Algerian Soil Research Articles

Residue Analysis of Some PAHs in Some Algerian Soil: A Preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons are among the most persistent pollutants in various environmental matrices including soil. Because of their considerable toxicity even at low concentrations, it is essential to detect them at such very low levels (about ng/Kg) and to quantify them with precision and reliability. The objective of the present work is to determine residues of some PAHs in samples of superficial soil collected from a number of sites including the vicinity of an industrial park of a cement factory, rural soil, surrounding this industrial park, cereal grown soil close to the industrial park and also from urban ground in the north west of Algeria. A high resolution gas liquid chromatorgraph, coupled with high resolution mass spectroscopy (HRGC / HRMS) was used to measure PAH residues and their distribution in the soil. Results show that all investigated soil samples are highly contaminated with PAH. The concentration of the PAHs varies between 24, 62704.104 and 1072, 45064. 104 ng/kg. Residues of the potentially carcinogenic PAH benzo [a] pyrene, were also detected in some of the soil samples. Residues detected in the present study vary between 2,189.103 ng/kg and 506, 4848.103 whereas the value of Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) is approximately 2.103 ng/Kg. The present results indicated that soil samples examined in the present study are highly contaminated with PAHs compounds, posing potential toxicological risk, considering their carcinogenic and/or mutagenic properties.

Effects of Glomus mosseae and Bradyrhizobium sp., isolated from an Algerian soil, on the growth and the yields of peanut

Effects of Glomus mosseae and Bradyrhizobium sp., isolated from an Algerian soil, on the growth and the yields of peanut

Evaluation of adsorption capacities of humic acids extracted from Algerian soil on polyaniline for application to remove pollutants such as Cd(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II) and characterization with cavity microelectrode

The adsorption capacities of new humic acids isolated from Yakouren forest (YHA) and Sahara (Tamenrasset: THA) soils (Algeria) and commercial humic acid (PFHA) on polyaniline emeraldine base (PEB) were studied at pH 6.6. Also the adsorption of heavy metals such as Cd 2+, Zn 2+ and Ni 2+ on humic acid-polyaniline systems (HA-PEB) was investigated at the same conditions. HA-PEB compounds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectrometry and cavity microelectrode. In addition, batch adsorption and cavity microelectrode were used in the adsorption study of Cd 2+, Zn 2+ and Ni 2+ on HA-PEB. To develop biocaptors of polluting metals using a cavity microelectrode modified by HA-PEB systems, the adsorption kinetic and adsorption capacity were investigated. The SEM analysis showed that the presence of humic acid affected the PEB surface and caused the formation of a granular morphology. The maximum adsorption capacities ( q max) of PFHA, THA and YHA determined by adsorption isotherms were 91.31, 132.1 and 151.0 mg/g, respectively. Batch adsorption results showed that q max of Cd 2+, Zn 2+ and Ni 2+ on HA-PEB followed the order: THA-PEB > YHA-PEB > PFHA-PEB. The voltammograms obtained with HA-PEB modified cavity microelectrode showed the appearance of new redox couples reflecting the adsorption of HA on PEB. Metal-humic acid-polyaniline voltammograms were characterized by appearance of oxidation-reduction couples or reduction wave corresponding to metal. Finally, the result may be exploited to develop a biocaptor based on the cavity microelectrode amended by THA-PEB and YHA-PEB.

