Category Archives: Pollution Abatement

PPP = Permanent Plastic Problem

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The 3P’s of plastic – PPP – first is that the item or object is plastic. The second concern is that plastic is permanent. Not permanently in use, but after is use it has a very long life-span before it breaks down totally. And that leads to the third, and ultimate issue, that plastic becomes a problem. The issues around plastic are multi-facetted, complex and very diverse. It depends on the composition of the raw materials, how the materials are combined and made into the plastic product. Then it becomes an issue in how the product or object is disposed … Continue reading →

Can Portable Toilets Create a Greener World?

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Future generations need a sustainable, safe planet, which is why industries are focusing more on how they impact the environment. Portable toilets are one example of an industry that strives to be eco-friendly. It is a green product since it’s recyclable, and you can move it from one place to another without needing a permanent toilet. Read on to learn more about how portable toilets contribute to a greener world. 1. Water Conservation Every day, the average American flushes more water down the toilet than they do for any other purpose. The good news is that you don’t need to … Continue reading →

تأثير المعادن الثقيلة على البيئة في العراق والعالم العربي

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يتمتع العراق برقعة مائية شاسعة تبلغ 4.4 مليون دونم, تشتمل بيئات مختلفة تتمثـل بنهري دجلة والفرات وروافدهما وشط العرب والخزانات والبحيرات و الأهوار (المنظمة العالمية للتنمية والزراعة, 1986), إذ تشكل مياه الأهوار والأنهار 70% من المساحة الكلية للمسطحات المائية في القطر وتعد مصدراً مهماً للثروة السمكية. إن أهوار جنوب العراق عبارة عن نظام مائي فريد من نوعه إذ تعد أهوار وادي الرافدين من أكبر المسطحات المائية في الشرق الأوسط وتشغل مساحات واسعة من جنـوبي العراق, ويعتمد بقاء أهوار العراق على النظام المائي لنهري دجلة والفرات إذ تقـع الأهوار في الجـزء الجنوبـي من العراق بين محافظـات البصرة وميسان وذي قار ، … Continue reading →

The Use of Drilling Wastes in the Cement Industry

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During the exploration and production of oil, huge amounts of drilling wastes are produced in the form of mud and cuttings.  As per conservative estimates, around 0.37 kg of drilling wastes is generated for every barrel of oil produced. The American Petroleum Institute (API) has estimated that approximately 1.21 barrels of total drilling wastes are generated for every foot drilled. The Middle East oil and gas industry has made a lot of effort in order to reduce the environmental impact of their activities; modern drilling methods such as horizontal drilling, navigating the drill bits three dimensionally through the earth, contacting … Continue reading →

Medical Wastes in GCC

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There has been a growing awareness of the need for safe management of medical waste all over the world. Medical Waste are generated by all health sectors including hospitals, laboratories, diagnostic and research centers, dental and medical clinics, blood banks, mortuaries and autopsy centres, veterinary hospitals, industrial laboratories etc. Medical wastes which pose the greatest risk to human health are infectious waste (or hazardous medical waste) which constitutes 15 – 25 percent of total healthcare waste. Infectious wastes may include all waste items that are contaminated with or suspected of being contaminated with body fluids such as blood and blood products, used catheters … Continue reading →

Algae vs. Oil Spills and Climate Change: An Opportunity for Middle Eastern Seas

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Oil spills, marine pollution, and climate change have become global challenges, particularly acute in oil-producing regions. The Persian Gulf and coastal waters of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE are areas with heavy concentrations of petroleum infrastructure, where any incident could trigger an environmental disaster. Nature itself may hold the solution: marine algae can cleanse water of petroleum products and absorb carbon dioxide on a massive scale. This has been demonstrated by scientists in various parts of the world’s oceans. Seas under threat The Persian Gulf serves as the heart of the global oil economy. Dozens of oil platforms, … Continue reading →

4 Top Water Contamination Events in the US and Their Effects

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According to a Gallup poll, the majority of Americans are deeply concerned about water pollution. 56% are concerned about drinking water quality and 53% are concerned about the water quality of rivers, reservoirs, and lakes. Americans have cause for concern. Over the years, there have been multiple water contamination events in the US. Why Water Pollution is a Major Worry in the USA Water pollution in the US is actually a growing problem, though it has been a problem for a long time. In the nineteenth century, water quality was improved in many bodies of water thanks to new mining … Continue reading →

