My name is Adnan Afaj and my approach is environmental geochemistry. I have supervised more than 16 PhD students and more than 25 MSC students. I have published more than 60 articles in different journal.
Iraqi Journal of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations were measured in aerosol samples c... more Sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations were measured in aerosol samples collected for the period from April 2012 to February 2013 at thermal south power station of Baghdad. Fourty one aerosol sample were extracted with (1:1) dichloromethane and methanol using soxhlet for seventeen hour. The extraction solution was analyzed applying GC/MS. The PAH concentrations outside thermal south power station were higher than those inside it, and higher in summer season than in winter. Naphthalene, pyrene, Anthracene, Indeno [1, 2, 3-cd] pyrene and Phenanthrene were the most abundant PAHs detected in all points at the site sampling. The total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (TPAH) and total suspended particles (TSP) concentrations were measured during the measurement period. For individual PAH compounds, the results showed a strong correlation with each other (0.998 - 0.77) at both sites.
The average concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, and Cd) with the polycyclic aromatic ... more The average concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, and Cd) with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil of Kirkuk Oil Refinery and the surroundings were determined in 15 selected locations. The sample collection was carried out in two periods: October 2010 and March 2011. In comparison with other studies, the concentration levels of heavy metals show that the values are within or lower than those of other studies, except for the concentration of Cd in the two periods, which are higher. The average concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil indicates 3.5 ppb in October, while in March it is 14.2 ppb. The model of cumulative effect of PAHs, determined by GIS program for both sampling periods, shows an increase of concentration in wind directions away from the site of Kirkuk Oil Refinery.
In this study, effects of shisha smoking on some blood components were evaluated in (120) male ad... more In this study, effects of shisha smoking on some blood components were evaluated in (120) male adult mice. The animals were divided into four groups according to smoke types (cigarette, shisha, cigarette +shisha) in addition to control groups which exposed to fresh air only. A special inhalation chamber designed locally has been used to expose the animals. Exposed to cigarette smoke was done for 5 min/day while exposed to shisha smoke for 15 min /day /7days/weeks for 4,8,12 weeks. Blood samples were collected to evaluate some hematological variables. The results showed that RBC, WBC count, Hb, PCV, differential leukocyte (Lymphocyte, Monocyte, Neutrphils) were significantly high (P≤0.001) in groups which exposed to shisha smoke as compared with those exposed to cigarette smoke. These values were increased with increasing of exposure periods and become clearer in groups exposed for 12 weeks. It was concluded that shisha smoke contains high concentrations of toxicants as compared to c...
The development of new technology increases the exposure level to non-ionizing EMF radiations. Re... more The development of new technology increases the exposure level to non-ionizing EMF radiations. Recent development of spatial data management in the framework of GIS has created a new trend of environmental mapping. In this work, maps for different EMF sources have been developed for the Baghdad city using Arc Map GIS version 10, the utilization of such spatial analysis maps is very important for future planning and EMF exposure assessment studies. Statistical analysis for measurement data was made using IBM SPSS Version 20. The maximum contribution of EMF exposure was referred to FM radio stations and GSM mobile base station due to high power transmitters and large number of base stations, maximum EMF strength caused by FM radio stations was 10.2 (V/m) and the average exposure level 3.578 (V/m). High-level exposure values unveil the necessity of imposing new recommendations and limits concerning stations site selection and reducing exposure levels in residential areas as low as poss...
Shisha smoke represents one of the causes of indoor air pollution. Heavy metals represent the mai... more Shisha smoke represents one of the causes of indoor air pollution. Heavy metals represent the main components in shisha smoke. In this research study, the indoor concentrations of heavy metals in shisha smoke café sites was investigated, samples were taken from two café sites (site1, site 2) which differ in their volume. Site1 volume was 77m 3 , while site 2 was 437.5m 3 . Sample were taken by using a low volume sampler (sniffer), and then examined by the Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). The results showed that indoor air shisha smoke samples for both experimental sites have shown a significant amount of heavy metals as compared with control sampling values. The mean concentration values of (Pb, Zn, Co, Ni, Cr) in site 1 were (11.004, 9.544, 24.088, 19.84, 24.98 μg/m 3 ) respectively, while the mean concentration values of these heavy metal in site 2 were (5.574, 6.578, 16.684, 26.114, 9.636 μg/m 3 ) respectively. Results and conclusions referred those indoor air concentrations...
A radioactive liquid waste contaminated with cesium-137 was found underneath a destructed radioac... more A radioactive liquid waste contaminated with cesium-137 was found underneath a destructed radioactive waste treatment station in Tuwaytha site 25 km south of Baghdad - Iraq.The appropriate sorbent materials found for the removal of radio cesium-137 were bentonite and modified bentonite with corresponding removal efficiencies of 85% and 91.8% respectively. The favorable batch experimental conditions were found to be 800 rpm stirring speed, 200 mg sorbent mass, 45μm sorbent particle size, and solution temperature of 30 oC for an initial radio cesium concentration of 0.44 mg/l.The BET isotherm model was found to represent the experimental results very well.
