The ability of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to uptake three pharmaceuticals (diclofenac, mefenamic acid and metronidazole) from two types of soil (clay and sandy soil) was investigated in this study to explore the human exposure to these pharmaceuticals via the consumption of beans. A pot experiment was conducted with beans plants which were grown in two types of soil for six weeks under controlled conditions. During the experiment period, the soil pore water was collected weekly and the concentrations of the test compounds in soil pore water as well as in plant organs (roots, stems and leaves) were weekly determined.
The results showed that the studied pharmaceuticals were detected in all plant tissues; their concentration

Adsorption techniques are widely used to remove organics pollutants from waste water particularly, when using low cost adsorbent available in Iraq. Al-Khriet powder which was found in legs of Typha Domingensis is used as bio sorbent for removing phenolic compounds from aqueous solution. The influence of adsorbent dosage and contact time on removal percentage and adsorb ate amount of phenol and 4- nitro phenol onto Al-Khriet were studied. The highest adsorption capacity was for 4-nitrophenol 91.5% than for phenol 82% with 50 mg/L concentration, 0.5 gm. dosage of adsorbent and pH 6 under a batch condition. The experimental data were tested using different isotherm models. The results show that Freundlich model resulted in the best fit also

The optimum conditions for production of fibrinolytic protease from an edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus grown on the solid medium , Sus medium, composed of Sus wastes (produced from extracted medicinal plant Glycyrrhiza glabra) were determined. Addition of 5% of Soya bean seeds meal in Sus medium recorded a maximum fibrinolytic protease activity resulting in 7.7 units / ml. The optimum moisture content of Sus medium supplemented with 5% Soya bean seeds meal was 60% resulting in 7.2 units / ml.Pleurotus ostreatus produced a maximum fibrinolytic protease activity when the spawn rate,pH of medium and incubation temperature were 2,6 and 30°C, respectively. The maximum fibrinolytic protease activity was 7.6 units / ml when incubat

The Sequencing Batch Reactor system (SBR) is a major component of the municipal wastewater biological treatment system and water reclamation that provides high-quality water that could be reused in restricted plants that which require large quantities of water despite the lack of water. The research aims to investigate the performance of a pilot plant SBR unit under real operation conditions that was installed and operated in Al-Rustamiya Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), Baghdad, Iraq. Results showed that the BOD5/COD ratio of the raw wastewater was within the average value at 0.66 emphasizing the organic nature of the influent flow and hence the amenability to biological treatment. The results also ensured that the treatment pro

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have gained much attention as biodegradable polymers, many efforts are being made to minimize the cost of PHAs by finding cheap carbon source depending on the type of microorganism and fermentation conditions. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of different glucose concentrations and other important conditions on the PHA production by Bacillus cereus isolated from soil. Polyhydroxyalkanoates PHAs accumulated by soil microorganisms were examined by screening the isolated bacteria using Sudan B Black and Nile Blue staining process. A Gram positive strain was identified using the 16s rRNA gene, deposited in the NCBI GenBank sequence database. Different growth conditions (favorite glucose concentrat

The present study was conducted to determine the optimum conditions required for lipase enzyme activity extracted from germinated sunflower seeds, including temperature, pH, agitation, time of incubation, enzyme concentration, substrate type, and concentrations of mineral salts and EDTA. Optimum pH, temperature and time of incubation required for lipase stability were also determined. The results showede optimum lipase activity (3.251U/ml) wasund at 30 ÌŠC and pH 7 after 20 minutes of incubation when using 1 ml lipase enzyme with 0.02 ml of CaCl2 (10 mM) at 100 rpm of agitation and in the presence of olive oil as the substrate for enzyme reaction. EDTA appeared to have inhibitory effects, while Ca+2 and Mg+2 have stimulatory effec

The optimum conditions for the production of neutral protease from local strain Aspergillus niger var carbonarius by solid – state fermentation system (Wheat bran) moisted with 0.2 M phosphate buffer (PH7.0) . the hydration ratio was 1:5 (V:W) . the concentration of inoculum was 1×106 spores per 10 gram of solid materials , initial P H 6.5 and 96 hours of incubation period at 30? C .the enzyme activity was 1300 unit / ml and specific activity was 1550 unit / mg protein .