This paper presents the surface water absorption of self-compacting concrete (SCC) containing fly ash and silica fume using sorptivity test. Ordinary Portland cement was partially replaced by various combinations of fly ash and silica fume. Test results show that the presence of fly ash and silica fume significantly reduce the surface water absorption of self-compacting concrete at a water-binder ratio of 0.38. When only fly ash is used to partially replace Ordinary Portland cement, a more noticeable reduction in sorptivity is found when the fly ash content is greater than 20%. The effect of combined use of fly ash and silica fume on reducing the water absorption and sorptivity is much more significant than using fly ash only. Moreover, it is noted that increasing the proportion of fly ash and silica fume leads to an enhanced reduction in water absorption. The addition of fly ash and silica fume, in general, increases the 28-day cube strength. However, there is no correlation between the compressive strength and the sorptivity in SCC achieved.

Kazakhstan’s electricity generation depends heavily on fossil fuels. Renewables and other non-fossil resources provide potential alternatives to diversify the electricity generation system. In this paper, various potential local non-fossil fuel resources, hydro, solar, wind, biomass and uranium are reviewed and an assessment framework for prioritizing these resources is established. A multi-criteria decision making approach, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) based on expert opinion, is utilized for developing the assessment model, using four main criteria of technical, economic, social and environmental aspects and thirteen sub-criteria. The review reveal that Kazakhstan has ample potential to develop a non-fossil fuel based electricity system. Furthermore, the model shows hydro to be the most favorable resource followed by solar; wind and nuclear are ranked third and fourth, respectively while biomass is found to be the least attractive option. It is also found that each resource is inclined towards a particular criterion; hydro towards social, solar towards economic, nuclear towards technical, with biomass and wind directed towards environmental. Besides reporting the use of the AHP model for the first time in the Kazakhstan context, the assessment carried out in this paper can assist decision-makers to articulate long-term energy policy for any country