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The high demand for citric acid by many industries cannot be over emphasized. Presently, 70 % of the total citric acid produced globally is consumed by food industries, 12 % by pharmaceutical industries and the remaining 18 % by other industries. Moreover, rapid increase in food/beverage industries in Nigeria with no known company producing citric acid in Nigeria makes its scarcity severe. Cassava peels from cassava processing industries and lemon peels are abundant. Surface fermentation method was employed in production of citric acid at varying pH from 3.0 to 4.5. Physico-chemical properties and Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopic analysis were conducted using standard methods. The kinetics of the production process was also determined. The yields and physico-chemical properties of the citric acid obtained from both substrates were comparable to that of commercial citric acid. The yields obtained from cassava peels are lower when compared to those from lemon peels when the same quantities were used. The optimum yield obtained from lemon and cassava peels after 192 h of fermentation at optimum pH 4 were found to be 34.4 g/kg and 32.7 g/kg respectively. The infra red spectra of citric acid produced from cassava and lemon peels showed bands at 3497, 3290 and 3288 cm-1 depicting hydroxyl group bonded to carboxyl. The 1750 cm-1 carbonyl band was observed for both peels. There was increase in percentage yields of citric acid over 48 – 192 h fermentation periods for pH range of 3.0 – 4.5. The kinetics of the production process was observed to follow a pseudo-second order as it gave best fit compared to other models used. The range of pseudo – second rate constant fell within 1.045 x 10-3 – 2.411 x 10-3 kg/g.hr for pH range of pH 3.0 – 4.5 for lemon peels while that of cassava peel ranged from 1.071 x 10-3 to 98.91 x 10-3 kg/g.hr for pH 3.0 – 4.5 range. The possibility of production of citric acid in Nigeria from lemon and cassava waste peels could reduce importation of this product by industries and thus save enough revenue for the country.

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The leather industries in Nigeria depend largely on imported fatliquors at exorbitant rates and that has affected the leather value chain, to avert this, there is the need to look into our indigenous plants to make this product available. In this light African star apple (Chrysophyllum Albidum) seed was considered for its affordability and availability. The seed was collected and some physico-chemical parameters analysed and presented as follows: Moisture content (18.3%); Saponification value (222.05mgKOH/g); Acid value (3.8mgKOH/g); Free Fatty Acid value (2.54mgKOH/g); Peroxide value (5.5mgKOH/g); Specific gravity (0.90g/cm3); Refractive index (1.3573); Ester value (218.25); Iodine value (28mg/100g of sample); Percentage yield of oil (13%).Some heavy metals of interest such as: Iron, lead and nickel were analysed to ascertain their concentrations in the sample using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Functional groups present were analysed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) as follows: -OH; Alkyl group –C-H; -CHO from aldehyde and amide –N-H, alkanes –C=C stretch. Furthermore GC-MS was employed to validate the degree of saturation and unsaturation of fatty acids and alcohols. The GC-MS key results include: Palmitic acid (21.22%), stearic acid (8.08%),tridecanoic (9.94%),tridecenal (2.25%),docosanoic (0.92%); oleic (12%), linoleic (11.91%) and fatty alcohol (palmitoleic 40.40%). Palmitic and stearic acid play important role in the production of fatliquor though surface active agents are needed to lower its viscosity.ChrysophyllumAlbidum can be used in combination with groundnut or castor seed oils because of its low yield (13%) for fatliquor production in the leather industry

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Use of appropriate footwear among people suffering with diabetic foot complications has been well documented to play a vital role in the prevention and treatment of established foot diseases. The incidence and prevalence rates of diabetes in Africa are increasing and foot complications are rising parallel. However, there is a paucity of literature on the role of people suffering with diabetics in ensuring the use of appropriate footwear in the management of diabetic foot complications. This paper explores current practice in the use of appropriate footwear among patients with diabetes mellitus in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The study was carried out at different hospitals in Kaduna State. A self administered structured questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: Demographic and footwear questionnaire. The footwear questionnaire focused on three themes: Diabetic foot problems, type of footwear worn by diabetic patients frequently and the role of proper footwear fastening mechanism in the prevention of diabetic foot complications. The findings indicate that up to 77% females and 62% males’ respondents used footwear that do not have any form of fastening or are slip-on footwear. Lace-up shoes were used by 28% of the male participants and only 12% of female patients used a similar type of footwear. Footwear with fastening mechanism were the least popular type of footwear used by the research subjects. This study shows that the use of appropriate footwear in the management of diabetic foot complications in this part of the World is suboptimal.

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This study investigates the characterization of River Niger Silica sand at Itobe with Iyoloko clay as additives for its possible uses in sand casting in the foundries. A measure of 5-25 %wt Iyoloko clay was added to the sand mixture in ratio 3:1. The chemical, physical and mechanical properties measured includes: chemical analysis of the Iyoloko clay, particle size, density, permeability, compatibility, mouldability, moisture content, green compression and shear strength, dry compression and shear strength. The results revealed that, addition of Iyoloko clay to River Niger Silica sand at Itobe, increased the mouldability, grain fineness number (G.F.N), both green and dry strength, slightly decreased the density, permeability and moisture content. These results shows that better properties of foundry sand are achievable by addition of Iyoloko clay to River Niger Silica sand and can be used to enhance the mould properties of foundry sand.

