Industrial effluents loaded with heavy metals are a cause of hazards to the humans and other forms of life. Conventional approaches, such as electroplating, ion exchange, and membrane processes, are used for removal of copper, cadmium, and lead and are often cost prohibitive with low efficiency at low metal ion concentration. Biosorption can be considered as an option which has been proven as more efficient and economical for removing the mentioned metal ions. Biosorbents used are fungi, yeasts, oil palm shells, coir pith carbon, peanut husks, and olive pulp. Recently, low cost and natural products have also been researched as biosorbent. This paper presents an attempt of the potential use of Iraqi date pits and Al-Khriet (i.e. substances locally available in Iraq and found in the legs of Typha domingensis) as basements. The important factors studied which affect the removal of copper ion are solution pH value (4–8), adsorbent dosage (0.5–2 g), contact time [((1/2–4) h) for Al-Khriet and (1/2–24) h for date pits]; and (50–200) ppm copper ion concentration. The results showed that it is possible to remove 96% of Cu+2 after 4 h contact time using Al-Khriet, and 84% of Cu+2 after 24 h contact time using date pits. The kinetic data agree with a pseudo-second-order equation. Isotherm analysis showed that the adsorption process describes Langmuir better than the Freundlich.
The galvanic corrosion of the (Cu - Fe), (Cu - Zn) and (Fe - Zn) couples have been investigated in 3.5% NaCl solution, 40ºC, different velocities (Re = 5000, 10000 and 15000) and different area ratio’s of cathode to anode (AR= 0.5,1 and 2), by using commercial metal pipe (cylindrical tube).The Zero Resistance Ammeter has been used to measure the galvanic current (Ig) and galvanic potential (Eg) with time. The galvanic current density increases with increasing velocity (Re) and the area ratio (AR). The galvanic potential (Eg) is shifted to less negative with increasing velocity (Re) and the area ratio (AR). A statistical relations for the galvanic current density and galvanic potential as a function of (Re). and the area ratio had been
... Show MoreThe effect of metal nanoparticles on the anaerobic digestion of sludge and the sludge bacterial community are still not well-understood, and both improvements and inhibitions have been reported. This study investigated the impact of 2, 10, and 30 mg/g TS silver and copper oxide nanoparticles (AgNPs and CuONPs) on the mesophilic anaerobic digestion of sludge and the bacterial community structure. The reactors were monitored for changes in tCOD, sCOD, TS, VS, biogas generation, and cell viability. Also, the relative abundance and taxonomic distribution of the bacterial communities were analyzed at the phylum and genus levels, including the genera involved in anaerobic digestion. Both AgNPs and CuONPs exhibited some inhibition on anaer
... Show MoreBackground: Osteoporosis is an extra-articular complication of rheumatoid arthritis that results in increased risk of fractures and associated morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Objective: To evaluate changes in bone mineral density in a sample of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients on biological (anti tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha) and non-biological agent disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Patients and Methods: A cross sectional study enrolled 60 RA patients diagnosed by rheumatologist according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (2010 ACR/EULAR) classification criteria for RA. Thirty patient on biological agent (anti TNF alpha) and 30 patient on non-biological agent (D
... Show MoreNatural convection heat transfer is experimentally investigated for laminar air flow in a vertical circular tube by using the boundary condition of constant wall heat flux in the ranges of (RaL) from (1.1*109) to (4.7*109). The experimental set-up was designed for determining the effect of different types of restrictions placed at entry of heated tube in bottom position, on the surface temperature distribution and on the local and average heat transfer coefficients. The apparatus was made with an electrically heated cylinder of a length (900mm) and diameter (30mm). The entry restrictions were included a circular tube of same diameter as the heated cylinder but with lengths of (60cm, 120cm), sharp-edge and
... Show MoreNatural fibers and particles reinforced composites are being broadly used due to their bio and specific properties such as low density and easy to machine and production with low cost. In this work, water absorption and mechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength and impact strength of recycled jute fibers reinforced epoxy resin were enhanced by treating these fibers with alkaline solution. The recycled jute fibers were treated with different concentration of (NaOH) solution at (25 0C) for a period of (24) hours. From the obtained results, it was found that all these properties are improved when fibers treated with (7.5wt% NaOH) related to untreated fibers. Conversely, the mentioned properties of composit
... Show MoreBackground: Dental erosion is a common oral condition which results due to consumption of high caloric and low pH acidic food such as carbonated drinks and fruit juices. It is expected that these food types can cause irreversible damage to dental hard tissues and early deterioration of the dental restorations. So, this study aimed to evaluate and compare the erosive potential effects of orange fruit juice and Miranda orange drink on the microhardness of an orthodontic composite material. Materials and methods: Thirty discs with a thickness of 2 mm and a diameter of 10 mm were prepared from orthodontic bonding composite. The prepared discs were equally divided into three groups (n=10). Microhardness analysis was carried out both prior to
... Show MoreBy reading the book (Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo) by Sean B. Carroll, new horizons opened up about the nature of the formation of the living organism. Although he presented the idea that the artist was influenced by the material assets of nature in his holographic art formations, the new science of Evo-Devo (Evolutionary Developmental Science) provided models worth standing on when comparing the similarity of the formation of living organisms on the one hand, and the formation of works of art with holographic organic bodies on the other. But the excitement lies in the fact that the formation of living natural organisms is often driven by subtle intelligent mechanisms that are different from the mechanisms us
... Show MoreA total of 45 voucher specimens of falcons which are deposited in the bird's collection of the Iraq Natural History Research Center and Museum (INHM) were reviewed. Mummified falcons were preserved as voucher study specimens and tagged with museum collection labels. In the current study, morphometrics of six species of the genus Falco Linnaeus, 1758: Lanner falcon F. biarmicus Temminck, 1825; Sacker Falcon F. cherrug Gray, 1834; Lesser Kestrel F. naumanni Fleischer, 1818; Peregrine Falcon F. peregrines Tunstall, 1771; Eurasian Hobby F. subbuteo Linnaeus, 1758 and Common Kestrel F. tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758 were documented. These species were recorded previously in the ornithological literatures by several authors and deposited in t
... Show MoreCoconut milk is considered as a natural drink that enhances the immunity and it is enriched by calcium, iron, magnesium and vitamin (C) and it is also safe drink for kids and bacterial anti-oxdant, and it may be used in the natural juices instead of the whole milk (cow milk) which is added to some juices. This study aimed to determine the nutritrnal value and the sensory evaluation properties of the natural orange juice enriched by canned coconut milk &nb
... Show MoreThe foreguts of a total of 515 fish of Chondrostoma regium (Heckel, 1843) (locally: Bala’aot Malloky) were studied. These fish were collected from Tigris River at Salah Al-Deen Province (between Al-Hagag & Yathrib) for 20 months between March and October of the next year. Detritus, plant in origin materials (19.6%, 23.0% & 24.9%); green and blue green algae, mostly Cladophora, Cosmarium and Merismpedia sp. (17.1%, 12.9% & 12.2%) and diatoms, mostly Diatoma, Chanathes, Amphora and Cyulbella sp. (16.9%, 8.8% & 8.2%) were the main food categories taken by these fishes according to occurrence (O%), volumetric methods (V%) and ranking index (R%). Debris (not part of the diet) took 45.3% of the studied fish foreguts by volume. Detritus was also
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