Academician Sultanbek Myrzakhmetuly Kozhakhmetov Turns 90
On September 15, 2025, we celebrate the 90th anniversary of Sultanbek Myrzakhmetuly Kozhakhmetov, a distinguished metallurgist, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, and Laureate of the USSR State Prize in the field of Science and Technology.
Sultanbek Myrzakhmetuly is widely recognized in Kazakhstan, across the CIS countries, and internationally for his outstanding achievements in the theory and technology of autogenous processes used in the processing of non-ferrous metal sulfide concentrates.
After graduating from the Moscow Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals and Gold in 1958, S.M. Kozhakhmetov was invited by Academician Kanysh Satpayev to join the Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation at the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR. Over the years, he rose from a senior laboratory assistant to the position of Director of the Institute, making significant contributions to the advancement of science and industry.
For many years, Sultanbek Myrzakhmetuly combined his research activities with scientific, organizational, and public service. He served as a Member of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR, Academic Secretary of the Department of Earth Sciences, and Vice-President of the Academy. In addition, he was a full member (academician) of the National Engineering Academy and the National Academy of Natural Sciences of Kazakhstan, where he actively contributed to their development.
S.M. Kozhakhmetov is an internationally recognized scientist in the field of new technologies and theoretical foundations for the extraction of non-ferrous metals and associated elements. Under his direct supervision, the physicochemical foundations of a new generation of autogenous processes in copper metallurgy were developed, including in-depth studies of thermodynamics, kinetics, and oxidation-reduction mechanisms in sulfide-oxide systems. His fundamental research also covered gas-slag interactions at high temperatures.
In collaboration with Russian scientists, S.M. Kozhakhmetov co-developed innovative autogenous processes, which were successfully introduced into industrial practice at Kazakhstan’s copper smelting plants. In 1974, the Kivcet process for smelting complex copper-zinc raw materials was implemented for the first time at an industrial scale at the Ertys Copper Smelter. Later, between 1985 and 1987, under the leadership of Professor A.V. Vanyukov, a joint team of scientists from MISiS, IMOB JSC, and GINTSVEMET successfully introduced the Vanyukov process of liquid bath smelting for copper concentrates at the Balkhash Copper Smelter. Today, with the launch of the VP-1 and VP-2 production units, the plant has fully transitioned to this technology. The Vanyukov process has also been widely adopted at Norilsk and Sredneuralsk (Russia) and the Almalyk Copper Smelter (Uzbekistan).
For pioneering the introduction of Kivcet technology at the Ertys Copper Smelter in 1978, S.M. Kozhakhmetov, along with a team of scientists and engineers from the USSR and Kazakh SSR, was awarded the USSR State Prize. That same year, he successfully defended his Doctoral Dissertation at the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys.
In 2004, for his joint research with Israeli scientists, S.M. Kozhakhmetov and his graduate student Y. Kenzhaliyev were awarded honorary distinctions in extractive metallurgy by the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) in the United States. In 2005, he became a laureate of the prestigious “Golden Fortune” International Academic Ranking in Kyiv for collaborative studies with scientists from the CIS.
S.M. Kozhakhmetov is the author of over 600 scientific papers and inventions, including 10 international patents registered in the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, France, and other countries. Under his supervision, 17 PhD dissertations and 5 doctoral theses have been successfully defended.
For his exceptional contributions to science and industry, he has been awarded the Orders of Friendship of Peoples and Honour, numerous medals, as well as Certificates of Appreciation from the Supreme Council of the Kazakh SSR and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In recent years, Academician Kozhakhmetov, together with his colleagues at JSC Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation, has been conducting cutting-edge research and pilot testing on novel pyrometallurgical processes for the treatment of gold-bearing raw materials and oxidized nickel ores.
Academician Sultanbek Myrzakhmetuly Kozhakhmetov is a prominent scientist who has made an outstanding contribution to the development of metallurgical science in Kazakhstan, established a renowned scientific school, and earned a high reputation in both domestic and international metallurgy.
The staff of JSC Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation extends its heartfelt congratulations to Sultanbek Myrzakhmetuly on his 90th anniversary, wishing him good health, creative inspiration, long life, and well-being!
