Engineered geopolymer composite (EGC) is a high-performance material with enhanced mechanical and durability capabilities. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and silica fume (SF) are common binder materials in producing EGC. However, due to the scarcity and high cost of these materials in some countries, sustainable alternatives are needed. This research focused on producing eco-friendly EGC made of cheaper and more common pozzolanic waste materials that are rich in aluminum and silicon. Rice husk ash (RHA), granite waste powder (GWP), and volcanic pumice powder (VPP) were used as partial substitutions (10–50%) of GGBFS in EGC. The effects of these wastes on workability, unit weight, compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, water absorption, and porosity of EGC were examined. The residual compressive strength of the proposed EGC mixtures at high elevated temperatures (200, 400, and 600 °C) was also evaluated. Additionally, scanning electron microscope (SEM) was employed to analyze the EGC microstructure characteristics. The experimental results demonstrated that replacing GGBFS with RHA and GWP at high replacement ratios decreased EGC workability by up to 23.1% and 30.8%, respectively, while 50% VPP improved EGC workability by up to 38.5%. EGC mixtures made with 30% RHA, 20% GWP, or 10% VPP showed the optimal results in which they exhibited the highest compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths, as well as the highest residual compressive strength when exposed to high elevated temperatures. The water absorption and porosity increased by up to 106.1% and 75.1%, respectively, when using RHA; increased by up to 23.2% and 18.6%, respectively, when using GWP; and decreased by up to 24.7% and 22.6%, respectively, when using VPP in EGC.
Ten isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae, seven isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and nine isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, were obtained from 100 urine samples collected from Baghdad hospitals. All isolates were identified biochemically and confirmed by using VITEK 2 and were then tested for their susceptibility towards 6 antibiotics and for phenolic extracts of Thymus vulgaris and Cinnamomum cassia. All bacteria were greatly affected by T. vulgaris, especially K. pneumoniae. Viable count was performed, it was noted that the number of bacterial cells reduced from 1×108 CFU to 1.2× 103, 2×105 and 1.8×106CFU of K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus respectively. While C. cassiahad a slight effect on them. K. pneumoniae isola
... Show MoreThe corrosion inhibition effect of a new furan derivative (furan-2-ylmethyl sulfanyl acetic acid furan-2-ylmethylenehydrazide) on mild steel in 1.0 M HCl was investigated using corrosion potential (ECORR) and potentiodynamic polarization. The obtained results indicated that the new furan derivative (furan-2-ylmethyl sulfanyl acetic acid furan-2-ylmethylenehydrazide) (FSFD) has a promising inhibitive effects on the corrosion of mild steel in 1.0 M HCl across all of the conditions examined. The density functional theory (DFT) study was performed on the new furan derivative (FSFD) at the B3LYP/6-311G (d, p) basis set level to explore the relation between their inhibition efficiency and molecular electro
Zinc Oxide nanoparticles were prepared using pulsed laser ablation process from a pure zinc metal placed inside a liquid environment. The latter is composed of acetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) of 10−3 molarity and distilled water. A Ti:Sapphire laser of 800 nm wavelength, 1 kHz pulse repetition rate, 130 fs pulse duration is used at three values of pulse energies of 0.05 mJ, 1.11 mJ and 1.15 mJ. The evaluation of the optical properties for the obtained suspension was applied through ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy test (UV/VIS). The result showed peak wavelengths at 210 nm, 211 nm and 213 nm for the three used pulse energies 0.05 mJ, 1.11 mJ and 1.15 mJ respectively. This indicates a blue shift,
... Show MoreFire incidences are classed as catastrophic events, which mean that persons may experience mental distress and trauma. The development of a robotic vehicle specifically designed for fire extinguishing purposes has significant implications, as it not only addresses the issue of fire but also aims to safeguard human lives and minimize the extent of damage caused by indoor fire occurrences. The primary goal of the AFRC is to undergo a metamorphosis, allowing it to operate autonomously as a specialized support vehicle designed exclusively for the task of identifying and extinguishing fires. Researchers have undertaken the tasks of constructing an autonomous vehicle with robotic capabilities, devising a universal algorithm to be employed
... Show MoreThe conservation for biodiversity in Iraqi freshwater environments is important to protecting native species from the environmental impacts of alien species. Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) (Siluriformes, Clariidae) has been recognized as an alien species in Iraqi water bodies. This study aims to use molecular DNA to identify this catfish and trace its origins using. The DNA sequences of C. gariepinus were done using the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene, and a specific primer set. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was used to align the COI gene as a barcoding marker. After analysis, the sequences were compared with sequences in the National Center for Biology Information (NCBI) database
... Show MoreThe Planning and Resource Development Department of the Iraqi Ministry of Health is very interested in improving medical care, health education, and village training programs. Accordingly, and through the available capabilities of the ministry, itdesires to allocate seven health centers to four villages in Baghdad, Iraq therefore the ministry needs to determine the number of health centers allocated to each of these villages which achieves the greatest degree of the overall effectiveness of the seven health centers in a fuzzy environment. The objective of this study is to use a fuzzy dynamic programming(DP) method to determine the optimal allocation of these centers, which allows the greatest overall effectiveness of these health centers
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