Abstract A gradual shift to biofuels development was considered advantageous in reducing the pollution and other challenges associated with fossil fuels. Specifically, biodiesel production is one of those options prioritized in the literature. Herein, we demonstrated how a modified activated charcoal sample and chromium oxide can catalyze the upgrading of groundnut oil into fuel-grade biodiesel at the laboratory scale via trans-esterification with methanol. The charcoal-based catalyst was ...
Abstract/Overview Elemental mercury is not as poisonous as its congeners such as methyl mercury and dimethyl mercury, especially at trace levels. However, understanding the speciation mechanisms of mercury in aquatic ecosystems offers an opportunity to appreciate the dangers emanating from elemental mercury in the environment. Notably, elemental mercury is occasionally used in dental filling therapy which presents it as a non-poisonous element. Recent advances on mechanisms of elemental m...
Abstract/Overview Primaquine (PQ) is one of the most widely used antimalarial drugs and is the only available drug that combats the relapsing form of malaria. PQ use in higher doses is limited by severe tissue toxicity including hematological- and gastrointestinal-related side effects. Nanoformulation of drugs in an appropriate drug carrier system has been extensively studied and shown to have the potential to improve bioavailability, thereby enhancing activity, reducing dose frequency, a...
Abstract/Overview Phytochemical and biological evaluation of the stem bark of Alysicarpus ovalifolius led to the isolation of three carbazole alkaloids identified as mohanimbine (1), koenimbine (2) and koenidine (3) along with quercetin 3-O-glucoside (4), kaempferol 7-O-glucoside (5), orientin (6), apigenin (7), quercetin (8), plumbagin (9) and stigmasterol (10). The structures of these compounds were elucidated using physical and spectroscopic methods as well as comparison with the liter...
Abstract: Lead is a heavy metal that is bio accumulative and non-biodegradable that poses a threat to our health when it exists in excess in our bloodstream. It has found its way into wastewater from mostly chemical industrial processes. In this article, we investigated the adsorption and hence removal of lead (II) ions from wastewater in order to purify it for re-use in industrial processes or for plant and animal use. We synthesized nano silica hollow spheres (NSHS) and used them as adsorb...
Abstract: Lead pollution of soil arising from use of leaded ammunition in shooting ranges has received considerable attention from researchers, scientists, policy makers and legislatures. This is due to the adverse health effects associated with exposure to Pb. Eight military shooting ranges found in Botswana were used in this research project. All the eight shooting range soils were polluted with Pb with total Pb concentrations in the range 13-38 386 mg/kg. TAB shooting range soils acc...
Abstract: The ever-increasing population growth and economic developments have led to a demand for energy. Therefore, this has resulted in a depletion and ever rising prices of petroleum diesel, hence increasing environmental degradation. These complications have motivated this study for the search of an alternative eco-friendly and renewable source of energy such as biodiesel. Biodiesel has been found to be a potential alternative fuel for diesel. It has the potential to solve the energ...
Abstract: A series of ester and ether bridged compounds bearing the nitro and amino moieties were synthesized and characterized, in order to assess their ability to potentially serve as antibacterial agents against drug resistant bacteria. All the compounds were obtained at considerable yields while characterization techniques confirmed their successful synthesis. Furthermore, their antimicrobial assessments showed that all the compounds exhibited antibacterial activity against the Gram-nega...
Abstract: The removal of textile wastes is a priority due to their mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. In this study, bismuth oxyhalide was used in the removal of methylene blue (MB) which is a textile waste. The main objective of this study was to develop and investigate the applicability of a bismuth oxyhalide (BiOBr zI (1-z)) solid solutions in the photodegradation of MB under solar and ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. Methods: Bismuth oxyhalide (BiOBr zI (1-z)) (0 ≤ z ≤ 1) mate...
Abstract: The structure of pyridin-4-ylmethyl 4-nitrobenzoate was determined by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction method. The compound crystallized in a monoclinic system, P21/n, and the unit cell parameters are, a = 9.981(2), b = 12.347(3), c = 10.161(3)Å, β = 101.450(9), Z = 4, V = 1227.3(5)Å3. The crystal structure was solved by intrinsic phasing and refined to final values of R1 = 0.0451 and wR2 = 0.1393
Abstract: The main purpose of this investigation is to analyze the flow and heat transfer behavior of a non Newtonian fluid (Oldroyd B fluid) with hybrid nanostructure subject to externally inclined magnetic field. Cattaneo Christov heat flux model is incorporated in the energy equation. Non linear thermal radiation and viscous dissipation mechanisms are considered. Shooting technique is implemented to accomplish the numerical solution. The outcomes of the numerical computations are discusse...
Abstract: A new hexadentate 2-picolyl-polypyridyl-based ligand (4, 4’-(butane-1, 4-diylbis(oxy))bis(N, N-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)aniline)) (2BUT) (1) and its corresponding Ru(II/III) complexes were synthesized and characterized, followed by assessment of their possible bioactive properties towards drug-resistant and non-drug-resistant bacteria. Spectroscopic characterization of the ligand was done using proton NMR, FTIR, and ESI-MS, which showed that the ligand was successfully synthesized....
Abstract: The quest for the design and synthesis of carbon dots with anti-counterfeit properties that are derived via green, environmentally friendly and economical procedures is a continuous process. Carbon dots (C-dots) derived from biowaste are cheap to synthesize, possess good photo-stabilityand high synthetic yield, making them applicable in the anti-counterfeiting of currency. Herein, we report a novel eco-friendly, cheaper, and faster method for the synthesis of carbon dots with stron...
Abstract: This study was conducted on the Ngaoundaba Crater Lake sediments to infer provenance, weathering conditions, organic matter accumulation, and trace metal concentrations. Ngaoundaba Lake sediments were collected using a manual core sampler at 5 to 8 m water depth. Two sediment cores from the littoral and center of the lake were analyzed for grain size distribution, water content (WC), organic matter content, mineralogy, and major and trace element concentrations. The Ngaoundaba sedi...
Bush meat (Grass cutter) is one of the best natural meats with lots of nutritional advantages. The increase in consumption of bush meat serves as alternative which bridges the gap of the inadequacy of animal protein and other nutrition. The grass cutter (Thryonomys swinderianus) meat samples used in this research were collected from Emure Owo market, in Owo local government of Ondo state, Nigeria. The hairy skin of the fresh lifeless grass cutter was removed using hot water. The grass cutter ...