The aim of this study was to optimize the composition of enamel consisting of aluminum pigment and polyphenylsiloxane polymer, in order to achieve the maximum aggregative stability of suspensions. Sedimentation rate (SR) was used as a criterion for assessing the aggregative stability of the suspensions. An original product, AS-1, and industrial additives PEPA and Telaz, were tested as surfactants. AS-1 was obtained from oil refining waste at M. Kozybayev North Kazakhstan University. All the studied surfactants improved the stability of the suspensions. The AS-1 additive significantly improved the stability of the suspensions, but exhibited a lower stabilizing ability by 10–20% than PEPA. The maximum overall stability of the suspensions was recorded at a PEPA level of 0.25–0.375 g/dm³ in the enamel. The Taguchi method was used to optimize the composition of the enamel, using AS-1 as the surfactant. It is recommended to use AS-1 in silicone enamels. Optimum compositions can reduce the petrol absorption of coatings by 1.5 times, their roughness by 2.5 times and increase their gloss.

This article discusses the results of an experiment conducted to determine the level of lead contamination of Petropavlovsk soil. The amount of lead in the soil of 6 types of samples taken from different districts of Petropavlovsk was determined, and the level of soil contamination with lead was determined. According to the calculation results, the highest level of lead content was found in soil samples taken near the thermal power plant (ТРР).