For this study, 25 samples of urinary stones were chosen from different provinces in Iraq as repr... more For this study, 25 samples of urinary stones were chosen from different provinces in Iraq as representative sampling localities. These samples of urinary stones were collected to represent kidney, urate, and bladder stones. The main objectives of this study are to try to shed some light on the possibilities of tracking down the effective environmental factors that determine the mineralogical and chemical composition of these stones. The stones were examined using several techniques, the most important of which was the use of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique to determine the mineralogical composition of these stones. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test was conducted to determine the crystallographic forms and structures for the minerals forming these stones. Optical properties of these minerals were studied using a polarizing microscope. All these techniques revealed that the calcium oxalate, represented in Whewellite mineral, is the most dominant type of these stones, in ...
Context: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram negative opportunistic bacteria causes several infectio... more Context: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram negative opportunistic bacteria causes several infections commonly colonize these devices and developing biofilms. Bacteria in biofilm can be up to 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics than the same bacteria circulating in a planktonic state. Case Report: A total of 10 isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from catheter associated urinary tract infections. While carbenicillin was the most effective antibiotic, all isolates developed multidrug resistant. Both crude and purified bacteriocin showed marked inhibition activity against planktonic and biofilm of the highly resistant isolate P. aeruginosa P7. Conclusion: Bacteriocin extracted from a locally isolated L. acidophilus has an anti P. aeruginosa biofilm activity also it can be used as a therapeutic agent after adequate in vivo experimentation.
The total suspended particles (TSP) concentrations in air at Kirkuk Oil Refinery and the areas ar... more The total suspended particles (TSP) concentrations in air at Kirkuk Oil Refinery and the areas around was determined by using low volume air sampler (Sniffer) at selected locations in two periods October 2010 and March 2011. The results of average concentration of suspended particles (TSP) are higher than the permissible limits of the Iraqi National determinants of (350 μg/m 3) and the world limits of (60-90 μg/m 3) at the two periods: October 2010 (818.94μg/m 3) and March 2011(956.8μg/m 3). The little difference between the two periods reflects the little effect of the seasonal changes. Comparison of the averages of the heavy metals (Pb, Ni, Cr, and Cd) with the national and world limits, noticed that they are higher than these limits. Except for the concentration of Copper (Cu), at the two periods were lower than the world limits. These results represent the effect of meteorological factors on the air quality of the studied area. Consequently, the TSP and heavy metals pollutants c...
Iraqi Journal of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations were measured in aerosol samples c... more Sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations were measured in aerosol samples collected for the period from April 2012 to February 2013 at thermal south power station of Baghdad. Fourty one aerosol sample were extracted with (1:1) dichloromethane and methanol using soxhlet for seventeen hour. The extraction solution was analyzed applying GC/MS. The PAH concentrations outside thermal south power station were higher than those inside it, and higher in summer season than in winter. Naphthalene, pyrene, Anthracene, Indeno [1, 2, 3-cd] pyrene and Phenanthrene were the most abundant PAHs detected in all points at the site sampling. The total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (TPAH) and total suspended particles (TSP) concentrations were measured during the measurement period. For individual PAH compounds, the results showed a strong correlation with each other (0.998 - 0.77) at both sites.
The average concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, and Cd) with the polycyclic aromatic ... more The average concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, and Cd) with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil of Kirkuk Oil Refinery and the surroundings were determined in 15 selected locations. The sample collection was carried out in two periods: October 2010 and March 2011. In comparison with other studies, the concentration levels of heavy metals show that the values are within or lower than those of other studies, except for the concentration of Cd in the two periods, which are higher. The average concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil indicates 3.5 ppb in October, while in March it is 14.2 ppb. The model of cumulative effect of PAHs, determined by GIS program for both sampling periods, shows an increase of concentration in wind directions away from the site of Kirkuk Oil Refinery.
In this study, effects of shisha smoking on some blood components were evaluated in (120) male ad... more In this study, effects of shisha smoking on some blood components were evaluated in (120) male adult mice. The animals were divided into four groups according to smoke types (cigarette, shisha, cigarette +shisha) in addition to control groups which exposed to fresh air only. A special inhalation chamber designed locally has been used to expose the animals. Exposed to cigarette smoke was done for 5 min/day while exposed to shisha smoke for 15 min /day /7days/weeks for 4,8,12 weeks. Blood samples were collected to evaluate some hematological variables. The results showed that RBC, WBC count, Hb, PCV, differential leukocyte (Lymphocyte, Monocyte, Neutrphils) were significantly high (P≤0.001) in groups which exposed to shisha smoke as compared with those exposed to cigarette smoke. These values were increased with increasing of exposure periods and become clearer in groups exposed for 12 weeks. It was concluded that shisha smoke contains high concentrations of toxicants as compared to c...
