Mesopotamia Environmental Journal

The attached algae have a big role in lotic ecosystems. This study conducted to explain the different quantity of the attached algae on different substrates. Two macrophytes were selected as a natural substrate (Certophyllum demersum and Hydrilla verticillata) and artificial substrates and sampling taken monthly, from March 2013 to December 2013 from Tigris river within Al-Jadria campus of the University of Baghdad in the center of Baghdad city. Four biodiversity indices (Shannon-Weaver, richness, evenness and similarity) were calculated. The study showed a variation in the total number of attached algae on different substrates. The higher number of total algae was recorded on artificial substrates (26.68x104 individual/g WW) which represented as 44%. While the lowest number of benthic algae (8.76 x104 individual/g WW) was on H. verticllata and expressed as 23%. Also, different index values recorded on various substrates.

Plants play as filters to reduce air pollution that produce from the Brick Factory and also as bio-indicators of air quality can be divided plants for sensitivity or tolerance to air pollutants because the sensitive plants can serve as bio-indicator and the tolerant plants as sink for controlling air pollution in industrial areas. Biochemical parameters namely relative water content, leaf extract pH, ascorbic acid, and total chlorophyll, were estimated Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) for two plants each at the first site (S1) in the direction of predominant winds and the second site (S2) in opposite the direction of predominant winds. The results showed the plant Conocarpus lancifolius can be tolerant towards air pollution in comparison with plant Dodonaea viscosa that consider as sensitivity to air pollution.

Phytoplankton blooms, were noticed a long Shatt Al-Arab river and costal waters of north-west Arabian Gulf. The efforts were made to study this phenomena which was observed in this part of ROPME Sea Area . Phsio-chemical and biological parameters were studied to evaluate the relationship between these factors and the phytoplankton blooms which cauase the water to appear brow . The occurrence of suitable environmental factor such as water temperature(25.7-26.7)Co, salinity (39.1) ppt, calm weather, and relative increase of nutrients Nitrate(5.83 μg-at N/l), orthophosphate(0.929 μg-at PO4/l) and silicate(118.78 μg-at SiO4/l) lead to massive growth of phytoplankton achieved (4.46 x 106 cell/L) specially in the coastal area.The phytoplankton assemblage and biomass were studied. Fourty species of phytoplankton were identified (32) species belonging to diatoms and (8) species were dinoflagellates. Phytoplankton were dominated by diatoms Chaetoceros Thalassionema Rhizoslenia odentella and Coscinodiscus - Dinoflagellates were dominated by Dinophysis and Protoperdinium. Two species of Dinophysis and two species of Protoperdinium were recorded for the first time in Iraqi coastal water Dinophysis acuta, D. mitra and Protoperidinium crassipes, P. gracilie. The study clearly showed a relationship between the development of phytoplankton blooms and the input of nutrients.

The textile industries has been classified as one of the minor sources of pollution because it takes large quantities of water and bring large amounts of wastewater and colored dyes from multi stages of processing. The photo catalytic process is a very popular method of degradation and removal different dyes and one of most important agents of wastewater treatment in textile industries. In this research, dyes (Methyl Orange, Methylene blue, eriochrom black) degradation from the textile by product waste- water using commercial photocatalyst TiO2 was investigated. Different operating conditions ( catalyst , concentration , pH ) were studied and catalyst concentration range was ( 0.1 – 3 g / l) ,in addition pH values ( 10.2 , 7 , 5 , 12). Based on the results of this work, it may found that the optimum catalyst concentration was 2 g/l since maximum degradation percentage 60% was obtained and the optimum pH value was 7 since maximum degradation percentage was obtained at this value.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of white kidney beans as low cost adsorbent of the Congo red dye. The results show that the best contact time was 90 mints with removal efficiency (R%) 73%, the results also that there was a direct correlation between the increase in the adsorbent weight and the increase in R%, with R% up to 76.7 , while the initial dye concentration does not affect the adsorption process. From the results it been noticed that the adsorption of the congo red dye was the highest in the acidic medium with R% 73.3 and the lowest R% was observed in the alkali medium. The isotherm studies show that the freudlish isotherm fit well with experimental data rather than the Langmuir isotherm.

A total of 27 species in 5 orders, 10 families, 17 genus of Pteredophyta were recorded in Iraq, four species, Salviniaspp, Marselia capen Ceratopteris halictroides, Pinus halepensis and Thujao vientalis are distributed in middle and south part of Iraq, while the rest species (23) were recorded in deferent locations of Kurdistan. The rare species are Equisetum arvens, Phylitis scolopndrium, Asplenium virid, Anogramma leptophyla and Cystopteris regia are mostly found either in one or two locations in Duhok, Slemani and Erbil governorates, while, the most common species are Equisetum ramosissimum, Cheilanthess pp. Adiantum capillus- veneris. and Asplenlinium ceterach. The new records are Cheilanthes margirata (L.) Mick Cystopteris regia (L.) Bern and Athyriumfilix- femina (L) Roth.