Writing Wrongs: The Representation of 'Harkis' in Yasmina Khadra's La part du mort

In Experimental nations, the literary critic Reda Bensmaia argues that the relationship between and nationalism within the Algerian context has changed significantly since the end of War of Independence. In the 1950s this relationship was creative, writers had a real sense of participating in an effort of nation building. (1) However, as BensmaYa observes, in the postcolonial period, has become less concerned with the construction of a particular national image and more involved in criticizing the one that exists as the government has increasingly been charged with corruption and a betrayal of the principles of the revolution. (2) The Algerian writer Rachid Boudjedra echoes Bensmaia's interpretation, noting that Algerian is a literature politique dans le sens subversif du terms; c'est-a-dire une litterature de subvertissement, du renverse-ment. (3) Rather than writing a narrative of the national ideal, writers now strive to create a narrative of the real that reveals the fictitious nature of official discourse and policy. As this study demonstrates, Yasmina Khadra challenges the official Algerian narrative of the struggle for Independence in his detective novel La part du mart by re-examining a problematic period in Algerian history, the 'harki' massacres. (4) Harkis or Frangais Musulmans Rapatries (FMR) were Algerians employed by the French army during the war. (5) Upon Algerian independence, the French administration denied them any form of protection or asylum and they subsequently became the object of widespread aggression in Algeria. (6) As this analysis argues, Khadra's narrative excavation of these events challenges stereotypical representations of this community and undermines a policy of silence instituted by the Algerian government. In the process, Khadra re-examines the very foundations of the Algerian nation. The experience of Harkis has been characterized by geographical, administrative and social exclusion in both Algeria and France. (7) Families 'repatriated' to France during the period immediately following the war were subjected to a governmental policy that created a social, geographical and administrative 'non-place' for them. For example, upon their arrival in France the government hid their presence on French soil by secretly transporting them to secluded internment camps that essentially prohibited their interaction with French society. (8) Administratively, they were also at a disadvantage as they were differentiated from other types of 'rapatries' and denied some forms of governmental aid. (9) It was not until 1994 that the French government altered its policy regarding these members of the French population, both admitting their presence in France and officially recognizing their contribution to the war through a law. (10) The Algerian government equally attempted to exclude them from society, forcing those who escaped after independence to renounce citizenship. Recently, Algeria has continued to appear desirous of maintaining their 'non-existence,' discouraging their return to Algeria. Most notably President Bouteflika stated in June of 2000: les conditions ne sont pas encore venues pour des visites des harkis ... C'est exactement com me si on demandait a un Francais de la Resistance de toucher la main d'un collabo. (11) He later clarified his feelings towards this community saying that although harkis themselves were still considered traitors and were unwelcome on Algerian soil, their children could travel freely to Algeria. The Harki community therefore occupies a kind of no-man's land with regard to national, social and political identity in both France and Algeria. No longer Algerian, due to their association with the French forces, they are at the same time not French due to their Algerian Otherness. Until recently, this community has also been overwhelmingly absent from both historical and literary narratives. Michele Chossat notes that since the 1960s, only a handful of historical texts have focused on this subject, very few articles exist, and it was only in 2003 that children of harkis began to publish texts relating both their parents' and their own experiences. …

Production and partial characterization of xylanase produced by Jonesia denitrificans isolated in Algerian soil

Jonesia denitrificans BN-13 was isolated from a sample collected from Algerian soil. This strain produced extracellular xylanases, the best xylanolytic activity is obtained in a medium made up of xylan (7mg/ml), extract of yeast (2.5mg/ml), NaCl (3mg/ml), NH4Cl (6mg/ml), and of MgSO4 (0.3mg/ml). In fermentor it also proved that the maximum of xylanolytic activity (10.81U/ml) was observed at the end of the growth phase. Best enzyme activity was observed at the temperature of 50°C and at pH 7.0. In the presence of metal ions such as Mn2+, the activity of the enzyme increased, the enzyme retained 50% of its activity after 7h at 50°C. As such, this enzyme could be considered as a thermotolerant biocatalyst being interesting for biotechnological applications.At the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the production of xylanase by this bacterium and especially the genus Jonesia.

