Polla Khanaqa - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Polla Khanaqa
International Journal of Coal Geology
Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2006
Several minor lignite deposits of Palaeogene (Eocene to Oligocene) age occur in the vicinity of A... more Several minor lignite deposits of Palaeogene (Eocene to Oligocene) age occur in the vicinity of Alexandroupolis, Thrace, northern Greece. A few rather thin seams were mined in the past by small private operations for local use. Coal samples have been collected from old mine dumps and outcrops around abandoned mine posts to be studied by means of maceral analysis at
Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece
The aim of this study is to assess the type, thermal maturity and the petroleum generation potent... more The aim of this study is to assess the type, thermal maturity and the petroleum generation potential of the Upper Jurassic Naokelekan Formation, occurring across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, by applying organic petrographical methods and Rock-Eval analysis. The Rock-Eval data would indicate the presence of kerogen types III, IV and II as the main constituents. However, the qualitative petrographical evaluation revealed that the main organic constituents are solid hydrocarbons, in the form of microgranular migrabitumens, with minor amounts of pyrobitumens. These secondary particles have affected the results of the Rock-Eval analysis and would have led to misinterpretation of organic matter typification based on pyrolysis results only. The combined results of petrography and pyrolysis indicate an active petroleum system within the Upper Jurassic sequence, where hydrocarbons are generated and reservoired within suitable lithologies.
High urban atmospheric pollution is caused by economic and industrial growth, especially in devel... more High urban atmospheric pollution is caused by economic and industrial growth, especially in developing countries. The objective of this study was to assess possible relationships between <i>in vitro</i> effects on human alveolar epithelial cells of source-related dust types collected at Sulaimani City (Iraq), and to determine their mineralogical and chemical composition. A passive sampler was used to collect dust particles at a rural, an industrial and an urban sampling site during July and August 2014. The samples were size-fractionated by a low-pressure impactor to obtain respirable dust with aerodynamic diameters of less than 10 µm. The dust was mainly composed of quartz and calcite. Chrysotile fibers (white asbestos) were also found at the urban site. Dust from the industrial and urban sites triggered cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in the cells, whereas only minor effects were observed for the sample from the rural site.
UKH Journal of Science and Engineering, 2021
The present work involves the study of the removal of Cu2+, Fe3+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ from synthetic me... more The present work involves the study of the removal of Cu2+, Fe3+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ from synthetic metal solutions using natural zeolite. Laboratory experiments were used to investigate the efficiency of adsorbents in the uptake of heavy metals from industrial wastewater. The kinetic study was used to identify the effect of parameters that affect the rate of adsorption and evaluated their impact on the efficiency of the zeolite in the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater. Natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) as adsorbent contacted with multi-component synthetic solutions containing Cu2+, Fe3+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ ions without any pre-modifications and every hour 15 ml of the samples were filtered and taken for metal ion concentration analysis using the ICP-OES. The pH values were monitored and adjusted regularly. The results showed that the capacity of the adsorbents for the removal of heavy metals increased with a greater mass of absorbent, increased initial solution pH, increased ...
Paleobiodiversity and Tectono-Sedimentary Records in the Mediterranean Tethys and Related Eastern Areas
The present study is set out not only to discuss but also to propose possible new functions (orig... more The present study is set out not only to discuss but also to propose possible new functions (origins) of Paleodictyon. This function is a kind of protection against predation and not related to food habit or burrowing as concluded in previous studies. The organism achieving this protection by making its shape and size resemble (mimic) hard corals to decisive attacker organism. This protective operation happens through the hard corals which are found in the same basin with the traces. The study attributes the origin of trace to the evolutionary mimicry by which the previous dispute about the origin of the paleodictyon will be improved or ended.
The synthesis of zeolite materials by hydrothermal transformation of kaolin using a conventional ... more The synthesis of zeolite materials by hydrothermal transformation of kaolin using a conventional hydrothermal method was investigated. Different analytical techniques were used to characterize the starting kaolin and produced zeolite A samples, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray fluorescence (XRF), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The synthetic zeolite type A was obtained after activation of kaolin and metakaolin followed by different thermal and chemical treatments. The metakaolinization phase was achieved by calcining the kaolin in air at 600°C for 3 hours, a much lower temperature than previously reported in the literature. Metakaolin was treated with 3 M sodium hydroxide solution at a ratio of 1:5 and, using stainless steel autoclaves with teflon liners, heated the mixture to 200°C in a microwave for 24 hours. The results from this synthesis route...
