The College of Science, Diyala University discussed a Ph.D. thesis on biological treatment of certain heavy metals in the areas surrounding the Diyala General Company by the postgraduate student, Ms. Duha Abdul-Hakim Mohammed.

The thesis assessed the levels of pollution from some heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, and copper, in the soil, water, and plants within the Diyala General Company and its surrounding areas and the efficiency of certain plants and biological treatments in removing these metals from the polluted environment.

The thesis included collecting soil, water, and plant leaf samples from various locations inside and outside the company and the laboratory experiments were also conducted to study the efficiency of biochar and palm fronds in removing heavy metals using modern laboratory analysis techniques.

The thesis demonstrated high concentrations of some heavy metals in several of the studied locations, as well as the biological treatments used achieved high efficiency in removing heavy metals from the water, and some plants demonstrated a good ability to absorb these metals from the soil.