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.
Heterocyclic compounds are crucial for medicinal chemistry and the development of therapeutic agents like broad-spectrum antibiotics. This study devised a facile procedure to synthesize novel antimicrobial bicyclic heterocycles from 2-mercapto-3-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-one. Advanced analytical techniques including 1 H and 13C NMR, elemental analysis, and FT-IR spectroscopy characterized the intricate chemical structures of the products. In vitro assays tested the heterocycles against aerobic and anaerobic bacterial strains using fluconazole and ciprofloxacin as antifungal and antibacterial controls. Results demonstrated the formidable broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities of the synthesized compounds, with growth inhibition
... Show MoreThe presence of heavy metals in the environment is major concern due to their toxicity. In the present study a strong acid cation exchange resin, Amberlite IR 120 was used for the removal of lead, zinc and copper from simulated wastewater. The optimum conditions were determined in a batch system of concentration 100 mg/L, pH range between 1 and 8, contact time between 5 and 120 minutes, and amount of adsorbent was from 0.05 to 0.45 g/100 ml. A constant stirring speed, 180 rpm, was chosen during all of the experiments. The optimum conditions were found to be pH of 4 for copper and lead and pH 6 for zinc, contact time of 60 min and 0.35 g of adsorbent. Three different temperatures (25, 40 and 60°C) were selected to investigate the effect
... Show MoreInfluence of metal nanoparticles synthesized by microorganisms upon soil-borne microscopic fungus Aspergillus terreus K-8 was studied. It was established that the metal nanoparticles synthesized by microorganisms affect the enzymatic activity of the studied culture. Silver nanoparticles lead to a decrease in cellulase activity and completely suppress the amylase activity of the fungus, while copper nanoparticles completely inhibit the activity of both the cellulase complex and amylase. The obtained results imply that the large-scale use of silver and copper nanoparticles may disrupt biological processes in the soil and cause change in the physiological and biochemical state of soil-borne microorganisms as well.
This study aimed to determine the optimal conditions for extracting basil seed gum in addition to determine the chemical components of basil seeds. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate the effect of the mixing ratio of gum to ethanol when deposited on the basis of the gum yield which was1:1, 1:2, 1:3 (v/v) respectively. The best mixing ratio was one size of gum to two sizes of ethanol, which recorded the highest yield. Based on the earlier, the optimal conditions for extracting basil seed gum in different levels which included pH, temperature, mixing ratio seeds: water and the soaking duration were studied. The optimal conditions were: pH 8, temperature of 60°C, mixing ratio seeds: water 1:65 (w/v) and soaking duration of 30 min
... Show MoreLead remediation was achieved using simple cost, effective and eco-friendly way from industrial wastewater. Phragmitesaustralis (P.a) (Iraqi plant), was used as anovel biomaterial to remove lead ions from synthesized waste water. Different parameters which affected on adsorption processes were investigated like adsorbent dose, pH, contact time, and adsorbent particle size, to reach the optimized conditions (maximum adsorption). The adsorption of Pb (?) on (P.a) involved fast and slow process as a mechanism steps according to obey two theoretical adsorption isotherms; Langmuir and Freundlich. The thermos dynamic adsorption parameters were evaluated also. The (?H) obtained positive value that meanes adsorption of lead ions was an endothermic
... Show MoreCatalytic microwave-assisted pyrolysis of biomass is gaining popularity as an alternative to fossil fuels due to health, environmental, climate, and economic issues. This study conducted a catalytic pyrolysis process of the Albizia plant's branches using an Iraqi clay catalyst (bentonite) focusing on the variables including the biomass-particle size, experimental time, microwave power level, and the catalyst-to-biomass ratio. The physical and chemical properties of the resulting biofuel were analyzed presented by HHV, acidity, density, viscosity, GC-MS, FTIR for bio-oil and SEM, EDX, BET, HHV, FTIR for biochar. The study revealed that addition of bentonite as a catalyst led to enhanced production of biogas produced from 5% to 45% an
... Show MoreIn this paper we used frequentist and Bayesian approaches for the linear regression model to predict future observations for unemployment rates in Iraq. Parameters are estimated using the ordinary least squares method and for the Bayesian approach using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. Calculations are done using the R program. The analysis showed that the linear regression model using the Bayesian approach is better and can be used as an alternative to the frequentist approach. Two criteria, the root mean square error (RMSE) and the median absolute deviation (MAD) were used to compare the performance of the estimates. The results obtained showed that the unemployment rates will continue to increase in the next two decade
... Show MoreThe Web Design Quality Index, known as WDQI, was applied to assess the quality of websites for six Iraqi universities, namely Basra University, Mosul, Muthanna, Samarra, Dijla University College, and Al-Isra University College. The results of the index showed that the universities of Basra and Dijla University College had the highest value, at 71.07 and 70.39, respectively. Its final evaluation metric was that the website of these two universities needed a slight improvement. As for the rest of the other universities, the final values of the index ranged from 64.72-69.71. When the final values of the index are displayed on the final evaluation scale, it appears that the websites of the four universities need many improvements. The study
... Show MoreThe current research attempts to find a feed additive that enhances fish growth and eliminate toxins generated from fungi and mold, which are found in improperly manufactured and stored feed, while ensuring the safety of these fish meat for the consumer. Therefore, the organic properties of chitosan powder were examined in order to determine its impact on maturation of young
To explore the durability of some local species of wood to fungal deterioration among the
storage period, this research has conducted on three species Eufcalyptus cammaldulensis,
Juglans regia, presence of some genus of fungi; Aspergillus, Penicillium,Botryoderma,
Chaetomium, Phoma, Cladosporium and Pacilomyces in different intensities.
The two fungi Aspergillus and Penicillium appeared more dominants than others, therefore
they were chosen for the pathogenicity test. The results showed that the two species of fungi
preferred Juglans wood firstly were the size of infection was more than 10 times of any of the
other two woods. Eucalyptus showed similar response to that of Morus, but with Aspergillus
it was few bett