The development of low-cost, efficient, and environmentally friendly adsorbents capable of simultaneously removing both heavy metals and synthetic dyes from wastewater remains a critical challenge in environmental remediation. In this study, a novel chitosan/pumice (CS/PM) composite was synthesized and evaluated for its multifunctional adsorption performance toward four common and toxic pollutants: lead (Pb(II)), cadmium (Cd(II)), methylene blue (MB), and Congo red (CR). Characterization confirmed the successful integration of chitosan with pumice, resulting in reduced crystallinity, enhanced thermal stability, and active functional groups involved in adsorption. Adsorption experiments demonstrated optimal pollutant removal at a pH value of
... Show MoreHundreds of infrastructure investment projects are inserted into the Iraqi government budget annually. Many of these projects suffer from suspension, delay in completion, corruption, or other negative issues known in Iraqi construction projects. This may harm the country's economic recovery due to allocating funds to useless projects from one or more feasibility studies' components. Therefore, the best solution is to pay attention to the feasibility study reports. This study highlights the importance of feasibility studies reports for investment projects and their effective role in evaluating project ideas to ensure an equitable distribution of a country's financial resources to the most feasible investment projects. This importance
... Show MoreTraffic‐induced ground vibrations cause significant problems for residents and nearby structures. Reducing the effect of these vibrations on the neighboring environment is a key challenge, particularly in urban areas. This study presents both numerical and experimental investigations of the performance of mass scatters for screening ground vibrations. A three‐dimensional numerical model is validated and extended to conduct a comparative study on the efficiency of three geotechnical methods of isolation. These methods include trench barriers, wave‐impeding blocks (WIBs), and mass scatters. The results showed that mass scatters represent an efficient way of scattering ground vi
Climate change significantly affects photovoltaic (PV) energy potential in arid regions. This study quantifies climate change impacts on both monofacial and bifacial PV energy potential across Iraq using Community Climate System Model (CCSM4) projections under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios spanning 2020–2100. Specific mathematical frameworks accounting for thermal and irradiance characteristics were applied across 18 representative regions covering Iraq’s diverse climatic zones, with bifacial systems modeled using dual-surface irradiance capture incorporating ground reflection and thermal dynamics. Results reveal distinct northwest–southe
The steady 3-D raw water turbulent flow is numerically investigated. This flow is formed of solid silica sand (quartz) carried by water in stainless steel pipe. The flow in a straight pipe and flow in a pipe with a sudden contraction are analyzed using a two-way coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian approach. Erosion rate is estimated by Oka erosion model combined with the constant coefficient of restitution. The effect of solid particles mass flow rate, inlet velocity, particle diameter, internal pipe diameter, orientation, contraction coefficient, and wall pipe contraction angle on erosion rate are examined. The predicted erosion is distributed homogenously for straight pipe, while the step wall area of the contraction is the most eroded part. The
... Show MoreThe aim of this work is to explore the thermal performance of a tracked tubular solar still (TSS) with a parabolic trough concentrator in Baghdad (33.27° N, 44.37° E) in September 2022. The present tubular still is distinguished by its hexagonal glass cover. The effect of integrating the TSS with a heat pipe, the still tilt angle (10°, 15°), and the depth of saline water inside the still partitions on the productivity of freshwater are investigated. The results showed that using heat pipe enhances the freshwater productivity by 25%–40% and the efficiency by 25%. For the still integrated with heat pipe, as the water depth is increased from 5.5 to 6.5 cm the productivity of freshwater is incre
The 3D electro-Fenton technique is, due to its high efficiency, one of the technologies suggested to eliminate organic pollutants in wastewater. The type of particle electrode used in the 3D electro-Fenton process is one of the most crucial variables because of its effect on the formation of reactive species and the source of iron ions. The electrolytic cell in the current study consisted of graphite as an anode, carbon fiber (CF) modified with graphene as a cathode, and iron foam particles as a third electrode. A response surface methodology (RSM) approach was used to optimize the 3D electro-Fenton process. The RSM results revealed that the quadratic model has a high R2 of 99.05 %. At 4 g L-1 iron foam particles, time of 5 h, and
... Show MoreSoils encounter cyclic loading conditions in situ, for example during the earthquakes and in the construction sequences of pavements. Investigations on the local scale displacements of the soil grain and their failure patterns under the cyclic loading conditions are relatively scarce in the literature. In this study, the local displacement fields of a dense sand layer interacting with a rigid footing under the plane-strain condition are examined using both experiments and simulations. Three commonly used types of cyclic loading conditions were applied on the footing. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) is used to measure the local scale displacement fields in the soil, and to understand the ev