CATENA, 2015
The Mawat-Chwarta valley is located north of the Sulaimania City at Northern Iraq and is surround... more The Mawat-Chwarta valley is located north of the Sulaimania City at Northern Iraq and is surrounded by high mountains on all sides. White laminated sediments with annual varves on a millimetre scale have been recorded at eight localities on the valley gentle slopes. Sedimentological, palaeontological and geomorphological data of these sediments suggest that a lake occupied the valley during the Quaternary. The sediments are of two types, purely fine-grained and fine-grained with coarse interbeds, the two types occur at an elevation difference of about 62 m. The two types are interpreted as representing deep (abyssal) and shoreline deposits, respectively, and indicate the approximate depth of the lake. The sediments contain the fresh water green algae of the genus Botryococcus in addition to a few leaves, scattered plant debris and some pollen grains mainly of herbaceous plants. Contrary to the general southwestern drainage pattern in Northern Iraq the Mawat-Chwarta valley is drained to the north, where the Mawat River passes now through deep and narrow gorges along which rock slides and debris plugs are known to have occurred in the past. These mass wasting events are considered here to have blogged the runoff of the valley in the past and eventually led to the formation of a large dammed lake. Numerical chronology work failed, which requires further investigation in the future.
Piramagroon-Kani Khan (PK) valley runs parallel to Pira Magrun and Surdash anticlines almost in N... more Piramagroon-Kani Khan (PK) valley runs parallel to Pira Magrun and Surdash anticlines almost in NWSE trend and merges with the Lesser Zab River 9 kms southeast of Dokan town. The valley runs within the soft rocks of Shiranish, Tanjero and Kolosh formations. The valley bottom is gently sloping plain which divided longitudinally by Charmaga stream into two asymmetrical parts (northeast and southwest parts). The northeast part is wider than the other one mostly covered by Recent and Pleistocene coarse alluvium with a thickness of 1-20meters. The southwestern part is relatively narrow and mainly covered by slide debris and dislocated blocks of Sinjar Formation. Northern eastern side is formed by differential erosion and its slope is the dip slope since it nearly coincides with the dip of the strata of the Kometan and Qamchuqa Formations. The southwestern side is scarp slope which has lesser elevation and formed mainly by sliding processes and manly covered by slide debris. The surface o...
International Journal of Coal Geology
Abstract The Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Chia Gara Formation, a proven marine source rock cha... more Abstract The Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Chia Gara Formation, a proven marine source rock characterised by predominance of amorphous organic matter (AOM) is known from few outcrops in NE Iraq and a number of exploration wells in the Zagros Fold Belt. This study presents comprehensive organic petrographic and mineralogical investigations of the dispersed organic matter and rock-forming minerals of the Tithonian-Berriasian Chia Gara Formation intersected by the Kirkuk well K-109 drilled in the giant Kirkuk oil field, NE Iraq. The organic petrographic analyses, including incident light microscopy and confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM) were applied to carbonate source rocks with low to moderate organic carbon contents. Our data demonstrate the predominance of bituminite and solid bitumen among the examined dispersed organic matter followed by oil exudates and oil globule inclusions as well as the presence of minor contributions of alginite (i.e., Tasmanites and Leiospheridia), liptodetrinite and vitrinite. Based on optical characteristics and CLSM spectral fluorescence measurements, examinations of bituminite point towards the presence of bituminite type III. The bituminite type III encloses dark orange fluorescent amorphous components suggesting a genetic relationship either with liptodetrinite and/or with solid bitumen. The qualitative assessment of solid bitumen reveals several dissimilar forms identified in the analysed samples. The photometric and spectral fluorescence measurements point to distinct reflectance values ranging between 0.19% and 0.43% SBRr and lambda max values extending from 515 nm to 590 nm, respectively. The corresponding results of the solid bitumen exhibit (1) a lack of a relationship with depth and, (2) suggest its poor property as a reliable maturity indicator for the examined samples. The presence of oil exudates, oil globule inclusions and their association with solid bitumen suggests a genetic relation with the examined residues of liquid hydrocarbon phase. The performed thermal maturities assessments of dispersed organic matter point towards early-mature to peak-mature oil window with vitrinite reflectance values ranging between 0.52% VRr at 2801 m to 0.83% VRr at 3089 m depth. Mineralogical analyses revealed the predominance of calcite over dolomite in the examined limestone to marl lithofacies (e.g., clear rimmed dolomite) with localised intensive dolomitisation. In the phyllosilicate-rich matrix, predominance of calcite and siderite is observed, followed by zinc blende and pyrite. The composition of organic matter in the examined Chia Gara Formation with predominance of bituminite and solid bitumen makes the major marine source rock of Iraq's Cretaceous petroleum systems distinctive in terms of hydrocarbon generation and migration at an oil window stage as it provides suitable explanations for its generally low hydrogen index (HI) with only minor terrestrial input. In addition, the results presented herein can be helpful for future evaluation of thermal maturities and characterisation of optical appearances of dispersed organic matter in carbonates by incident light microscopy and especially by CLSM during hydrocarbon prospecting.
