research is related to the enrichment and dipping of ores, the processing of substandard and man-made raw materials, as well as the production of ferrous, non-ferrous and rare metals.

From manganese to special alloys

One of the most significant developments is the technology of direct alloying steel manganese concentrate of Kazakhstani deposits. Simply put, scientists proposed to use manganese concentrate directly in the steelmaking process, bypassing a separate ferroalloy division.

In 1985-1993, the technology was introduced at the Karaganda Metallurgical Combine, Uzbek Metallurgical Plant, Pavlodar Tractor Plant and Uralvagonzavod. It was especially in demand during the period of a sharp reduction in the supply of manganese alloys from Ukraine.

Another example is complex silica aluminum alloys derived from high ash coals for steel production. The technology developed at the Institute allowed to reduce the cost of steel by replacing part of the traditionally used materials (primary aluminum and silicon). It was introduced at enterprises, including ArcelorMittal Temirtau JSC, and alloy tests were also carried out at foreign metallurgical enterprises. Currently, the construction of a ferroalloy plant focused on the production of complex coal alloys is almost completed in Karaganda.

There is a development institute and literally from waste. For example, scientists have created a technology for obtaining special coke from non-coking coals of the Shubarkol section. The resulting material was able to replace more expensive reducing agents in the production of crystalline silicon. Thanks to this development of the institute on the basis of the Shubarkol mine, today a plant is operating to produce more than 600 thousand tons of special coke per year. For the first time in Kazakhstan, Silicium Kazakhstan obtained crystalline silicon with a content of 99.5 percent of silicon from domestic raw materials.

Separately, we can note the launch of the 4th workshop of the Aktobe plant, where for the first time in the world the production of ferrochrome on the most powerful DC electric furnaces with a capacity of 110 MVA was mastered.

Other developments were aimed at processing gold-containing raw materials, oxidized copper ores, rare earth materials, molybdenum and tungsten-containing ores.

A separate direction is the use of man-made raw materials. That is, what until recently was perceived primarily as a departure. For modern production, this is especially important: metals and other useful components can remain in dumps and sludges, which can be returned to economic circulation.

Near the factory

The peculiarity of HMI is a close connection with production. Among the enterprises and organizations with which the Institute has cooperated and cooperates, ERG, KAZ Minerals Bozshakol, Kazakhmys Corporation, Tau-Ken Temir, Orken, Kaztemir IRON, Zhairem GOK, Aksu Ferroalloy Plant, ArcelorMittal Temirtau, as well as a number of Russian and Uzbek enterprises and scientific organizations.

For the Institute, this connection is fundamental. The factory doesn't need technology for the sake of the technology itself. It requires a specific result: a metal of a given quality, a lower consumption of raw materials, a higher extraction of a useful component, a smaller amount of waste, a reduced cost. Therefore, scientific work here often begins with a production problem.

An example of this is "KAZKAT." The theory of chaotic particles developed by the scientists of the institute was applied to improve the technology of production of rough copper and copper rod. Control of the temperature of the copper rod at the exit of the mill allowed to improve its quality and production volume. The economic effect indicated in the materials amounted to 892.9 million tenge per year.

Another example is work for Zhezkazgan copper smelting plant. Scientists have substantiated the necessary strength of the chapped copper charge, which allowed to reduce the consumption of imported binder and organize a new production of briquettes. Science becomes part of the production chain.

Awards not for beautiful formulas

The results of these works have also received state recognition.

In 2001, the team of scientists was awarded the State Prize of Kazakhstan for technologies for processing man-made raw materials with the production of ferrosilicoaluminum and pure varieties of sulfuric acid. In 2003, the State Prize was awarded for technologies for the production of new types of special-purpose materials - fluxes and special coke. In 2005 - for the development of a unified theory of chaotized particles and its application to improve the production of bleak copper and copper wire rod. In 2015 – for the industrial implementation of developments in the metallurgy of lead and gold. In 2017 – for technologies involving low-quality man-made raw materials in processing, contributing to the competitiveness of steelmaking production.

It turns out a kind of map of the development of domestic metallurgy: copper, manganese, ferroalloys, steel, gold, rare metals, man-made waste. In each of these areas there is a contribution of the Karaganda scientific school.

Today, 99 people work at the institute. Among them are doctors and candidates of sciences, PhDs, masters, academicians and laureates of state and scientific awards.

New times — new challenges

Metallurgy is changing. It is no longer enough just to extract ore and obtain metal. Complex processing of raw materials, waste reduction, environmental safety, increasing production efficiency, digitalization come to the fore. These changes are reflected in the work of HMI.

In 2026, Almaty hosted V international scientific and practical “Abishev Readings”, dedicated to the integration of modern science, digital technologies, artificial intelligence and industrial production in the mining and metallurgical complex. More than half of the reports were presented by young researchers – undergraduates, doctoral students and PhD.

It's an important detail. The scientific school of the Institute does not end with the names of scientists of the last century. It continues in the work of young professionals who are already using digital tools, mathematical modeling and machine learning.

And, perhaps, the main indicator of the vitality of a scientific school is the ability to answer the questions of its time.