Abstract The paper presents the results of investigation conducted on foamed aerated concrete – a lightweight concrete - with a view to determining its potential as a construction material in Nigeria. The properties investigated on foamed aerated concrete having a designed density of 1600kg/m3 were: workability, density, compressive strength, tensile strength, and the water absorption capacity. The results showed that at the designed density adopted for this work, the material was workable ...
Abstract: This paper presents the results of an investigation conducted to determine some structural properties of concrete made with recycled coarse aggregates but containing (PKSA) as partial replacement of cement by weight. Cement was replaced with palm kernel shell ash (PKSA) up to 50% by weight at interval of 5% to produce the concrete used in the investigation. The properties investigated were: setting times, workability, compressive strength, and tensile strength. The results showed th...
ABSTRACT Wet sieving is still a manual operation in tropical crop processing. It is a time consuming operation. Most of the existing wet sieving machines are available in large scale industries and they are too sophisticated to operate and maintain by local processors. Therefore, a motorized starch extracting machine, based on shaking mechanism was designed, fabricated and tested to solve the problem associated with sieving of starch and other agricultural crops in Nigeria. The machine consis...
ABSTRACT The effect of poultry waste application on physicochemical and biological properties of sandy clay loam soil was investigated on a 7m X 7m plot of land. Plot was divided into four portions and 7.5kg each of broiler, cockerel and layers waste was applied to plot A, B, and C in slurry form while plot D was used as control(no application) for eight weeks with two weeks interval. After the fourth application, samples were taken from the plot for laboratory analysis. The results showed th...
ABSTRACT In this study, the product temperature response of a single screw extruder developed locally was investigated for the extrusion process of the flour and starch of maize and cassava which are grown in Nigeria in large quantity but yet underutilized. These were compared with wheat flour which is commonly used for the production of alimentary pastes in a factorial experiment in completely randomized design A maximum temperature of 150oC per 30 minutes was attained through viscous dissip...
Abstract: In tropical countries like Nigeria where seasonal variation in climate is usually experienced, the earth routes which usually compose of lateritic soil are not usually stable. There is an increase of moisture content during the rainy season, which tends to weaken the strength of the soil while in the dry season; the dust in such roads is a great menace to the comfort and well-being of road users and adjacent inhabitant. This study looks at the effect of lime variation on moisture co...
Abstract This study re-examined the BMN model making use of the Sigma Plot software (based on the Levenberg – Marquardt algorithm) to generate modified versions of the BMN model that are specific for Ibadan, Kano and Onne and one version which applicable across the country, correcting some perceived shortcomings of the BMN. Records of climatic variables (Solar radiation, Maximum and Minimum Temperature, Maximum and Minimum Relative Humidity and Wind speed) were collected from three Internat...
ABSTRACT Instability of a damaged pile due to a statically or dynamically applied overload is studied in this work using the finite element method. A damage parameter from such a pile is calculated using fracture mechanics concepts. The parameter is used to modify the beam element at the cracked or damaged location. Soil samples were obtained from the site of the pile and were subjected to laboratory tri-axial tests to obtain shear strength parameters c and . Other soil parameters s...
Abstract In modern greenhouses, measurements of climate conditions are required to give the grower a better understanding on how each factor affect growth and how to achieve maximal crop productiveness. The measurements and resultant optimal conditional adjustments enable the grower to improve productivity and achieve maximum costs and energy savings. Data of climate parameters were collected and analyzed to determine night and diurnal change of solar radiation, air temperature and humidity i...
ABSTRACT Product temperature is a very important system parameter as well as an indicator of extrusion proc- ess. In this study, the product temperature response of a single screw extruder developed locally was investigated for the extrusion process of the flour and starch of maize and cassava which are grown in Nigeria in large quantity but with high post-harvest losses. These were compared with wheat flour which is commonly used for the production of alimentary pastes. A factorial experimen...
ABSTRACT The increase in papaya production requires new strategies to extend the storage life of the fruit. Edible coatings act as physical barriers when applied on the surface of fruits and effectively change their internal atmosphere and delay the ripening process. In the present study, two different coatings were developed from the mucilage of Opuntia cactus and their effects were investigated on the quality and storability of papaya fruits. The two experimental coatings were pure mucilage...
Abstract Records of climatic variables (Solar radiation, Maximum and Minimum Temperature, Maximum and Minimum Relative Humidity and Wind speed) were collected from three International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Stations namely Ibadan, Kano and Onne in Nigeria. For Ibadan, a 36-year (1973 – 2008) record was obtained, for Kano, a 29-year (1980 - 2008) record was obtained and for Onne, a 31-year (1977 - 2006) record was obtained. Evapotranspiration rates for each of the stations ...
AbstractRheological properties of food are very important indicators of the quality and texture of food products. In this study, the relative viscosity and pasting characteristics (cold and hot paste viscosity) of extrudates from a locally developed extruder (L/D 12:1, CR 4.4:1, 4 KW) were determined. The extrudates were processed from the flour and starch of cassava and maize and wheat flour. Stepwise regression and other follow up tests were employed to a factorial experiment in completely ...
Abstract The substantial amount of energy consumed during food processing and energy consumption is a very significant factor of operational costs. Also, consumption of products of starchy crops like cassava, maize and wheat is the common feature of low income dwellers of Africa. Improvement of these diets by fortifications with essential components of food including proteins, vitamins and minerals is desirable. Extrusion cooking has been proven to be a very efficient food processing technolo...
ABSTRACT In this study, the effect of extrusion process parameters of a locally developed extruder on the moisture loss of extrudates of the flour and starch of maize and cassava which are grown in Nigeria in large quantity were characterized. These were compared with those of wheat flour which is commonly used for the production of alimentary paste. The parameters considered include feed moisture (30, 40, 50 %), extruder temperature (40, 70, 100oC) built up by varying the duration of samplin...