BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Environ. Chem.
Sec. Environmental Analytical Methods
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fenvc.2025.1672872
Squalene Recovery from Uzen Oil Field Wastewater: A Novel Abiotic Resource
Provisionally accepted
Yerlan Suleimen1,2,3,4,5*
Alexander Trofimov4Gulnur Mamytbekova1,5
Dilnaz Kurbanaliyeva1,5
Burkitkan Akbay4
Tursonjan Tokay4*- 1Department of Chemistry, Chemical technology and Ecology, K Kulazhanov Kazahstan University of Technology and Business, Astana, Kazakhstan
- 2Major Projects Support Department, KMG Engineering LLP, Astana, Kazakhstan
- 3Laboratory of Engineering Profile of NMR Spectroscopy, Sh Ualikhanov Kokshetau State University, Kokshetau, Kazakhstan
- 4School of Sciences and Humanities, Department of Biology, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
- 5Institute of Applied Chemistry LLP, Astana, Kazakhstan
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Squalene (C₃₀H₅₀), a triterpene hydrocarbon, a critical precursor in the biosynthesis of cell membrane steroids, is enzymatically derived via squalene synthase in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Its remarkable physicochemical properties and potent antioxidant characteristics underlie its extensive application across various sectors including nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and fragrance industries. Historically, squalene has been predominantly sourced from shark liver oil and select plant oils. However, contemporary sustainable considerations have spurred pioneering investigations into unconventional reservoirs. This study reports, for the first time, the extraction of squalene from wastewater of Kazakhstan's Uzen oil field, identifying an abiotic reservoir with significant scientific and industrial potential. In this study, wastewater samples from the Uzen oil field were collected, extracted, and the composition of dissolved volatile compounds in the extract was investigated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Notably, the predominant constituents were hydrocarbons, which was expected. Intriguingly, the analysis also revealed substantial quantities of squalene – a natural biomarker of oil. This unexpected discovery underscores the significant promise of this unconventional source.
Keywords: Squalene, Uzen oil field, wastewater, Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC- MS), compositional analysis, SARS-CoV-2 vaccine adjuvant
Received: 25 Jul 2025; Accepted: 22 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Suleimen, Trofimov, Mamytbekova, Kurbanaliyeva, Akbay and Tokay. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yerlan Suleimen, ye.suleimen@niikmg.kz
Tursonjan Tokay, tursonjan.tokay@nu.edu.kz
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.