Facies, 2013
Characeae, a family of calcifying green algae, are common in carbonate-rich freshwaters. The sout... more Characeae, a family of calcifying green algae, are common in carbonate-rich freshwaters. The southwestern shoreline of Lake Ganau (Kurdistan Region, northeastern Iraq) harbors dense and thick mats of these algae (genus Chara). On the lake bottom and along the shore, carbonate sands and rocks rich in the remains of stems, branches, nodes, and whorls of Chara are deposited. These deposits show all stages of growth and degradation of characean algae, including replacement and lithification into limestone. The replacement of the fragments by finegrained calcite preserved delicate microstructures of Chara, such as cortical walls, cell shape, inner and outer layers of the stems, and reproductive organs. Based on roundness, sorting, the degree of lithification, and preserved microstructures of the grains (fragments), three facies were recognized. The first is represented by a newly formed lime sand facies showing elongated grains, poor sorting, and reduced roundness, with pristine preservation of characean surface microstructures. The second is a weathered lime sand facies, which shows better sorting and good roundness, whereas internal structures of characean fragments are still well preserved. The third is comprised of a lithified lime sand facies (grainstone), with very well sorted and rounded grains, and poorly preserved external and internal structures of the characeans. As compared to the newly formed lime sand facies, the grainstone facies shows an increase in grain size by more than 30 %, owing to precipitation of micritic lamina of possible microbial origin. Eventually, the Characeae-derived lime sands are lithified into oolitic limestones with sparry calcite cement, forming a grainstone microfacies. The present study has important implications for the interpretation of pre-Quaternary environments, as it records all stages of the fossilization process of characean green algae and highlights the role of these algae in the formation of oolitic carbonate rocks.
Journal of Zankoy Sulaimani - Part A
Ore and Energy Resource Geology
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Arabian Journal of Geosciences
Journal of Garmian University
Pre-treatment processes were performed in order to investigate the behavior of modified clinoptil... more Pre-treatment processes were performed in order to investigate the behavior of modified clinoptilolite (natural zeolite) as adsorbents and understand the removal mechanisms involved in the adsorption process. The pre-treatment of clinoptilolite is carried out to increase the metal removal efficiency from solution. For this purpose, both hydrothermal and chemical pre-treatment of clinoptilolite were carried out in order to investigate whether pre-treatment could increase the adsorption capacity of clinoptilolite. The zeolite samples were characterized by using different analytical techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometers (ICP-OES). The thermal pretreatment process of clinoptilolite was carried out by heating clinoptilolite samples in a furnace for 30 minutes under a slow heating rate of 200, 400 and 600°C. The chemical pre-treatment of the clinoptilolite were carried out by mixing clinoptilolite sample with 200 ml of 0.5M NaCl. Then 4g of modified clinoptilolite samples were in contact with 100 ml of multi-component solutions for 360 minutes. The data obtained from the kinetic adsorption tests the shows that the efficiency of Cu2+, Fe3+, Co2+ and Zn2+ metal ions removal was enhanced with the application of pre-treatments.
Arabian Journal of Geosciences
UKH Journal of Science and Engineering
The synthesis of zeolite materials by hydrothermal transformation of kaolin using an alkaline fus... more The synthesis of zeolite materials by hydrothermal transformation of kaolin using an alkaline fusion prior to hydrothermal synthesis method was investigated. The kaolin clay used in the present investigation was supplied from Iraq. The physical and chemical characterization of the starting kaolin and produced zeolite Na-LSX samples were carried out using different analytical techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), X – Ray Diffraction (XRD), X – Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES). An alkaline fusion method was introduced prior to the hydrothermal treatment while kaolin clay powder was mixed manually with NaOH powder (ratio = 1/1.2 in weight). The metakaolinisation phase was achieved by calcining the mixture in air at 600 oC for 1hr. The result from this route shows that zeolite Na-LSX wi...
Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology
International Journal of Coal Geology
Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2006
Several minor lignite deposits of Palaeogene (Eocene to Oligocene) age occur in the vicinity of A... more Several minor lignite deposits of Palaeogene (Eocene to Oligocene) age occur in the vicinity of Alexandroupolis, Thrace, northern Greece. A few rather thin seams were mined in the past by small private operations for local use. Coal samples have been collected from old mine dumps and outcrops around abandoned mine posts to be studied by means of maceral analysis at
Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece
The aim of this study is to assess the type, thermal maturity and the petroleum generation potent... more The aim of this study is to assess the type, thermal maturity and the petroleum generation potential of the Upper Jurassic Naokelekan Formation, occurring across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, by applying organic petrographical methods and Rock-Eval analysis. The Rock-Eval data would indicate the presence of kerogen types III, IV and II as the main constituents. However, the qualitative petrographical evaluation revealed that the main organic constituents are solid hydrocarbons, in the form of microgranular migrabitumens, with minor amounts of pyrobitumens. These secondary particles have affected the results of the Rock-Eval analysis and would have led to misinterpretation of organic matter typification based on pyrolysis results only. The combined results of petrography and pyrolysis indicate an active petroleum system within the Upper Jurassic sequence, where hydrocarbons are generated and reservoired within suitable lithologies.
High urban atmospheric pollution is caused by economic and industrial growth, especially in devel... more High urban atmospheric pollution is caused by economic and industrial growth, especially in developing countries. The objective of this study was to assess possible relationships between <i>in vitro</i> effects on human alveolar epithelial cells of source-related dust types collected at Sulaimani City (Iraq), and to determine their mineralogical and chemical composition. A passive sampler was used to collect dust particles at a rural, an industrial and an urban sampling site during July and August 2014. The samples were size-fractionated by a low-pressure impactor to obtain respirable dust with aerodynamic diameters of less than 10 µm. The dust was mainly composed of quartz and calcite. Chrysotile fibers (white asbestos) were also found at the urban site. Dust from the industrial and urban sites triggered cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in the cells, whereas only minor effects were observed for the sample from the rural site.
UKH Journal of Science and Engineering, 2021
The present work involves the study of the removal of Cu2+, Fe3+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ from synthetic me... more The present work involves the study of the removal of Cu2+, Fe3+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ from synthetic metal solutions using natural zeolite. Laboratory experiments were used to investigate the efficiency of adsorbents in the uptake of heavy metals from industrial wastewater. The kinetic study was used to identify the effect of parameters that affect the rate of adsorption and evaluated their impact on the efficiency of the zeolite in the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater. Natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) as adsorbent contacted with multi-component synthetic solutions containing Cu2+, Fe3+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ ions without any pre-modifications and every hour 15 ml of the samples were filtered and taken for metal ion concentration analysis using the ICP-OES. The pH values were monitored and adjusted regularly. The results showed that the capacity of the adsorbents for the removal of heavy metals increased with a greater mass of absorbent, increased initial solution pH, increased ...
Paleobiodiversity and Tectono-Sedimentary Records in the Mediterranean Tethys and Related Eastern Areas
The present study is set out not only to discuss but also to propose possible new functions (orig... more The present study is set out not only to discuss but also to propose possible new functions (origins) of Paleodictyon. This function is a kind of protection against predation and not related to food habit or burrowing as concluded in previous studies. The organism achieving this protection by making its shape and size resemble (mimic) hard corals to decisive attacker organism. This protective operation happens through the hard corals which are found in the same basin with the traces. The study attributes the origin of trace to the evolutionary mimicry by which the previous dispute about the origin of the paleodictyon will be improved or ended.
The synthesis of zeolite materials by hydrothermal transformation of kaolin using a conventional ... more The synthesis of zeolite materials by hydrothermal transformation of kaolin using a conventional hydrothermal method was investigated. Different analytical techniques were used to characterize the starting kaolin and produced zeolite A samples, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray fluorescence (XRF), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The synthetic zeolite type A was obtained after activation of kaolin and metakaolin followed by different thermal and chemical treatments. The metakaolinization phase was achieved by calcining the kaolin in air at 600°C for 3 hours, a much lower temperature than previously reported in the literature. Metakaolin was treated with 3 M sodium hydroxide solution at a ratio of 1:5 and, using stainless steel autoclaves with teflon liners, heated the mixture to 200°C in a microwave for 24 hours. The results from this synthesis route...
