Alnur Akchurin

Living Water: How a School Student from Nur-Sultan Invented a Way to Increase Crop Yields Severalfold

When Alnur Akchurin, a school student from the capital, presented his innovative agricultural hydrogel designed to increase crop yields as part of the incubation program of Nazarbayev University’s Innovation Cluster, he was only 17 years old.

— I was the youngest participant, and many people probably did not take either the project or me seriously, — recalls Alnur, now a student at Northwestern University in the United States, a future specialist in applied mathematics and computer science, and a member of Forbes Kazakhstan’s “30 Under 30” ranking. Nearly two years later, his age had not prevented him from becoming the winner of the program, while his invention attracted the attention of specialists.

Chemistry and Life

According to Alnur, it all began with his interest in chemistry at school and his desire to try his hand at serious scientific research. In the 10th grade, he began looking for a professional who could help him take his first steps in science.

In 2017, Professor Erlan Zhatkambayev of the Kazakh University of Technology and Business took on the role of his mentor, which eventually developed into a business partnership. At the time, the professor was working on a polyacrylate hydrogel designed to moisturize sandy and low-fertility soils. Similar products were already being used in agriculture in China, Europe, and the United States, but they had not yet been applied in Kazakhstan.

— It is difficult to grow a good crop on sandy, low-fertility soils. A significant part of Kazakhstan’s soil is located in arid regions, where the amount of moisture lost through evaporation exceeds the amount received. We thought that we could develop different types of gels — both moisturizing gels and gels synthesized with fertilizers. After being applied, these gels decompose in the soil, supplying plant roots with moisture and nutrients. When fertilizers are applied directly to the soil, it is impossible to ensure the same concentration across different areas: some places receive more, others less. With a gel, it is possible to determine not only the ideal dosage but also the optimal ratio of fertilizers for different crops, — Alnur explains.

The main component of the gel is potassium polyacrylate, which dissolves very well in water, has a high moisture-absorption capacity and viscosity, and is resistant to high temperatures.

The gel can be granulated and applied to the soil in dry form together with seeds. Over time, plant roots grow around the granules, while the gel nourishes them: it releases moisture during periods of drought and absorbs water again during rainfall. One gram of the gel can absorb up to 100 grams of water.

Against Nature

The first trials conducted at the Krasnovodopad Agricultural Experimental Station showed that using 50 kg of gel per hectare increased crop yields by 180%.

Experiments also demonstrated that hydrogel could reduce water consumption as well as the amount of fertilizer applied to the soil. According to Alnur, rice, for example, requires a significant amount of water, and approximately 90 kg of fertilizer is used per hectare.

— When fertilizer-enriched hydrogel is located directly next to plant roots, the fertilizers themselves work more efficiently. This method also has significant environmental advantages: fertilizers are not washed away by rain or irrigation and do not contaminate the soil or bodies of water, — Alnur explains.

After the polyacrylate gel project participated in Nazarbayev University’s startup acceleration program in 2018, the developers signed a memorandum with the Aktobe Region regarding the potential use of the technology in the region’s agriculture.

According to Alnur, the Aktobe Region appeared to be an ideal testing ground because of its natural and climatic conditions.

— There is always an element of luck in any project. We were fortunate at that point to find people who were willing to support our idea, because there are also conservative farmers who find it difficult to embrace new solutions, — he says.

The project’s initiators also received an opportunity to collaborate with the Nuclear Technology Park in Kurchatov, which provided equipment for testing and production.

In early 2019, Alnur and his team began working on a project to produce mineral-enriched agricultural hydrogel based on chitosan. The chitosan base provides additional antibacterial properties. After several years, chitosan decomposes in the soil without harming it. Its production is also less expensive than the production of cellulose used in foreign agricultural hydrogels.

Shell Kazakhstan provided 500,000 tenge for the project as part of its sponsorship of the Nazarbayev University Innovation Cluster’s incubation program.