في السنوات الأخيرة، أدى التقدم التكنولوجي في إنترنت الأشياء (IoT) وأجهزة الاستشعار الذكية إلى فتح اتجاهات جديدة وإعطاء حلول عملية في مختلف قطاعات الحياة. يتم التعرف على إنترنت الأشياء كتنولوجيا حديثة تربط بين مختلف انواع الشبكات. تم تحسين أنواع مختلفة من قطاعات الرعاية الصحية في المجال الطبي بناءً على هذه التكنولوجيا. أحد هذه القطاعات الهامة هو نظام مراقبة الصحة (HMS). تعتبر مراقبة المريض عن بعد لاسلكيًا وبت
... Show MoreAlthough the axial aptitude and pile load transfer under static loading have been extensively documented, the dynamic axial reaction, on the other hand, requires further investigation. During a seismic event, the pile load applied may increase, while the soil load carrying capacity may decrease due to the shaking, resulting in additional settlement. The researchers concentrated their efforts on determining the cause of extensive damage to the piles after the seismic event. Such failures were linked to discontinuities in the subsoil due to abrupt differences in soil stiffness, and so actions were called kinematic impact of the earthquake on piles depending on the outcomes of laboratory
Different injection material types were tried in the injection of soft clay, such as lime (L), silica fume (SF), and leycobond-h (LH). In this study, experiments were made to study the effect of injection on soft clay consolidation settlement. A sample of natural soft clayey soil was investigated in the laboratory and the sample was injected with each of the grout materials used, L, SF, L + SF, and L + SF + LH. A 20 cm3 of each slurry grout was conducted into the soil, which was compacted in California Bearing Ratio (CBR) mold and cured for 7 days, and then the sample was loaded to 80 N load by a circular steel footing 60 mm in diameter. The settlement was r
This study is concerned with making comparison in using different geostatistical methods for porosity distribution of upper shale member - Zubair formation in Luhais oil field which was chosen to study.
Kriging, Gaussian random function simulation and sequential Gaussian simulation geostatistical methods were adopted in this study. After preparing all needed data which are contour map, well heads of 12 wells, well tops and porosity from CPI log. Petrel software 2009 was used for porosity distribution of mentioned formation in methods that are showed above. Comparisons were made among these three methods in order to choose the best one, the comparing cri
The use of piezocatalysis with photocatalysis in the degradation of organic pollutants has become an attractive research field due to the enhanced synergistic effect of the two processes. Herein, binary composites of AgBr decorated onto Br-doped g-C3N4 in different weight percentages (AgBr content was varied from 10 wt% to 40 wt%) have been built as heterojunction piezo-photo catalysts with a highly efficient performance. The 20 wt%AgBr/Br-g-C3N4 catalysts showed synergistically improved piezo-photo catalytic decomposition toward Methylene blue (MB) under visible-light and sonication exposure in a simple constructed split-plate airlift contactor, completing 99.7 % degradation of MB within 60 min. The heterogeneous junction established among
... Show MoreGundelia, a genus of flowering plants native to the Mediterranean region, particularly in Iraq, holds promise as a sustainable adsorbent for the treatment of dye-polluted water. This study explores the potential of Gundelia seeds (GS) waste as a biobased adsorbent for removing methylene blue dye from synthesized wastewater. Utilizing various analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), we assessed GS as an active adsorbent with performance comparable to fabricated and expensive composites. Key parameters such as pH (3-11), pH at the point of zero charge, temperature (298-328 K), dose (0.02-0.1 g), dye concentration (10-50 ppm), and
... Show MoreCOVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020, and the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to be a global concern with new variants. Our research focused on the relationship between COVID-19 and air pollution, and we included findings from recently published research. In summary, there is a direct relationship between air pollution and COVID-19 infection and fatality rates. This relationship was evident after many parts of the world declared lockdowns. Research to understand the relationship between infection rates and air pollutants identified indirect factors that contributed to the spread of infection. In this article, we explore studies on air pollutants, the use of face masks, weather conditions, short-
... Show MoreEco-friendly materials are increasingly used in civil engineering to support sustainable development. Conventional concrete relies heavily on Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), the production of which contributes significantly to the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) and fly ash can partially replace OPC, thereby reducing the environmental impact. This study investigates the effect of basalt fiber incorporation on the mechanical properties of geopolymer lightweight concrete. The concrete mixtures consisted of fly ash, slag, pumice aggregate, sand, and an alkaline activator prepared by combining sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate. The mix design included an activator-to-binder ratio of 0.45