CATENA, 2015
The Mawat-Chwarta valley is located north of the Sulaimania City at Northern Iraq and is surround... more The Mawat-Chwarta valley is located north of the Sulaimania City at Northern Iraq and is surrounded by high mountains on all sides. White laminated sediments with annual varves on a millimetre scale have been recorded at eight localities on the valley gentle slopes. Sedimentological, palaeontological and geomorphological data of these sediments suggest that a lake occupied the valley during the Quaternary. The sediments are of two types, purely fine-grained and fine-grained with coarse interbeds, the two types occur at an elevation difference of about 62 m. The two types are interpreted as representing deep (abyssal) and shoreline deposits, respectively, and indicate the approximate depth of the lake. The sediments contain the fresh water green algae of the genus Botryococcus in addition to a few leaves, scattered plant debris and some pollen grains mainly of herbaceous plants. Contrary to the general southwestern drainage pattern in Northern Iraq the Mawat-Chwarta valley is drained to the north, where the Mawat River passes now through deep and narrow gorges along which rock slides and debris plugs are known to have occurred in the past. These mass wasting events are considered here to have blogged the runoff of the valley in the past and eventually led to the formation of a large dammed lake. Numerical chronology work failed, which requires further investigation in the future.
Piramagroon-Kani Khan (PK) valley runs parallel to Pira Magrun and Surdash anticlines almost in N... more Piramagroon-Kani Khan (PK) valley runs parallel to Pira Magrun and Surdash anticlines almost in NWSE trend and merges with the Lesser Zab River 9 kms southeast of Dokan town. The valley runs within the soft rocks of Shiranish, Tanjero and Kolosh formations. The valley bottom is gently sloping plain which divided longitudinally by Charmaga stream into two asymmetrical parts (northeast and southwest parts). The northeast part is wider than the other one mostly covered by Recent and Pleistocene coarse alluvium with a thickness of 1-20meters. The southwestern part is relatively narrow and mainly covered by slide debris and dislocated blocks of Sinjar Formation. Northern eastern side is formed by differential erosion and its slope is the dip slope since it nearly coincides with the dip of the strata of the Kometan and Qamchuqa Formations. The southwestern side is scarp slope which has lesser elevation and formed mainly by sliding processes and manly covered by slide debris. The surface o...
International Journal of Coal Geology
Abstract The Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Chia Gara Formation, a proven marine source rock cha... more Abstract The Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Chia Gara Formation, a proven marine source rock characterised by predominance of amorphous organic matter (AOM) is known from few outcrops in NE Iraq and a number of exploration wells in the Zagros Fold Belt. This study presents comprehensive organic petrographic and mineralogical investigations of the dispersed organic matter and rock-forming minerals of the Tithonian-Berriasian Chia Gara Formation intersected by the Kirkuk well K-109 drilled in the giant Kirkuk oil field, NE Iraq. The organic petrographic analyses, including incident light microscopy and confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM) were applied to carbonate source rocks with low to moderate organic carbon contents. Our data demonstrate the predominance of bituminite and solid bitumen among the examined dispersed organic matter followed by oil exudates and oil globule inclusions as well as the presence of minor contributions of alginite (i.e., Tasmanites and Leiospheridia), liptodetrinite and vitrinite. Based on optical characteristics and CLSM spectral fluorescence measurements, examinations of bituminite point towards the presence of bituminite type III. The bituminite type III encloses dark orange fluorescent amorphous components suggesting a genetic relationship either with liptodetrinite and/or with solid bitumen. The qualitative assessment of solid bitumen reveals several dissimilar forms identified in the analysed samples. The photometric and spectral fluorescence measurements point to distinct reflectance values ranging between 0.19% and 0.43% SBRr and lambda max values extending from 515 nm to 590 nm, respectively. The corresponding results of the solid bitumen exhibit (1) a lack of a relationship with depth and, (2) suggest its poor property as a reliable maturity indicator for the examined samples. The presence of oil exudates, oil globule inclusions and their association with solid bitumen suggests a genetic relation with the examined residues of liquid hydrocarbon phase. The performed thermal maturities assessments of dispersed organic matter point towards early-mature to peak-mature oil window with vitrinite reflectance values ranging between 0.52% VRr at 2801 m to 0.83% VRr at 3089 m depth. Mineralogical analyses revealed the predominance of calcite over dolomite in the examined limestone to marl lithofacies (e.g., clear rimmed dolomite) with localised intensive dolomitisation. In the phyllosilicate-rich matrix, predominance of calcite and siderite is observed, followed by zinc blende and pyrite. The composition of organic matter in the examined Chia Gara Formation with predominance of bituminite and solid bitumen makes the major marine source rock of Iraq's Cretaceous petroleum systems distinctive in terms of hydrocarbon generation and migration at an oil window stage as it provides suitable explanations for its generally low hydrogen index (HI) with only minor terrestrial input. In addition, the results presented herein can be helpful for future evaluation of thermal maturities and characterisation of optical appearances of dispersed organic matter in carbonates by incident light microscopy and especially by CLSM during hydrocarbon prospecting.
