This work focuses on the use of biologically produced activated carbon for improving the physi-co-chemical properties of water samples obtained from the Tigris River. An eco-friendly and low-cost activated carbon was prepared from the Alhagi plant using potassium hydroxide (KOH) as an impregnation agent. The prepared activated carbon was characterised using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to determine the functional groups that exist on the raw material (Alhagi plant) and Alhagi activated carbon (AAC). Scanning electron microscope–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope was also used to investigate the surface shape and the elements that compose the powder. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis was used to evaluate the specific surface area and pore size of the prepared AAC. This study investigated three influential variables: activation temperature, activation time and impregnation ratio (IR) (KOH: dried solid wt./wt.). Central composite design was used to determine the interactions between the influential vari-ables. Results show that an activation temperature of 650°C, activation time of 2.5 h and IR of 1:2.6 are optimal for activated carbon preparation. © 2023 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.
Seven leafhoppers (Cicadeilidae). and one plantboppei (Delpbacidae), Homoptera were identified from a one year operated light trap at the College of Agiculture farm in Abu¬Ghraib. The leafhoppers were: Balclutha hortensis Lind.; B. rufaofasciata Merine.; psammctettix alien us Dahlbem.; P. striatus L.; Extianus capicola.; Neoaliturus haematoceps H. R.; and Orozius albicnctus Dist. The planthopper was Sogatella vibix Haupt. one year records of their populations, indicated that B. rufofasciata occured during the fall from October 10 until December 18; E. capicola from October 24 until November 21 and again in the summer from March to October. The others occured only during the summer, from the end of March and early April until Mid-Septemb
... Show MoreThe experiment was conducted in the old botanical garden belong to Biology Department/ College of Education for Pure Science - Ibn Al-Haitham/Baghdad University for growing season 2015-2016 to study the effect of irrigation with four concentrations of sodium chloride (0, 50, 100, 150) mM.L-1 and spraying with selenium in three concentrations (0, 10, 20) mgL-1 on growth of broad bean plant using clay pots. The experiment was design according to completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Results indicated that broad bean plant irrigated with saline water and increasing concentrations of sodium chloride in growth medium caused a significant decreased in the plant growth parameters (plant height, no. of compound leaves. Plant-1
... Show MoreA fluorescence microscopy considered as a powerful imaging tool in biology and medicine. In addition to useful signal obtained from fluorescence microscopy, there are some defects in its images such as random variation in brightness, noise that caused by photon detection and some background pixels in the acquired fluorescence microscopic images appear wrongly auto-fluorescence property. All these practical limitations have a negative impact on the correct vision and analysis of the fluorescent microscope users. Our research enters the field of automation of image processing and image analysis using image processing techniques and applying this processing and analysis on one of the very important experiments in biology science. This research
... Show MoreCinnamon plant is considered one of important medicinal plants because it is rich with many active compounds. This research is aimed to study possible effects of extract in culture media of Gardenia jasmenoides. Alcoholic extract was prepared from the bark of cinnamon at different concentrations (0.0, 1.0, 2.0) mg/L, then added to culture media to notice the effect of these concentrations on the growth and development of tissues and organs of Gardenia jasmenoides Ellis in vitro. Results showed the positive effect of increasing callus fresh weight and shoot proliferation from single nodes with presence of plant regulators, 5.0 mg/L Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 3.0 mg/L Benzyl adenine (BA). Results showed that extract has a slight eff
... Show MoreSeeds, beans, leaves, fruit peel and seeds of five plants (Ferula assa-foetida, Coffea robusta, Olea europaea, Punica granatum and Vitis vinifera, respectively) were extracted with four solvents (distilled water, 80% methanol, 80% acetone and a mixed solvent that included methanol, ethanol, acetone and n-butanol at proportions 7:1:1:1). Such manipulation yielded 20 extracts, which were phytochemically analyzed for total polyphenols (TP) and flavonoids (TF). The DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity (RSA) and DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) relative inhibition activity (RIA) were also assessed for each extract. The results revealed that mixed solvent extract of V.
... Show MoreZanthoxylum L. 1753 belongs to the family Rutaceae. The plant, with its forest green color and with its distinctive fragrance attracted the attention of the study, specially it was an exotic to the environment of Iraq. Zanthoxylum is an exotic plant produced to Iraq and planted in gardens as an ever-green aromatic plant named (BUKHUR HINDI), as it is known among sellers and farmers in Iraq, because of the aromatic smell that emanated from the leaves and resembles Indian incense. The plant adapted to environmental conditions and succeeded in growing and blooming. It was examined and diagnosed for the first time in Iraq as Zanthoxylum beechyanum K. Koch. (Chinese pepper tree). Morphological characteristics and anatomical characteristi
... Show MorePlant extracts occupied a big place in diseases treatment and preserving human health because, they contain many active substances that can be exploited in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing from natural materials. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of plant extracts for each of Nigella sativa, Alliumsativum and Allium cepa against the fungal growth of Candida albicans that cause many skin diseases and infections to humans as well as Trichophyton mentagrophytes, which affects the hair, skin and nails. These two fungi have been isolated and diagnosed from people who have skin infection. Both fungal isolates were treated with extracts of Nigella sativa, Alliumsativum and Allium cepa
... Show MoreThe high cost of chemical analysis of water has necessitated various researches into finding alternative method of determining portable water quality. This paper is aimed at modelling the turbidity value as a water quality parameter. Mathematical models for turbidity removal were developed based on the relationships between water turbidity and other water criteria. Results showed that the turbidity of water is the cumulative effect of the individual parameters/factors affecting the system. A model equation for the evaluation and prediction of a clarifier’s performance was developed:
Model: T = T0(-1.36729 + 0.037101∙10λpH + 0.048928t + 0.00741387∙alk)
The developed model will aid the predictiv
... Show MoreA field study was conducted in Al-Khalis district, Diyala Governorate in 2019 to test the sensitivity of three varieties of pepper to the population density of the whitefly B. tabaci, Anaheim pepper, Aleppo and local variety, and the results showed that the Anaheim variety was the most infested with the whitefly density 4.08 whitefly/ leaf and then the local variety 2.7 whitefly/ leaf. The lowest population density was 1.25 whitefly/ leaf of Aleppo variety. Variety Aleppo also recorded the lowest percentage of whitefly infection B. tabaci of 39.22%, but not have significant differences in the percentage of whitefly infestation, as it reached 53.64% and 54.85% for the Anaheim and local varieties, respectively. The resistance of variety Alepp
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