Human health can be negatively impacted by exposure to loud noise, which can harm the auditory system. Traffic noise is the leading cause of noise pollution. This paper studies the problem of noise pollution on the roads in Baghdad, Iraq. Due to the increase in vehicle numbers and road network modifications in Baghdad, noise levels became a serious topic to be studied. The aim of the paper was thus to study traffic noise levels and the effect of the traffic stream on noise levels and to formulate a prediction model that identified the guidelines used for designing or developing future roads in the city. Then, the noise levels were measured based on five variables: the functional classification of roads, traffic flow, vehicle speed, distance from the carriageway, and skid number. An analysis of traffic noise prediction was conducted using a simple linear regression model to accurately predict the equivalent sound levels. Finally, the findings have shown that the formulated prediction model gives acceptable prediction noise levels since the R2 is 88.83%. The results showed that the noise levels measured were 23.1% and 48.8% higher than the allowable noise levels limited by Iraqi standards during the daytime and nighttime, respectively. Further, studying the alternatives used to improve the performance of the environment on the existing roads in Baghdad can be considered as a future research direction. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-12-016 Full Text: PDF
ZnS:Ce3+ nanoparticles were prepared by a simple microwave irradiation method under mild condition. The starting materials for the synthesis of ZnS:Ce3+ quantum dots were zinc acetate (R & M Chemical) as zinc source, thioacetamide as a sulfur source, cerium chloride as cerium source and ethylene glycol as a solvent. All chemicals were analytical grade products and used without further purification. The quantum dots of ZnS:Ce3+ with cubic structure were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), the morphology of the film is seen by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) also by field effect scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and XRD. Upon exposure to 460 nm light at zero bias voltage, ZnS:Ce3+/p-Si showed a high sensitivity of 4000% an
... Show MoreIn this work, metal oxide nanostructures, mainly copper oxide (CuO), nickel oxide (NiO), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and multilayer structure, were synthesized by the DC reactive magnetron sputtering technique. The effect of deposition time on the spectroscopic characteristics, as well as on the nanoparticle size, was determined. A long deposition time allows more metal atoms sputtered from the target to bond to oxygen atoms and form CuO, NiO, or TiO2 molecules deposited as thin films on glass substrates. The structural characteristics of the final samples showed high structural purity as no other compounds than CuO, NiO, and TiO2 were found in the final samples. Also, the prepared multilayer structures did not show new compounds other than th
... Show MoreSol-gel derived CuCo-oxide coatings as solar selective surfaces, synthesized onto aluminium substrates at various annealing temperatures, are analysed by correlating their structural, chemical bonding states, and surface morphological topographies. As the annealing progressed, all the coatings displayed a Cu0.56Co2.44O4 (ICSD 78-2175) phase with preferential orientation along (400) reflection plane. Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data indicate that residual stress and microstrains developed around the coating surfaces are reduced resulting in mechanically stable thin films. Enhancement of the crystallite size and preferred orientation of the surface were confirmed via XRD, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM),
... Show MoreActivity test of the inhibitors purified from barley and broad beans crop proved the inhibition activity against 6 types of rots Pencillium ssp and Aspergellusflavus and Aspergillus niger and Fusarium solani and Fusarium semitectum and Mucor with three concentrations 0.1 and 0.2 and 0.3 mg/ml, where the inhibitor purified from the second peak of broad beans proved that it had a higher inhibition activity against the growth of test rots which were 53.75 and 62.5 and 78.5 and 76.25 and 84 and 18.8% respectively, at 0.3 mg/ ml followed by the first peak of the inhibitor purified from broad beans the inhibition activity were 43.75 and 50 and 62.96 and 75 and 80 and 12.5 then the inhibitor purified from barley in which the inhibition activity
... Show MoreBackground: The possibility of converting the organic fraction of municipal solid waste to mature compost using the composting bin method was studied. Nine distinct treatments were created by combining municipal solid waste (MSW) with animal waste (3:1, 2:1), poultry manure (3:1, 2:1), mixed waste (2:1:1), agricultural waste (dry leaves), biocont (Trichoderm hazarium), and humic acid. Weekly monitoring of temperature, pH, EC, organic matter (OM percent), and the C/N ratio was performed, and macronutrients (N, P, K) were measured. Trace elements, including heavy metals (Cd and Pb), were tested in the first and final weeks of maturity. Results: Temperatures in the first days of composting reached the thermophilic phase in MSW compost
... Show MoreBackground: The possibility of converting the organic fraction of municipal solid waste to mature compost using the composting bin method was studied. Nine distinct treatments were created by combining municipal solid waste (MSW) with animal waste (3:1, 2:1), poultry manure (3:1, 2:1), mixed waste (2:1:1), agricultural waste (dry leaves), biocont (Trichoderm hazarium), and humic acid. Weekly monitoring of temperature, pH, EC, organic matter (OM percent), and the C/N ratio was performed, and macronutrients (N, P, K) were measured. Trace elements, including heavy metals (Cd and Pb), were tested in the first and final weeks of maturity. Results: Temperatures in the first days of composting reached the thermophilic phase in MSW compost
... Show MoreSediment accumulated in sewers is a major concern source as it induces numerous operational and environmental problems. For instance, during wet weather flow, the re-suspension of this sediment accompanied by the combined sewer overflow may cause huge pollutant load to the receiving water body. The characteristics of the sewer sediment are important as it shapes its behaviour and determines the extent of the pollution load. In this paper, an investigation of sewer sediment and its characterization is done for a case study in Baghdad city. Sediment depth covers more than 50% of the sewer cross-sectional area; several operational causes are comprised to cause this huge depths of sediment depositions. The testing and analysis of the s
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