Facies, 2013
Characeae, a family of calcifying green algae, are common in carbonate-rich freshwaters. The sout... more Characeae, a family of calcifying green algae, are common in carbonate-rich freshwaters. The southwestern shoreline of Lake Ganau (Kurdistan Region, northeastern Iraq) harbors dense and thick mats of these algae (genus Chara). On the lake bottom and along the shore, carbonate sands and rocks rich in the remains of stems, branches, nodes, and whorls of Chara are deposited. These deposits show all stages of growth and degradation of characean algae, including replacement and lithification into limestone. The replacement of the fragments by finegrained calcite preserved delicate microstructures of Chara, such as cortical walls, cell shape, inner and outer layers of the stems, and reproductive organs. Based on roundness, sorting, the degree of lithification, and preserved microstructures of the grains (fragments), three facies were recognized. The first is represented by a newly formed lime sand facies showing elongated grains, poor sorting, and reduced roundness, with pristine preservation of characean surface microstructures. The second is a weathered lime sand facies, which shows better sorting and good roundness, whereas internal structures of characean fragments are still well preserved. The third is comprised of a lithified lime sand facies (grainstone), with very well sorted and rounded grains, and poorly preserved external and internal structures of the characeans. As compared to the newly formed lime sand facies, the grainstone facies shows an increase in grain size by more than 30 %, owing to precipitation of micritic lamina of possible microbial origin. Eventually, the Characeae-derived lime sands are lithified into oolitic limestones with sparry calcite cement, forming a grainstone microfacies. The present study has important implications for the interpretation of pre-Quaternary environments, as it records all stages of the fossilization process of characean green algae and highlights the role of these algae in the formation of oolitic carbonate rocks.
Journal of Zankoy Sulaimani - Part A
Ore and Energy Resource Geology
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Arabian Journal of Geosciences
Journal of Garmian University
Pre-treatment processes were performed in order to investigate the behavior of modified clinoptil... more Pre-treatment processes were performed in order to investigate the behavior of modified clinoptilolite (natural zeolite) as adsorbents and understand the removal mechanisms involved in the adsorption process. The pre-treatment of clinoptilolite is carried out to increase the metal removal efficiency from solution. For this purpose, both hydrothermal and chemical pre-treatment of clinoptilolite were carried out in order to investigate whether pre-treatment could increase the adsorption capacity of clinoptilolite. The zeolite samples were characterized by using different analytical techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometers (ICP-OES). The thermal pretreatment process of clinoptilolite was carried out by heating clinoptilolite samples in a furnace for 30 minutes under a slow heating rate of 200, 400 and 600°C. The chemical pre-treatment of the clinoptilolite were carried out by mixing clinoptilolite sample with 200 ml of 0.5M NaCl. Then 4g of modified clinoptilolite samples were in contact with 100 ml of multi-component solutions for 360 minutes. The data obtained from the kinetic adsorption tests the shows that the efficiency of Cu2+, Fe3+, Co2+ and Zn2+ metal ions removal was enhanced with the application of pre-treatments.
Arabian Journal of Geosciences
UKH Journal of Science and Engineering
The synthesis of zeolite materials by hydrothermal transformation of kaolin using an alkaline fus... more The synthesis of zeolite materials by hydrothermal transformation of kaolin using an alkaline fusion prior to hydrothermal synthesis method was investigated. The kaolin clay used in the present investigation was supplied from Iraq. The physical and chemical characterization of the starting kaolin and produced zeolite Na-LSX samples were carried out using different analytical techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), X – Ray Diffraction (XRD), X – Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES). An alkaline fusion method was introduced prior to the hydrothermal treatment while kaolin clay powder was mixed manually with NaOH powder (ratio = 1/1.2 in weight). The metakaolinisation phase was achieved by calcining the mixture in air at 600 oC for 1hr. The result from this route shows that zeolite Na-LSX wi...
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