ABSTRACT The focus of this research work is the unraveling of the microbial dynamics of the biodegradation of a mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), naphthalene, anthracene and pyrone in an aqueous- soil matrix. The soil used in these studies was characterized as highly porous with a sandy-clay ratio of 85-14%. The microbial growth study was characterized by an initial lag phase, a rapid and an exponential increase in cell biomass, a stationary phase and finally a death phase. T...
ABSTRACT The kinetic analysis of three complex reaction networks of catalytic reforming reaction systems has been studied. The complex systems of reaction networks were first fashioned into a system of single reactions. Each single reaction is then delineated into a sequence of elementary reaction steps. The principles of rate determining step, steady state approximations and microscopic reversibility were then involved for necessary simplifications Kinetic and equilibrium parameters for mode...
ABSTRACT Carbon nanodots (CNDs), nitrogen doped carbon nanodots (n-CNDs) and their composites with cobalt tetra aminophenoxy phthalocyanine nanoparticles (CoTAPhPcNPs) were employed towards the simultaneous detection of aspirin (ASA), ibuprofen (IBU) and indomethacin (INDO). The nanomaterials were characterized by FTIR, UV-Vis, TEM, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, chronoamperometry and differential pulse voltammetry. CoTAPhPcNPs/n-CNDs-GCE...
ABSTRACT The quest for effective forecasting models to meet the ever growing electricity demand around the globe has heightened and taken a much challenging dimension that cuts across rural and urban communities in under-developed, developing and developed economies. Electric Load Forecasting which is the accurate prediction of both the magnitude and geographical distributions of electrical energy demand over the different periods of planning horizon has become a vital process in the planning...
ABSTRACT Hydrolysis of a complex medium (whole-wheat flour) using a mixed culture of Aspergillus. awamori and Aspergillus. oryzae was carried out for the purpose of producing a fermentation medium that can be used to produce industrial chemicals.. The experimentation was carried out in shake flasks as well as in a 10-litre fermenter and the results obtained in all cases indicated that the two microorganisms could cooperate together to hydrolyse both the starch and the protein in wheat flour c...
ABSTRACT In this study, the potential effects of animal derived organic manure (cow dung, poultry droppings), saw dust and NPK fertilizer on the bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil was investigated. The rate of biodegradation was studied for the period of 10 weeks under laboratory conditions. The biodegradation data were fitted to eight models, four of which are based on microbial growth rate and the other four based on order of reaction. Results obtained show that biore...
ABSTRACT Remediation of hydrocarbon polluted soil applying all existing techniques can be slow, expensive and requires close monitoring. Bioremediation and phytoremediation augmented bioremediation have been used to treat petroleum contaminated soil and even the difficult poly aromatic hydrocarbon polluted soil which takes longer time. What has not been studied was the effect of heavy metals present in petroleum which slows down the substrate degradation by microorganisms. After the prima...
Abstract Detailed characterization of relevant cell components modelling and model validation of the electrical power utilization and productivity estimation of a locally fabricated
ABSTRACT Non edible oil sources have the potential to lower the cost of biodiesel. However, they usually contain significant high amounts of free fatty acids (FFA) that make them inadequate for direct base catalyzed transesterification reaction (where the FFA content should be lower than 3%). The present work reviews chemical re-esterification as a possible method for the pre-treatment of high FFA feedstock for biodiesel production. The effects of temperature, amount of glycerol, type and amo...
ABSTRACT Clean modern energy and improved waste management are two well-recognised challenges in the global transition to sustainable development. There exist synergistic opportunities in simultaneously tackling the two issues via the generation of bioenergy from suitable waste streams. This potential has been successfully exploited elsewhere in the world; however, South Africa, despite having significant potential, lags behind in the implementation of these technologies and the respective ...
ABSTRACT The development of a Cathodic Protection System for a mild steel pipe using a magnesium anode was investigated. The pipe was externally coated with three layers of polykene tape wrapping and the soil resistivity was determined using the Wenner four pin method; a value of 2177Ωcm was obtained. The design parameters for the developed Cathodic Protection System were: total current of 0.0153mA; current density of 0.01mA/m2; protection current of 0.0153mA; protection voltage of 0...
ABSTRACT In this work, the operation and performance of a novel Separation Tray Column under Vertical and Tilt conditions is presented. The Tray Column used for the work is a Downcomerless liquid initiated and controlled Valve Tray with capacity to shut portions of the tray lacking liquid at any time. To evaluate the mass transfer performance of this column, an oxidation experiment was conducted at 300C and the percentage of Fe (II) oxidised to Fe (III) from contaminated water by air was ch...