Abstract-Industrial and urban development has resulted in the spread of plastic waste and the increase in the emissions of carbon dioxide resulting from the cement manufacturing process. The current research aims to produce green (environmentally friendly) concrete by using plastic waste as coarse aggregates in different proportions (10% and 20%) and nano silica sand powder as an alternative to cement in different proportions (5% and 10% by weight). The results showed that compressive strength decreased by 12.10% and 19.23% for 10% and 20% plastic waste replacement and increased by 12.89% and 20.39% for 5% and 10% silica sand replacement respectively at 28 days. Flexural strength decreased by 12.95% and 19.64% for 10% and 20% plastic waste replacement and increased by 11.16% and 19.86% for 5% and 10% silica sand replacement. Splitting tensile strength decreased by 12.74% and 20.22% for 10% and 20% plastic waste replacement and increased by 10.86% and 19.66% for 5% and 10% silica sand replacement. Dry density decreased by 4.51% and 7.83% for 10% and 20% plastic waste replacement and increased by 2.78% and 4.10% for 5% and 10% silica sand replacement respectively at 28 days.
Steel–concrete–steel (SCS) structural systems have economic and structural advantages over traditional reinforced concrete; thus, they have been widely used. The performance of concrete made from recycled rubber aggregate from scrap tires has been evaluated since the early 1990s. The use of rubberized concrete in structural construction remains necessary because of its high impact resistance, increases ductility, and produces a lightweight concrete; therefore, it adds such important properties to SCS members. In this research, the use of different concrete core materials in SCS was examined. Twelve SCS specimens were subjected to push-out monotonic loading for inspecting their mechanical performance. One specimen was constructed from co
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There is an interesting potential for the use of GFRP-pultruded profiles in hybrid GFRP-concrete structural elements, either for new constructions or for the rehabilitation of existing structures. This paper provides experimental and numerical investigations on the flexural performance of reinforced concrete (RC) specimens composite with encased pultruded GFRP I-sections. Five simply supported composite beams were tested in this experimental program to investigate the static flexural behavior of encased GFRP beams with high-strength concrete. Besides, the effect of using shear studs to improve the composite interaction between the GFRP beam and concrete as well as the effect of web stiffeners of GFRP were explored. Encasing the GFRP
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Composting is one of the solid waste management (SWM) methods where the organic component decomposed biologically under controlled conditions. In this study, a 0.166 m3 bioreactor tank was designed to compose 59.2Kg of simulated common municipal solid food waste having a bulk density, organic matter, organic carbon, pH, nitrogen content, C/N and nitrification index (NH4-N/ NO3-N) of 536.62 kg/m3, 62.34%, 34.76%, 6.53, 1.86%, 23 and 0.34 respectively. The bioreactor operated aerobically for 30 days, and anaerobically for 70 days, until the end of the composting process. Results proved that the composting process could reduce the mass of the waste by 69%. Nitrogen content,
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This study aims to determine the reasons for the increase in the frequency of sand and dust storms in the Middle East and to identify their sources and mitigate them. A set of climatic data from 60 years (1960–2022) was analyzed. Sand storms in Iraq are a silty sand mature arkose composed of 72.7% sand, 25.1% silt, and 2.19% clay; the clay fraction in dust storms constitutes 70%, with a small amount of silt (20.6%) and sand (9.4%). Dust and sand storms (%) are composed of quartz (49.2, 67.1), feldspar (4.9, 20.9), calcite (38, 5), gypsum (4.8, 0.4), dolomite (0.8, 1.0), and heavy minerals (3.2, 6.6). Increasing temperatures in Iraq, by an average of 2 °C for sixty years, have contributed to an increase in the number of dust storm
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This research set out to provide a faster, easier, and more efficient process for nanoparticle (NP) synthesis of aluminum oxide NPs preparation by microwave irradiation, using plant extracts separately and in the same way (tea, coffee, rosemary), which is an easy-to-use and inexpensive method. The structural properties were investigated by X-ray diffractometer analysis technique (XRD). The X-ray analysis shows the structure has a polycrystalline nature with a hexagonal phase. The optical properties were studied using ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectrometer, where the energy gap was determined. The surface morphology properties of the prepared aluminum NPs were examined by atomic force microscope (AFM). The Fourier transform infra
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The impact of exposure to different sizes of particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM7, and PM10) was evaluated in Babylon concrete plant workers who had been exposed to concrete dust for at least 10 years. The effects of these particles on the hematological parameters, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and antioxidant enzymes (catalase and glutathione peroxidase ) were examined. The results exhibited that the levels of PM2.5 and PM10 were higher than the acceptable limits approved by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The blood parameters, namely white blood cells (WBC), red blood cell (RBC) and platelets counts, demonstrated non-significant differences between workers exposed to the PM as compared to the control gro
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Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pumice, burning investment material
and black sand on the surface roughness of heat cure acrylic resin.
Methodology: Sixty specimens were prepared from pink heat cure acrylic resin, the specimens
where grouped into; 20 specimens which polished with pumice and water (control group); 20
specimens which polished with investment material (after burning it) and water; and 20 specimens
which polished with black sand and water. The average surface roughness of specimens after
polishing procedure had been determined by profilometer (surface roughness tester).
Results: Through the application of ANOVA and LSD tests, the result of this study showed that there
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Abstract: In recent times, global attention has increasingly focused on the critical issue of environmental sustainability, owing to escalating environmental degradation exacerbated by the utilization of green spaces and technological innovation. This phenomenon necessitates thorough examination, prompting the present study to scrutinize the impact of various factors, namely green spaces, technological innovation, environmental taxes, renewable energy consumption (REC), inflation, and economic growth (EG), on environmental sustainability within the context of Iraq. Secondary data extracted from the World Development Indicators (WDI) spanning the period from 1991 to 2022 served as the foundation for this investigation. Methodologically, the
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In the last decades of the twentieth century, ideas emerged that were increasingly being floated, stating that the planet is suffering from a population explosion, depletion of resources, and environmental problems that require action to be addressed. Although these problems in practice need scientific solutions, the problem is that these solutions collide with ideologies. Here the green political thought emerges, based on the criticism of many ideological axioms. The owners of green thinking agree that most environmental damage is due to the humanist doctrine. It criticizes modernity accompanied by a scientific revolution, where this criticism centered around (the rationality of the scientific and technological mind), here the green pol
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