Batch studies for the investigation of the sorption of the heavy metals Pb 2+ and Zn 2+ onto Amizour soil (Algeria)

Soils play an important role in the control of metallic cations in the environment. Therefore, knowledge of the adsorption properties of soil is crucial in understanding and solving pollution problems. The aim of this paper is to study lead and zinc adsorption, onto an Algerian soil sample, as a function of the reaction time, pH, ionic strength and metal concentration. The adsorption of lead and zinc onto soil was investigated on batch equilibrium adsorption experiments. Results show that the amount of lead and zinc adsorbed increases with increasing pH and initial concentration. For pH, this increase is due to the change of the surface charge and to the hydrolysis of the adsorbing metals. The high ionic strength reduces the adsorption capacity. The competition with electrolyte and the decrease of metal activities can explain this behaviour. The adsorption isotherms allow the determination of the affinity order of metals for the surface of the soil sample as such: Zn 2+ < Pb 2+. The equilibrium data fit well with Langmuir and Freundlich models.

Antimicrobial activity of Rhizobium sp. strains against Pseudomonas savastanoi, the agent responsible for the olive knot disease in Algeria

In the present investigation, six Rhizobium strains isolated from Algerian soil were checked for their antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas savastanoi, the agent responsible for olive knot disease. Rhizobium sp. ORN 24 and ORN 83 were found to produce antimicrobial activities against Pseudomonas savastanoi. The antimicrobial activity produced by Rhizobium sp. ORN24 was precipitable with ammonium sulfate, between 1,000 and 10,000 KDa molecular weight, heat resistant but sensitive to proteases and detergents. These characteristics suggest the bacteriocin nature of the antimicrobial substance produced by Rhizobium sp. ORN24, named rhizobiocin 24. In contrast, the antimicrobial activity produced by Rhizobium sp. ORN83 was not precipitable with ammonium sulfate; it was smaller than 1,000 KDa molecular weight, heat labile, and protease and detergent resistant. These characteristics could indicate the relationship between the antimicrobial substance produced by Rhizobium sp. ORN 83 and the “small” bacteriocins described in other rhizobia.

« L'affaire du cimetière d'Oran » (1970-1974). Les Juifs oranais, inclusions et exclusions d'une population entre deux rives

While the social problem of the repatriation of the French people of Algeria was nearly solved, the new town planning for the city of Oran in 1971, which entailed the destruction of the old Jewish cemetery, aroused renewed tensions among the Jews who had left Oran as well as among the few members of the community who were still there. Since they could not refuse this project, the Jews who lived in France considered this project as a symbol meant by the State to erase the signs of their multicentury presence on the Algerian soil. As to the members of the small community of Oran, they were not able of course to influence more strongly a questioning of this decision, and they simultaneously underwent the news of the vacancy of their synagogue which became an Islam cultural centre. As concerns the members of the Consistory of Paris, they made sure that the bodies were buried according to the religious habits, but they belatedly became aware of the cultual needs of the entire Oran community which dreaded the disappearance of rites which had not yet found a place to be practiced among the French synagogues. This problem is a good example of the first cultural claims of the repatriated Jews, which henceforth must be separated from the memorial demands common to all the pied-noirs.

