mysql_real_escape_string() expects parameter 1 to be string, array given

Keep in mind the every element of the result_array() is an array itself. Usually it contains the fields you requested from your database.
I guess that one of your fields is named 'description'.
If that is the case, modify the foreach loop like this:

PHP Code:

foreach($q->result_array() as $row) {        
    $descs[] = mysql_real_escape_string($row['description']);
} 


I question if you really need the mysql_real_escape_string with CodeIgniter. I never use it, and I never encountered problems with strings that have quotes or special characters.