... Show MoreEstimation of trip attraction and analyzing its main influencing factors are powerful for offering different classifications for business districts and presenting recommendations for improving attractiveness in long term. This is beneficial for designing transportation facilities and infrastructures. The paper presents the prediction of trip attraction using an artificial intelligence technology due to the profits that the technology can possess in shortening time, lowering expenses and saving effort. The new model has utilized six input parameters that have not been considered previously within the area of Nasiriyah city including; age and educational level of the passengers, mode of transport that the passengers use, purpose of the trip,
... Show MoreAccurate rock typing is essential for reservoir characterization because heterogeneous carbonate reservoirs exhibit complex pore systems that weaken conventional porosity- permeability relationships. This study presents a comprehensive comparative evaluation of conventional and machine learning-based rock typing techniques for the Jeribe-Euphrates carbonate reservoir in the Fauqi Oil Field, southern Iraq. Unlike previous studies that focused on a single classification approach, this work systematically compares Hydraulic Flow Units, Discrete Rock Types, the Winland (R35) method, Lorenz curve analysis, Accumulated Correlation analysis, and machine learning clustering techniques using a unified dataset. The analysis was conducted on 1
... Show MoreAn innovative greenhouse which integrates a conventional greenhouse with roof mounted solar air heaters is used in this investigation. This design reduces the solar radiation incoming to the greenhouse in summer which reduced the load and cost of greenhouse cooling and provides a means of solar heating. Experimental measurements of the internal air and internal soil sub-layer temperatures in the greenhouse, without crops, were performed in Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq (33.3 °N, 44.4 °E). Measurements were recorded for clear and partly cloudy winter days. A dynamic model was developed to predict the all internal temperatures of the greenhouse. This model includes soil surface heat exchange with the greenhouse air which was found to gi
... Show MoreGlass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) beams have gained attention due to their promising mechanical properties and potential for structural applications. Combining GFRP core and encasing materials creates a composite beam with superior mechanical properties. This paper describes the testing encased GFRP beams as composite Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams under low-velocity impact load. Theoretical analysis was used with practical results to simulate the tested beams' behavior and predict the generated energies during the impact loading. The impact response was investigated using repeated drops of 42.5 kg falling mass from various heights. An analysis was performed using accelerometer readings to calculate the generalized inertial load
... Show MoreThe study reported here aims to investigate the application of shape memory alloys (SMAs) in the form of strips for strengthening cracked reinforced concrete (RC) beams. The study proposes an innovative technique for prestressing RC beams by utilizing the shape recovery property of the alloy. Nine full-scale RC beams with a length of 3.75 m and a cross-section of 200 mm × 300 mm were categorized into three groups based on the steel reinforcement ratio, and tested under static loading. Three RC beams were used as control specimens and the other six were retrofitted with either one layer or two layers of SMA strips. The beams to be strengthened were exposed to an initial applied load before the installation of the SMA strip to sim
... Show MoreThis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel concrete-encased column (CE) using small circular steel tubes filled with cementitious grouting material (GFST) as the primary reinforcement instead of traditional steel bars. The research involved three different types of reinforcement: conventional steel bars, concrete-filled steel tubes with 30% of the reinforcement ratio of steel bars, and concrete-filled steel tubes with the same reinforcement ratio as steel bars. Twenty-four circular concrete columns were tested and categorized into six groups based on the type of reinforcement employed. Each group comprised four columns, with one subjected to concentric axial load, two subjected to eccentric axial load (with eccentrici
... Show MoreBio-binders are increasingly gaining attention in the pavement community as sustainable alternatives to conventional petroleum-derived asphalt binders. While complete replacement of asphalt binder remains challenging, growing environmental concerns and energy crises demand at least partial substitution with renewable and eco-friendly materials. In this context, this study explores the use of pomegranate molasses (PM), a natural bio-based product, as a novel asphalt binder modifier. A comprehensive experimental program was conducted to evaluate the chemical, thermal, rheological, and mechanical effects of PM incorporation at three dosages (10%, 20%, and 30% by weight of asphalt binder) compared with a reference binder (RB). Fourier Transform
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