Albert Camus the Algerian: Colonialism, Terrorism, Justice

Reviewed by: Albert Camus the Algerian: Colonialism, Terrorism, Justice David R. Ellison Carroll, David . Albert Camus the Algerian: Colonialism, Terrorism, Justice. New York: Columbia University Press, 2007. Pp. 237. David Carroll's new book on Camus is an important contribution not only to Camus studies but to contemporary reflections on postcolonial theory. The book is a model of scholarship and erudition, and it is also the record of a personal change in point of view. After reading the attacks on Camus's politics that branded him a "colonialist sympathizer" (in their different ways, Albert Memmi, Conor Cruise O'Brien, and Edward Said enact this form of criticism in their respective studies), Carroll set out to re-read Camus and to discover for himself the degree to which these attacks and criticisms could be called justified, the degree to which they were grounded in a serious and nuanced reading of Camus's writings – both the journalistic essays and the fictions that deal primarily with Algeria. Not the least of the many qualities displayed in Albert Camus the Algerian is the intellectual honesty of its author. Whereas Carroll demonstrates, convincingly as far as I am concerned, that O'Brien and Said were off the mark in their attacks (and essentially, that they did not read Camus), his purpose is not, however, to lionize Camus or to gloss over the political ineffectiveness of his "third way" proposals during the very difficult period of escalation of the Algerian War. Carroll is not saying that Camus's pleas for dialogue when dialogue had become politically and practically impossible are in some way politically admirable; what he is saying is that there is a territory of thought prior to or beyond the political to which Camus is appealing in his writings – both in his essays and in his fictions. We might call this territory the domain of the ethical – a domain in which the central notions are those of community, dialogue, responsibility, and the sharing of strong feelings, including that of anguish. (I shall return to this notion later.) What Carroll has done better than any critic I know is to demonstrate that Camus's appeals to human feelings (revolt, for example, begins in a strong personal feeling: je me révolte) are not symptoms of political evasion, but rather are attempts to establish an ethical ground for human action and limits for behavior, precisely in those situations in which warring factions are tempted to act in the name of an absolute Truth. [End Page 159] Albert Camus the Algerian is a focused study but not a limited study. Carroll concerns himself exclusively with those writings by Camus that have an explicitly Algerian dimension (this means, for example, that when it comes to L'Exil et le royaume, neither "Jonas" nor "La Pierre qui pousse" are considered), and in so doing ensures that his forays into postcolonial theory have the distinctness and specificity of the Algerian context as their ground. At the same time, however, the fact that Carroll not only analyzes numerous journalistic pieces such as "Réflexions sur la guillotine," "Ni victimes ni bourreaux," and "Trêve pour les civils," as well as various politically relevant sections of L'homme révolté, but also addresses L'Etranger, La Peste, three short stories from l'Exil et le royaume, and Le Premier Homme, leads to his reader's gradual and ever increasing conviction that Carroll is proposing a new reading of Camus – one that bases itself on an intelligent interpretation of Camus's attachment to the Algerian soil, viewed both in its socio-political reality and also in mythical terms. After a short introduction, in which Carroll states succinctly the essential goal of his book ("My purpose here is to challenge the reductive terms of the polemics over Camus' politics, and by doing so come to a better appreciation of both Camus' Algerian fictions and their political implications" [14]), he divides his study into seven chapters, whose headings read as follows: 1. The Place of the Other; 2. Colonial Borders; 3. Exile; 4. Justice or Death?; 5. Terror; 6. Anguish; 7. Last Words. The first chapter includes an interesting reading of L'Etranger, notably the...

Isolation and partial characterization of pigment-like antibiotics produced by a new strain of Streptosporangium isolated from an Algerian soil

Identification of a new actinomycete strain Sg3, belonging to the genus Streptosporangium and partial characterization of the produced antibacterial activities. The strain Sg3 was isolated from an Algerian Saharan soil and identified by morphological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses to the genus Streptosporangium. The comparison of its physiological characteristics with those of known species of Streptosporangium showed significant differences with the nearest species Streptosporangium carneum. Analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence of strain Sg3 showed a similarity level ranging between 97% and 98.8% within Streptosporangium species, with S. carneum the most closely related. Strain Sg3 showed a red coloured antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria on several culture media. The purification of the red pigment by chromatographic methods led to the isolation of three active products. The (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass, infrared (IR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) data of these molecules strongly suggested that they belonged to the quinone-anthracycline group with three or more rings. Strain Sg3 represents a distinct phyletic line suggesting a new genomic species. It produces antibacterial activities identified as quinone-anthracycline aromatics. The quinone-anthracycline antibiotics are known for their antimicrobial and antineoplastic activities and are used in chemotherapy for the treatment of many cancer diseases. The present work constitutes the first stage of a whole series of studies to be realized on these antibiotics before arriving at a possible application.