التأثير البيئي لمعالجة مخلفات زيت الزيتون

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تعد زراعة الزيتون وإنتاج زيت الزيتون جزءاً من التراث المحلي والاقتصاد الريفي في كافة أنحاء منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا وأكثر ما يشتهر به هذا المحصول هو استخدامه في الطبخ وفي الاستعمالات الطبية. في عام 2012، قدر إنتاج العالم من زيت الزيتون بنحو 2903.676 طن، وتعد إسبانيا وإيطاليا واليونان من أكبر منتجي زيت الزيتون في العالم، تليها في الترتيب تركيا وتونس ثم البرتغال والمغرب والجزائر. في الاتحاد الأوروبي وحده يوجد حوالي 2.5 مليون منتِج في قطاع الزيتون، يشكلون مجتمعين حوالي ثلث مزارعي الاتحاد الأوروبي. توفر صناعة زيت الزيتون فرصًا قيمة للمزارعين من حيث التوظيف الموسمي بالإضافة إلى توفير فرص عمل مهمة خارج نطاق … Continue reading →

Medical Waste Management in the MENA Region: Perspectives

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Healthcare sector in the MENA countries is growing at a very rapid pace, which in turn has led to tremendous increase in the quantity of medical waste generation by hospitals, clinics and other establishments. According to a report by UNDP in the year 2020, Egypt generated 63.5 tons per day of hazardous medical wastes. In the GCC countries, more than 150 tons of medical waste is produced every day. Saudi Arabia alone accounts for annual healthcare waste generation of around 25,107 tons per year. Medical waste generation in Qatar is more than 20 tons per day. These figures are indicative … Continue reading →

تلوّث المياه في العراق: أزمة خفية تحت سطح النهر

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في بلدٍ وُلِدَ على ضفاف دجلة والفرات، تبدو مفارقة تلوّث المياه مأساة مزدوجة: مائيّة وهُويّاتية. فالعراق الذي علّم البشرية نظم الري والزراعة، أصبح اليوم يواجه واحدة من أخطر أزمات تلوث المياه في الشرق الأوسط، حيث تختلط ملوحة شط العرب بنفايات المستشفيات، وتتقاطع قنوات الري مع مجاري الصرف الصحي، في مشهد يعكس عمق الخلل البيئي والسياسي والإداري. أولًا: مصادر التلوث المائي في العراق رغم أن الصورة العامة تشير إلى “شح المياه”، إلا أن نوعية المياه تمثل تهديدًا أكبر، وأكثر خفاءً. مياه الصرف الصحي غير المعالجة أكثر من 70% من مياه الصرف الصحي في العراق تُصرّف مباشرة في الأنهار دون معالجة، وفق … Continue reading →

The Retreat of the Tigris River and Its Impact on Biodiversity in Northern Iraq

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The Tigris River, one of Mesopotamia’s twin lifelines, plays a vital ecological and socioeconomic role in northern Iraq. However, over the past two decades, it has undergone significant hydrological decline. This retreat, driven by a combination of climate change, upstream damming, and poor water governance, has caused a cascading effect on ecosystems and livelihoods, particularly in the northern provinces of Iraq such as Nineveh, Dohuk, and parts of Erbil. The drop in water levels in the Tigris River has: Severely impacted agricultural lands, especially in riparian zones that once depended on natural flooding cycles for soil fertility Diminished fish populations … Continue reading →

Bioremediation: Fighting Pollution with Bacterial Assistance

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Bioremediation is an engineering process which uses microorganisms to degrade a material. It can be used to treat contaminated media such as water, air and soil, by altering the environmental conditions to stimulate growth of microorganisms and degrade the target pollutant and enhance the quality of the media. In this age of rapid industrialization and depleting natural resources, there is an alarming need for a much effective sustainable development model and new ways to decontaminate and re-energize our surrounding land, water and air. Bioremediation provides an efficient and environment-friendly treatment system compared to various other remediation technologies involving chemicals and … Continue reading →