The development of new technology increases the exposure level to non-ionizing EMF radiations. Re... more The development of new technology increases the exposure level to non-ionizing EMF radiations. Recent development of spatial data management in the framework of GIS has created a new trend of environmental mapping. In this work, maps for different EMF sources have been developed for the Baghdad city using Arc Map GIS version 10, the utilization of such spatial analysis maps is very important for future planning and EMF exposure assessment studies. Statistical analysis for measurement data was made using IBM SPSS Version 20. The maximum contribution of EMF exposure was referred to FM radio stations and GSM mobile base station due to high power transmitters and large number of base stations, maximum EMF strength caused by FM radio stations was 10.2 (V/m) and the average exposure level 3.578 (V/m). High-level exposure values unveil the necessity of imposing new recommendations and limits concerning stations site selection and reducing exposure levels in residential areas as low as poss...
Shisha smoke represents one of the causes of indoor air pollution. Heavy metals represent the mai... more Shisha smoke represents one of the causes of indoor air pollution. Heavy metals represent the main components in shisha smoke. In this research study, the indoor concentrations of heavy metals in shisha smoke café sites was investigated, samples were taken from two café sites (site1, site 2) which differ in their volume. Site1 volume was 77m 3 , while site 2 was 437.5m 3 . Sample were taken by using a low volume sampler (sniffer), and then examined by the Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). The results showed that indoor air shisha smoke samples for both experimental sites have shown a significant amount of heavy metals as compared with control sampling values. The mean concentration values of (Pb, Zn, Co, Ni, Cr) in site 1 were (11.004, 9.544, 24.088, 19.84, 24.98 μg/m 3 ) respectively, while the mean concentration values of these heavy metal in site 2 were (5.574, 6.578, 16.684, 26.114, 9.636 μg/m 3 ) respectively. Results and conclusions referred those indoor air concentrations...
A radioactive liquid waste contaminated with cesium-137 was found underneath a destructed radioac... more A radioactive liquid waste contaminated with cesium-137 was found underneath a destructed radioactive waste treatment station in Tuwaytha site 25 km south of Baghdad - Iraq.The appropriate sorbent materials found for the removal of radio cesium-137 were bentonite and modified bentonite with corresponding removal efficiencies of 85% and 91.8% respectively. The favorable batch experimental conditions were found to be 800 rpm stirring speed, 200 mg sorbent mass, 45μm sorbent particle size, and solution temperature of 30 oC for an initial radio cesium concentration of 0.44 mg/l.The BET isotherm model was found to represent the experimental results very well.
For this study, 25 samples of urinary stones were chosen from different provinces in Iraq as repr... more For this study, 25 samples of urinary stones were chosen from different provinces in Iraq as representative sampling localities. These samples of urinary stones were collected to represent kidney, urate, and bladder stones. The main objectives of this study are to try to shed some light on the possibilities of tracking down the effective environmental factors that determine the mineralogical and chemical composition of these stones. The stones were examined using several techniques, the most important of which was the use of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique to determine the mineralogical composition of these stones. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test was conducted to determine the crystallographic forms and structures for the minerals forming these stones. Optical properties of these minerals were studied using a polarizing microscope. All these techniques revealed that the calcium oxalate, represented in Whewellite mineral, is the most dominant type of these stones, in ...
Context: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram negative opportunistic bacteria causes several infectio... more Context: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram negative opportunistic bacteria causes several infections commonly colonize these devices and developing biofilms. Bacteria in biofilm can be up to 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics than the same bacteria circulating in a planktonic state. Case Report: A total of 10 isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from catheter associated urinary tract infections. While carbenicillin was the most effective antibiotic, all isolates developed multidrug resistant. Both crude and purified bacteriocin showed marked inhibition activity against planktonic and biofilm of the highly resistant isolate P. aeruginosa P7. Conclusion: Bacteriocin extracted from a locally isolated L. acidophilus has an anti P. aeruginosa biofilm activity also it can be used as a therapeutic agent after adequate in vivo experimentation.
The total suspended particles (TSP) concentrations in air at Kirkuk Oil Refinery and the areas ar... more The total suspended particles (TSP) concentrations in air at Kirkuk Oil Refinery and the areas around was determined by using low volume air sampler (Sniffer) at selected locations in two periods October 2010 and March 2011. The results of average concentration of suspended particles (TSP) are higher than the permissible limits of the Iraqi National determinants of (350 μg/m 3) and the world limits of (60-90 μg/m 3) at the two periods: October 2010 (818.94μg/m 3) and March 2011(956.8μg/m 3). The little difference between the two periods reflects the little effect of the seasonal changes. Comparison of the averages of the heavy metals (Pb, Ni, Cr, and Cd) with the national and world limits, noticed that they are higher than these limits. Except for the concentration of Copper (Cu), at the two periods were lower than the world limits. These results represent the effect of meteorological factors on the air quality of the studied area. Consequently, the TSP and heavy metals pollutants c...
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