Taxonomy and chemical characterization of antibiotics of Streptosporangium Sg 10 isolated from a Saharan soil

A new actinomycete strain designated Sg 10, producing antimicrobial substances was isolated from an Algerian soil. Morphological and chemical studies indicated that strain Sg 10 belonged to the genus Streptosporangium. The comparison of its physiological characteristics with those of known species of Streptosporangium showed significant differences with the nearest species Streptosporangium carneum. Analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence of strain Sg 10 showed a similarity level ranging between 96.3% and 97.8% within Streptosporangium species, with S. carneum the most closely related. However, the phylogenetic analysis indicated that strain Sg 10 represent a distinct phyletic line suggesting a new genomic species. The antimicrobial activity of strain Sg 10 showed an antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria as well as an antifungal one. Four active products were isolated from the culture broth using various separation procedures. On the basis of UV-VIS spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy and chemical revelations, the antibiotics were classified in the group of glycosylated aromatics.

Gamma and alpha emitting radionuclides in some Algerian soil samples

In 1993, surface soil samples (0–15 cm) were collected from different regions of Algeria, in order to evaluate their radioactivity. The samples were analysed by direct gamma spectrometry and radiochemical separation to determine 238U, 232Th and their daughters, 40K, 137Cs and plutonium isotope concentrations. In addition to the natural radionuclides, whose concentrations were in the normal range of values compared to those in the literature, soil samples showed a low level of contamination by 137Cs and plutonium isotopes. The 137Cs and 239 + 240Pu concentrations varied from 15 to 35 Bq kg −1 dry weight and from 0.24 to 0.61 Bq kg −1 dry weight, respectively. The 238Pu concentration was found to be around 0.015 Bq kg −1 dry weight. Concentration ratios of 239 + 240Pu to 137Cs ranged from 0.015 to 0.023 and those of 238Pu to 239 + 240Pu from 0.015 to 0.022, although the results of the latter are near the detection limit and might be unreliable. The main sources that may have contributed to this contamination are nuclear weapons testing fallout and possibly the Chernobyl accident.

Legacy of Empire: The Algerian Connection

The French ethnologist Germaine Tillion who valiantly opposed the brutal war in Algeria observed during the conflict that France and Algeria were complementary enemies. One hundred and thirty years of colonial rule had created bonds between the two which could not be broken.1 While many of the links have been loosened by independence, the former colonial relationship with Algeria continues to mark French life. The Algerian connection has affected French eating and drinking habits; couscous restaurants are legion in France and Frenchmen who never set foot on Algerian soil learned to enjoy drinking an anisette. Beyond such superficial signs of the Algerian impact are more important forms of the colonial imprint which have affected French society since independence was conceded in 1962.

Algeria: The Cycle of Reciprocal Fear

In March 1962, France and Algeria, parties to seven years of conflict, agreed upon the need to destroy an illusion. For more than a century Algeria had been regarded as an integral part of metropolitan France, despite the patently non-Gallic character of its indigenous population. Bloody insurrection and the realization in France that the Mother Country could not undo the wrongs of previous generations brought the illusion into disrepute; it was interred in July 1962 with the acquisition of full independent status by Algeria. This separation restored France to a reasonable semblance of well-being; Algeria, on the other hand, suffered a far less happy fate. At independence Algeria found itself on the threshold of renewed conflict. The principals in this second act of violence were not the European settlers (colons) who had dominated Algeria's political life for generations as baronial overlords. The vast majority of settlers, approximately 850,000 out of a total of one million, had scuttled and run out of fear of vengeful retribution by Algeria's nine million Muslims. Nor were the half-million French soldiers remaining on Algerian soil participants in the new drama; the overwhelming majority were anxious to depart this melancholy land without molestation. The principals were the founders and leaders of the Algerian revolution, men who, at the hour of triumph, fell into disagreement over the distribution of power and ignored a more compelling imperative - - the rehabilitation of a wartorn society.