Abstract Anaerobic biodegradation of banana leaves by cellulolytic fungus (yeast) was conducted at optimum operational conditions of concentration, temperature and pH for biogas and bio liquid production. Proximate analysis of both the fermented and unfermented substrates was carried out. Effects of nutritive additives on biogas and bio liquid production were investigated. The bio liquid generated was extracted by soxhlet extraction and, its components were separated into maltenes (soluble c...
ABSTRACT The concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd in vegetables grown in Kaduna metropolis were determined. The nitric acid -per chloric acid mixture was used in the digestion procedure and a precision of 4.2%, 3.8%, 2.4%, 5.3%, and 5.7% was obtained for Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb and Cu respectively. Good recoveries between 88-96% were obtained for the metals studied. The concentrations of metals in the vegetables varied from 40-1 OOµg/g for Fe, 21.3-51.3µg/g Zn, 9.0-28. Oµg/g Cu, 0.7-2.6µg/g Pb...
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 General Pollution affects more than our water and air; soils also are seriously polluted. It is easy to forget that the soil is more than just a mass of inert matter. In its own way, the soil is a living organism. (I) Soil is a crucial component of the rural and urban environments, and in both cases, land management is the key to soil quality. Pesticides are synthetic organic or inorganic chemicals used to control weeds in fields and lawns, and unwanted or ha...
ABSTRACT Soil samples were collected from cultivated farmlands, roadside topsoil, industrial sites, and local brass industrial site located in three major cities (Minna, Bida and Suleja) of Niger State. United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Method 3050 was followed to digest heavy metals from the samples, and subsequently, the concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb and Ni were detem1ined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) technique. Generally, the mean concentrations .Vere 14±...
ABSTRACT The Ghanaian ecosystem plays host to various lagoons which serve different purposes. The most important of them is being home for different types of fish species. Examples are Sarotherodon melanotheron (Cichlidae) which is popularly called blackchin tilapia and Tilapia guineensis (Bleeker) also known as redchin tilapia. Quality assessment was done to ascertain the level of pollution in water and sediment samples from Sakumo, Chemu and Kpeshie lagoons. Physicochemical parameters (pH,...
The aim of the study was to investigate thermal activation of clays from selected regions of Mwea using rice husks (RH), as the only source of energy, to produce low cost pozzolanalime cement. The clays were sampled from Gikiiro and Ugweri regions and coded 2060 and 2062 respectively. The clays were calcined at temperatures between 500 and 800 oC for one and two hours. Further, the raw clays were blended with rice husks at different ratios and fired in a fixed bed kiln (FBK). The resultant as...
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is the third most important food source around the world especially in sub - Sahara Africa. It is preferred due to its agronomical attribute such as ability to grow in poor soils and drought resistance. The consumption of its tubers and leaves has dual antagonistic contribution to mankind. On one hand, this perennial tropical crop contains carbohydrates, vitamins, calcium and iron which are of nutritional benefit while on the other hand, they contain cyanoge...
Ilesi market in Kakamega County has been known for pottery for more than five decades in spite of the fact that the clays used have not been scientifically characterized. The potters register significant losses in their production due to swelling during molding, breakages during drying and firing. The objective of this study was to characterize the clays with a view to determining their suitability for pottery. Clay soils from Ilesi deposits in Kakamega County have been physically and chemica...
The emergence of bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics and other drugs is a worldwide problem. New classes of antimicrobial compounds with complete new mode of action are therefore urgently needed to control the rise of the multidrug resistant pathogens. The objective of this study was to prepare, and characterize halfsandwich organometallic compounds of iron containing amine ligands with similar backbones as drug molecules used in the treatment of TB and to test their biological activ...
Density functional theory has been used to study mechanisms of the reactions involving [1,7]-sigmatropic hydrogen shift in Z,Z-1,3,5-heptatriene systems, esterification of acetyl chloride with methanol and acid-catalyzed esterification of carboxylic acids with methanol. The calculations employed the B3LYP functional, with 6-31+G(d) basis sets. Mechanism routes were computed, with complete optimization of all intermediates and transition states. The effect of electron-donating and electron...
The present study was undertaken with the aim of producing Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) using air as a source of nitrogen and bones a source of phosphoric acid. Oxygen was removed from air by passing air over heated copper granules in the temperature range of 300oC – 500oC. Copper granules were heated using charcoal packed in a ceramic charcoal stove. The nitrogen was reacted with lithium to form lithium nitride which was hydrolysed to produce ammonia. The phosphoric acid extracted by boiling...
Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is an important African staple food crop in the tropics. The crop contains cyanogenic glycosides which can be readily converted to thiocyanate by glycosidases and sulfur transferase enzymes present in the plant or in the animal tissues. Thiocyanate inhibits the uptake of iodine by the iodide pump of the thyroid gland thus acting as a goitrogen which suppresses thyroid function leading to goiter. Goiter increases the risk of thyroid irradiation in the event o...
Crude plant products have been widely used by different communities in Africa for pest control. Synthetic insecticides have a number of drawbacks, such as development of genetic resistance, eco-toxicity, negative health effects to users and high cost of application. However, not enough scientific research has been conducted on the efficacy of traditional methods in weevil control, the chemical profiles of plant products and their safety to the users. The bioactivities of the powedered pr...
The search for materials for purification of polluted water is growing daily with the advent of nanoparticles. This is particularly important because many populations of people in the developing countries lack clean water due to water pollution. Water pollutants such as heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known to have adverse effects on humans and environment. This work investigated the potential of synthesized magnetoresponsive CNT-polysulfone infused polymeric nano...
About two billion people around the world have no access to modern energy. More than 84% of Kenya population use kerosene for cooking and lighting therefore it is necessary to search for suitable alternatives to liquid and cooking fuels. In this study, oil extracted from Telfairia pedata Hook (Oyster nut) was transesterified in methanol using sodium hydroxide catalyst. Methyl ester obtained was characterized by GC-MS and further tested for fuel properties relative to conventional diesel ...