Mesopotamia Environmental Journal

Trees play a very important role in filter out the dust pollution, and other fine particles present in air by absorption or accumulation process. The tree species possessing higher dust escaping capacity has higher chances of survival in the polluted areas. This study indicates that evergreen plants with simple, rough, and fast growing trees are good dust arrestors. The study suggested a systematic way of selecting plant species on the basis of their efficiency in dust control (Callistemon , Casuarina equisetifolia, Ziziphus Lotus, and Eucalyptus Globu) .The objective of the present study is to estimate the amount of deposition of particulate on the leaves surface of various species, and estimate the efficiency of four types of trees and to suggest the most suitable plant species foe plantation in dusty area.The results shown that the highest amount of dust deposited on the leaves of Casuarina equisetifolia (8.336 grams), then Callistemon tree (4.635 grams), while the Ziziphus Lotus tree was (2.291 grams), and the smallest amount of dust deposited on the Eucalyptus Globu tree (1.320 grams).The highest dust deposited on the all types of plants were in June, While the smallest amount of dust deposited in September.

The objective of this study was to investigate the level of radioactivity in the surface soils of Babylon University, Islamic University, Al-Mustaqbal University respectively by measuring the activity concentrations of various radiation emissions. It was measured 50 random deferent sites within Babylon University, and 22 random sites within Islamic University, as well as, 10 sites within Al- Mustaqbal University respectively by distance 30 cm from the surface soil involved all the departments, colleges and infrastructures. The results showed that the measurements were generally close together. For Babylon university, the highest value registered at the location (31) and the lowest value registered at two location: (9),(21). While for the Islamic University, the highest value registered at the location (12), (20) and the lowest value registered at two location: (1),(2).where for Al- Mustaqbal University, the highest value registered at the location (6) and the lowest value registered at location (7). It was noted that the study area is free from radioactive hazards, so the study area is save for human health.

This research was deals with the specifications of the industrial wastewater of Al-Furat company for chemical industries and pesticides, which are discharged to the Euphrates river and the extent to which they conform to the Iraqi specifications of the river maintenance system. This study divided in two stages. The first stage was included the study physical and chemical properties of the industrial wastewater, The laboratory analyzes of physical – chemical characteristics were carried out for the water coming out from the treatment unit of the, which includes pH measurement, total dissolved solids TDS, total suspended solids TSS, Sulphate (SO4), chlorides Cl- and chemical oxygen demand COD for the period from July 2016 to February 2017. While the second stage was included the study of the determination for heavy metals such as (Pb, Cu, Fe, Cr, Hg) in both phases dissolved and particulate in water. The samples of the testing for the heavy metals were taking from three stations.It was found that the physical - chemical specifications of effluent water from the treatment unit for the most effects within the permissible limits excepting total dissolved solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity don’t meet with permissible limit. It was also noticed through the statistical analysis that there are differences in the interpretation of most of the effects due to fluctuations in the production of the company in terms of quantity and quality from time to another. While the result of the study was shown that the concentrations of heavy metals in the particulate phase were higher than those in dissolved phase in water .

Global Climate Models (GCM) has been developed to perform climate projection to simulate and understand climate change in response to emission of greenhouse. The aim of this study is to use simple numerical climate models to investigate effect of various parameters, functions, and components of climate system on the temperature rise. Two climate changes scenarios used to estimate and explore the future rise surface air temperature over Iraq until 2050. EZgcm project has been supported at times by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as an easy model has been used by research to study climate of the past, present, and future. The results have been shown that the surface air temperature of Baghdad city was at starter of the first decade of the study scenario A(16.8 c) with an increase of about half a degree in each decade until reaching 21.2C in the last decade of the study and this is the highest score recorded in the study for scenario A. The temperature of sc C at the first of the study, which is higher than the scenario A. However C in thelast decade of the study.

The present research was carried out to study the adsorption phenomenon via a batch electrocoagulation cell. Simulated wastewater contain heavy metal such as lead is used as an experimental solution. This simulated solution was natural and the effecting other parameters were a constant stirring speed ( 150 rpm), (5-60) minutes of contact time, (10-300) ppm of lead concentration, and (0.2-2.6) Ampere of applied direct current. The results show that equilibrium isotherm curves gave a good fitting with Langmuir and Freundlich models with square regression values (0.975 and 0.767) respectively. Moreover, this research study the kinetics of adsorption using Lagergren's first-order equation and Ho's second ̶ order expression. The intra-particle diffusion model is studied to explore the intra-particle diffusion graphically. The thermodynamic parameters ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS were studied, the result shows that the adsorption process of lead was spontaneous and endothermic in nature.

Universities started to sign declarations and international agreements to introduce university's sustainability in. Studies for assessing the university's sustainability are common in developed countries; on the other hand, these studies are inadequate and insufficient in developing countries. In Iraq, there is not an inclusive study that demonstrates and measure the Iraqi universities sustainability. Moreover, this country lacks an assessment tool to assess the university's sustainability. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to propose a model that allows Iraqi universities to promote and evaluate sustainability. Furthermore, this paper provides a model that enables the development of university sustainability indicators, and eliminates some of the main weaknesses found in the models currently available. The model resulted in a set of 28 indicators, which form a flexible tool to assess sustainability of Iraqi universities which consist of (9) curriculums indicators, (7) social sustainability indicators, (3) transportation indicators and (5) green building and energy indicator, (2) recycling and waste management and (2) water use and conservation. These 28 indicators are suggested to be the key indicators for measuring the sustainability of the universities in Iraq

The possibility of using sewage sludge for treatment of water contaminated with nickel ions was investigated. Batch tests were conducted to evaluate the equilibrium sorption properties of the granular dead anaerobic sludge in nickel-containing aqueous solutions. Contact time, initial pH, initial concentration, sorbent dosage and agitation speed were found to be the most factors influenced on the treatment process. The best values of these parameters that will achieved removal efficiency of nickel (=99.5%) were 1h, 5, 50 mg/L, 0.2 g/100 ml and 300 rpm respectively. The results signified that the Langmuir isotherm model is a suitable for the sorption data of nickel by sewage sludge under the studied conditions.

The heavy metals such as lead Pb, copper Cu and iron Fe that found in drinking water resources causes toxicity and biological effects which is hazardous to human health. Kidney damage, headache and brain are the chronic effects on human resulting from long term exposure. In this study, samples are taken from six stations distributed in three places in Baghdad city from tap drinking water for the months of March to December 2014. The first two stations located in Al-Kadmyai area, the 3rd and 4th located in Al- Doora while the last two stations located in Al-Amryai area. Carcinogenic and non- carcinogenic risk assessment of lead, copper, and iron are implemented in order to show the probable cancer risk for inhabitants in Baghdad city. The determinations consist of the chronic daily intake for each pollutant, hazard quotient and total risk for adults' men, women and children, using Environmental Protection Agency EPA equations, ingestion, and dermal are the exposure pathways. The averages non- carcinogenic chronic daily intake through ingestion of water CDIing and through dermal adsorption CDIderm are as the following order: Pb>Cu>Fe for adult men, adult women and children respectively. The CDIing and CDIderm order for the three age groups is: children>adult women>adult men for all stations. The hazard index HI for ingestion and dermal contact of drinking water in six stations is less than 1, this means that population in Baghdad city which consumed tap water are in a safe place. The carcinogenic risk order through ingestion for lead is adult women>adult men>children in all stations. For all stations the values of carcinogenic risk CRing are between 10-6 and 10-4, it can be said that all stations are with the agreeable limit for carcinogenic risk for lead, so the population in three areas in Baghdad city is also in a safe area.