Mineralogical and geochemical studies on soils and Nile bottom sediments of Luxor–Aswan area, South Egypt

Background The geochemical studies on the rare earth elements to demonstrate sources of the toxic metals for soils and Nile sediments for Aswan area are seldom. Results Minerallogically, the studied soil agriculture samples consist mainly of quartz (42%), clay minerals (33%), plagioclase (20%) and magnesin-calcite (5%). Clay minerals are composed of montmorillonite as bentonite. The studied Nile sediments consist mainly of quartz (75%), clay minerals (15%), plagioclase (5%) and calcite (5%). Clay minerals are composed of calcian-montmorillonite (10%) and Kaolinite (5%). Geochemically, the chemical analytical techniques of the environment-sensitive elements, including Pb, Cd, As, Ni, Co, Cu, Cr, Zn, U and Th, have been performed for agricultural soils and sediments of Aswan–Luxor District to assess the geochemical characteristics of these elements and their impact on soil environmental and plant, as well as their provenance. Conclusions Average content of Cd was about 1.5-fold for the studied Nile sediments and slightly higher soil agriculture than (MPL). Pb and Cr average contents twofold of (MPL) for Nile sediments and Cr average of soil is represented 2.5-fold of (MPL). The average content of As, Cu, Co, Ni and U in both Nile sediments and cultivated soil in the studied area is lower than the maximum permissible limit (MPL). Average content of Pb, Zn and Cr was about 2, 2- and 2.5-fold, respectively, according to USPHS for the Nile sediments and threefold of Cr for the agriculture soils. The agricultural soil of Luxor–Aswan district is characteristic highly enrichment of As, Co, Zn, Cu, Ni, Mn, U and Th than those of the Nile sediments. In addition, the Nile sediments have high concentration average of Cr, Zn, Mn and Pb and low contamination of the other elements. The sources of the toxic metals in the studied area may probably be natural or anthropogenic. The anthropogenic source is resulting from paper, Ferrosilicon factories and Phosphate mines at Edfu, as well as Sand quarry, Shale mine and the Nitrogen Fertilizer factory at Aswan. In addition, natural sources such as waste of the drains floods.

Privatizing the Commons: Protest and the Moral Economy of National Resources in Jordan

This article interrogates the social impact of one aspect of structural adjustment in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: privatization. In the mid-2000s, King Abdullah II privatized Jordan's minerals industry as part of the regime's accelerated neoliberal project. While many of these privatizations elicited responses ranging from general approval to ambivalence, the opaque and seemingly corrupt sale of the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) in 2006 was understood differently, as an illegitimate appropriation of Jordan's national resources and, by extension, an abrogation of the state's (re-) distributive obligations. Based on interviews with activists, I argue that a diverse cross-section of social movement constituencies – spanning labour and non-labour movements (and factions within and across those movements) – perceived such illegitimate privatizations as a moral violation, which, in turn, informed transgressive activist practices and discourses targeting the neoliberal state. This moral violation shaped the rise and interaction of labour and non-labour social movements in Jordan's “Arab uprisings”, peaking in 2011–2013. While Jordan's uprisings were largely demobilized after 2013, protests in 2018 and 2019 demonstrate the continued relevance of this discourse. In this way, the 2011–2013 wave of protests – and their current reverberations – differ qualitatively from Jordan's earlier wave of “food riots” in 1989 (and throughout the 1990s), which I characterize as primarily restorative in nature.

Radon-222 Exposure and Dose Concentration Levels in Jordanian Dwellings

Exposure to high concentrations of radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers according to the World Health Organization (WHO) figures. With poor ventilation standards and lack of awareness among Jordanians, constant monitoring of radon concentrations is vital. Multiple efforts have been made since the 1990s in order to create a national radon map of Jordan, by acquiring average values of radon concentrations in major Jordanian cities. This study aims to replicate those efforts using a more accurate and modern way of detection for the purpose of comparing the current values with literature values and to update the previous radon concentration map of Jordan. The study concludes that radon concentrations in Jordan have mostly increased in the past 30 years from an overall average of 52 Bq/m3 to an average of 60.4 Bq/m3. Despite the increase, these results are considered under the threat line that is estimated conventionally by most of the international environmental and radiation-related organizations, which is 100–300 Bq/m3. It should be noted that only the Russeifa city has scored a value higher than the estimated threat line. This is due to the existence of abundant phosphate mines filled with condensed radon levels leaking from these ores. It is expected that radon concentrations in Jordan will increase in the coming years with the continuous urban sprawl and lack of public awareness about the radon gas health issue. A number of suggestions have been proposed in this study that could help the Jordanian society avoid a future possible health threat.

The optimization of the composition of fertilizers based on milled phosphorites

The phosphorites of many domestic deposits can be used as cheap natural phosphorus fertilizers of regional importance. The limitation of their use is due to the low solubility and, consequently, low agrochemical effectiveness. To increase the solubility of phosphorites (activation), it is proposed to use the method of granulation of phosphorite flour (PF) with an organomineral additive containing milled sulfur, glauconite and highly decomposed peat, dispersed by hydrodynamic cavitation. Phosphate activation is ensured by acids formed in the process of microbiological oxidation of sulfur in soils (convert insoluble phosphates to more soluble hydrophosphates), glauconite (promotes adsorption and ion exchange binding of cations that form insoluble phosphates, activates soil microbiota) and humic acid peat (oxides into stable complexes, stimulate the activity of soil microorganisms). In laboratory conditions, samples of the corresponding organic-mineral fertilizer were obtained. As phosphate raw materials, the PF of the Vyatka-Kama deposit (Russia) and the Khneifis deposit (Syria) were used. The study of the effect of fertilizer on the chemical composition of soils was carried out in a laboratory experiment. As a comparison object, simple superphosphate was used. Fertilizers were applied to the soil in an amount of 0.1 g per 1 kg of air-dried soil. It was revealed that already 7 days after fertilizing, the mobility of phosphorus increases by 31-45%, while the pH of the soil solution does not change. The sulfate content in soils increased by an average of 33%. In all variants of the experiment, the application of activated PF in the soil led to the same result as the application of simple superphosphate. Based on PF and an activating organomineral additive, a granular form of phosphorus fertilizer with sulfur and humic substances can be obtained that is not inferior in effectiveness to simple superphosphate. The production of appropriate fertilizer can be arranged at small enterprises and directly at phosphate mines, which will create new jobs and provide regional crop production with relatively cheap and fairly effective forms of phosphate fertilizers that comply with the principles of green chemistry. The composition and technology of fertilizer production make it possible to position it as a natural organic-mineral fertilizer for organic farming.