The study was conducted over the period of Oct 2018 to Apr 2019 and is aimed for the detection and estimation of four hazardous Volatile Organic Compounds VOC (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) so-called (BTEX) in samples collected from the produced water in the Al-Ahdab oil field in Iraq also to track their availability in the important natural water sources around the field. These compounds pose a risk to human health as well as environment. To avoid the laborious and tiresome conventional extraction methods, water samples were collected and concentrated using solid-phase extraction technique (SPE) which is a robust and cost-effective method of sample extraction with minimal exposure and handling of solvents and then to be analyzed via a gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). All of the collected samples were found contaminated with the BTEX compounds by unacceptable limits exceeding the recommended percentages. BTEX compounds were also found in the aquatic samples outside the field. Standard deviation (SD) was ranging from 0.01-0.73. The purpose of this study was to track and monitor the BTEX concentrations in the water produced by the Al-Ahdab oilfield and compare it with the BTEX levels in the water sources near the oilfield. Which is very important to control the impact of the discharged waters on the environment.
Water balance as a technique is considered one of the means that is relied upon in solving significant hydrological problems. The soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model was used in this study to assess the water balance in the Wadi Al-Mohammadi basin located at the eastern edge of the Western Desert. Digital elevation model, soil data, Land use - Land cover, and climate data represent the most important requirements for the SWAT model's input as a database. The Wadi Al-Mohammadi basin delineation results show the overall drainage area was 2286.8 km2 with seven sub-basins. The trend line of climate data indicates a clear increase in the total rainfall, relative humidity, temperature, and solar radiation from 1990-
... Show MoreIn this study, lateral groundwater inflow was examined, according to the phenomena of groundwater mixing, groundwater flow and groundwater chemistry. The study region is composed of different aquifer systems; including karst-fracture media (Rattga-Jeed carbonates aquifer), fissure–porous media (Mullusi, Mullusi-Ubaid, Hartha-Rutba, and Digma-Tayarat aquifers) and porous media (Permo-carboniferous clastics rocks of Ga’ra aquifer).The aquifers are vertically super-imposed or of lateral contacts make open hydraulic connection between aquifers system. There is a severe shortage of water resources in the region because of rare precipitation and strong evapotranspiration. These conditions have hampered eco-environm
... Show MoreVarious activities taking place within the city of Baghdad have significantly contributed to organic pollution in Rivers Tigris and Diyala. The present study aimed to assess some physical, chemical and biological aspects of six sites on Rivers Tigris and Diyala as they flow through the city of Baghdad. Monthly samples were collected for the period January to December, 2005. Marked differences in the physical and chemical characteristics of water were noted between the two rivers’ sites. Average values during the study period of dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, particulate organic matter, nitrate, phosphate and total dissolved solids for Tigris and Diyala were 7.8,4.7; 2.4,10.4; 350.1,921.4;7.8,13.9;1.2,4.8;814,2176 mg / l re
... Show MoreAdsorption 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
... Show MoreThis study aims to evaluate drinking water quality at the Al Wahda plant (WTP) in Baghdad city. A conventional water treatment plant with an average flow rate of 72.82 MLD. Water samples were taken from the influent and effluent of the treatment plant and analyzed for some physicochemical and biological parameters during the period from June to November 2020. The results of the evaluation indicate that treated water has almost the same characteristics as raw water; in other terms, the plant units do not remove pollutants as efficiently as intended. Based on this, the station appears to be nothing more than a series of water passage units. However, apart from Total dissolved solids, the mean values of all parameters in th
... Show MoreIraq territory as a whole and south of Iraq in particular encountered rapid desertification and signs of severe land degradation in the last decades. Both natural and anthropogenic factors are responsible for the extent of desertification. Remote sensing data and image analysis tools were employed to identify, detect, and monitor desertification in Basra governorate. Different remote sensing indicators and image indices were applied in order to better identify the desertification development in the study area, including the Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Salinity index (SI), Top Soil Grain Size Index (GSI) , Land Surface Temperature (LST) , Land Surface Soil Moisture (LSM), and La
... Show MoreThe current study aims to assess the water quality of the Al-Diwaniyah River in the city of Al-Diwaniyah to drink in terms of chemical properties and heavy metals and their impact on the health of the local population. The results showed that most of the parameters in the river water are of low concentrations due to the limited human activities in polluting the river water. The study concluded that the water quality is suitable for drinking depending on major cations and anions in all seasons. The Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI) showed that the river water was clean and safe, except two slightly polluted samples. The study concluded that river water for drinking or various domestic uses does not pose any danger to human heal
... Show MoreThe present study was designed to explore the relationship between radioactivity at Al-Rohban soil in Al-Najaf Governorate, located 30 km away from Najaf city center, and its microbial content. The radiological survey was conducted by γ–ray spectrometry, using purity Germanium (HPGe) detector. A selected surface soil layer (10 cm depth, 50 and 100 m expansion) was tested. The physical analyses were conducted in the Ministry of Environment, Center for Prevention of Radiation. The results showed that the estimated concentrations of Bi-214, Ra-226, Ac-228, Th-232, K-40 and Cs-137 were 47.93, 81.87, 5.03, 1.63, 126.3 and 3.5 Bq/Kg, respectively. Isotopes average concentrations were equivalent to the low
... Show More