— The cellulose synthesis process is quite costly because it requires a constant supply of raw materials, making imported gels expensive. Chitosan, meanwhile, is obtained from chitin, which occurs naturally in the cell walls of certain types of fungi as well as in the shells of crustaceans and insects. In our case, raw materials could be obtained either by creating an industrial insect farm or a mushroom farm on the territory of the Nuclear Technology Park. The latter option is more attractive financially because it provides a higher chitosan yield compared with using insects and makes it possible to organize an almost closed production cycle, — Alnur says.

According to the inventor, agricultural hydrogels can be used to grow virtually any crop, including crops considered exotic for Kazakhstan. The key is to create the appropriate soil structure by reproducing it with the minerals and fertilizers “embedded” into the gel’s formula.

Unfortunately, the pandemic affected the implementation of the project. At the time, a patent application was being processed in Nur-Sultan. However, after a state of emergency was declared in March 2020, the developers lost the opportunity to conduct experiments and test the hydrogel under field conditions. Without this stage, it was impossible to plan mass production.

At the end of the previous year, the East Kazakhstan Region experienced a high level of illness, and local authorities introduced strict quarantine measures. This complicated the work of personnel involved in the production of the first type of gel in Kurchatov.

— In fact, all we have left is to conduct the experiments. But because of the coronavirus restrictions, we cannot do so, even though we have land plots available for testing and agreements with private companies. As for producing chitosan-based agricultural hydrogel, there are agricultural companies willing to support our research. They are interested in creating mushroom farms or insect farms to obtain the raw materials, but everything depends on the coronavirus situation. For now, we plan to start working in the summer, but we are trying not to give anyone false hope, — Alnur says with a sigh.

The Road to Knowledge

The force majeure did not prevent the young scientist from launching a new project in an area less affected by the pandemic than agriculture.

His new project, Impact, aims to help talented young people gain admission to foreign universities when their families either lack the financial resources to send them abroad or do not know how to properly organize the application process.

According to Alnur, Impact was preceded by a career-guidance project in Kazakhstan that he worked on with his friends.

— After coming to the United States to study, I realized that there are enormous opportunities here to gain knowledge. I also realized that many young people from the CIS countries simply do not believe that they are capable of getting into an American university. Some do not know where to start preparing for exams, many have limited financial resources, and some face health-related challenges. But we live in a time and in a world where the circumstances of your origin matter less and less. Your background should not be a reason to stop developing, — Alnur believes.

The project was launched in July 2020, and the team consists of 17 people.

Through Impact, more than 1,000 students have already received informational support, primarily high school students from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.

Currently, 15 people use Impact’s consulting services, while another 80 are enrolled in an informational course that Alnur and his colleagues launched at the end of the previous year.

As part of the course, students receive access to a platform with recorded lessons and webinars, while their homework completion is monitored. The program also includes exam preparation and preparation for the SAT, the standardized test used for admission to higher education institutions in the United States.

The team’s plans include creating an ecosystem that combines an educational platform, consulting services, and a fund designed to provide financial support to young people seeking a quality education at American universities.

— If we compare the cost of our services with the cost of IELTS preparation, for the same 50,000–60,000 tenge per month, we provide access to the educational materials accumulated on our platform as well as classes with instructors,— Alnur says. — There is nothing impossible about obtaining higher education abroad, even if the coronavirus means you may not be able to enter a university classroom anytime soon. You simply need to prepare seriously for the exams and thoroughly study the legal aspects of the application process.

At the same time, Alnur emphasizes that he has never viewed studying abroad as a step toward permanently leaving his home country.

— After receiving my degree, I will most likely work in the United States for a couple of years. Our university has strong connections with local companies, and failing to take advantage of such an opportunity for career growth would be, at the very least, short-sighted. But in the long term, I plan to return to Kazakhstan, contribute to its development, and share the knowledge I have gained. Our Impact project is not about leaving forever either. It is about returning home stronger than before, — Alnur says.