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This study presents a relationship between developed physical and mechanical properties of Nigerian grown Ebony ((Kanyan) Diospyros mespiliformi) timber. This is in order to determine the full potential for its utilization. Wood specimens for the test were prepared and determined in accordance with EN 13183-1 (2002) and EN 408 (2003). The mechanical properties were determined using three point bending test in accordance with ASTM D193 (2000). The mean moisture content, oven dry density, bulk density, bending strength, and modulus of elasticity were found to be 30.52% (MC), 768.56 Kg/m3 (DD), 1060.89 Kg/m3 (BD), 72.55 N/mm2 (BS) and 11722.78 N/mm2 (MOE) respectively. A relationship between the properties was determined using regression equation. The best relationship was between DD and MOE (R2 =0.893) and DD and BS (R2 = 0.894) followed by BS and MOE (R2 =0.813) then

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The solid waste from palm oil mill industry in Nigeria has been on the increase annually. This study thus investigates the utilization of Palm kernel shells (PKS) bio-agricultural wastes as a filler material for epoxy composite fabrication in which the filler was treated in an alkali solution. The composites were fabricated by employing filler particle size of 150μm and loadings of 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% using hand mixing technique. The composites were tested following appropriate ASTM standards for tensile, impact, hardness, morphological and water absorption properties. Fabricated composites showed good mechanical properties with 5-10% filler loadings attaining maximum values which improved on alkali treatment. The water absorption properties of the composites were not encouraging as saturation point was reached just after three days of immersion but, treatment with alkali reduced water absorption rate. SEM analysis of the fractured tensile specimens further highlighted the reason for the improved mechanical properties recorded by the alkali washed palm kernel shell composites due to the removal of natural impurities hence, providing larger surface area for mechanical interlocking. PKS composites therefore, have adequate properties for applications in the automotive industry as vehicle door and as partition panels and particle board products in building construction.

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This study is aimed at modeling of lead adsorption on Eucalyptus tereticornis (locally known as Turare) leaves from laboratory simulated wastewater through the application of response surface methodology (RSM). Batch studies were performed to evaluate the different parameters considered: contact time and adsorbent dosage. Central Composite Design (CCD) in Response Surface Methodology was employed which gave a total of 13 experimental runs that lead to a quadratic model relating the response (adsorption capacity) and the variables. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the model was significant as indicated in model P-value of 0.0001. Significant model terms were (contact time) and (adsorbent dosage). Experimental results showed that at constant pH 5, the adsorption capacity has reached a maximum of 0.8147 mg/g with a contact time of 70 min. Optimization of the model indicated adsorbent dosage of 1 g/L and 120 min adsorption time as optimum conditions for the process. The actual and predicted values of the response agreed closely as evidenced from the model R2-Value of 0.9651.

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The dyeing of nanocrystalline (NCC) cellulose powder extracted from corn cob (Saleh, 2015) was carried out using Reactive (Procion Violet H-3R), Disperse (Foron YellowS.E 2GL) and Direct (Solophenyl Yellow) dyes. The percentage exhaustion in each case was calculated to determine which of the dyes exhausted best. The fastness of the dyed NCC powder to washing, chlorination and light were also investigated to determine which of the dyes has the best fastness properties and which of the dyes is suitable for application in a particular area. Based on the exhaustion and fastness results, the disperse dye with overall excellent properties was chosen as the best dye for nanocrystalline cellulose dyeing. Fabrics were dyed alongside to serve as a control.

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Diospyros mespiliformis is ubiquitously found plant in northern Nigerian farms and forests. Previously, various parts of this plant were reported for treatment of different types of diseases and there was neither a report of collection of the plant’s fruit pulp and seed from Dutsin-Ma nor on GC Ms analysis. Preliminary phytochemical screenings of n-hexane and methanol extracts were carried out according to standard procedures. Various bioactive compounds’ characterization of the extracts was done by GC-MS technique. The phytochemical analysis of the crude extracts of the n-hexane and methanol on the seed plant revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phlobatanins, saponins, steroidal nucleus, tannins, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinones, cardenolides, and terpenoids. The GC MS analysis of pulp showed 26 peaks of different phytoconstituents of which major components are: octanoic acid, decanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, 6-octadecenoic acid and eicosanoic acid; while the GC-MS analysis of seed showed 22 peaks of different phytoconstituents of which major components are: hexadecanoic acid, n-hexadecanoic acid, 9 octadecenoic acid and 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid. In conclusion, both the presence of phytochemicals detected from the phytochemical screening and the high unsaturated fatty acid content analyzed from GC-MS confirm the reports of the applications of Diospyros mespiliformis for the treatment of various diseases.

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Uniformly disperse single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)/High density polyethylene (HDPE) nanocomposite has been produced using the developed nanofeeder injection mould machine. The dispersion state of SWCNTs in the HDPE matrix was evaluated by transmission electron microscope and Atomic force microscope images and confirmed with conductivity test. It was found that the dispersion state of SWCNTs was better in the samples produced with the nanofeeder injection moulding machine for all concentrations of SWCNTs. This nanofeeder injection moulding machine developed can be adopted in the mass production of uniformly dispersed nanocomposite which is relevant in the area such as optical displays, catalysis, photovoltaics, gas sensors, electrical devices, mechanics, photo-conductors and superconductor devices.

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Active methylene azo disperse dyes were synthesized and characterized. A good percentage yield of each of the dyes were obtained in the range of 58-82 %. The dyes have well defined melting points in the range of 270 – 404 C. The visible absorption spectra of the dyes showed that the dyes absorbed maximally within the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The results of halochromism of the dyes showed that the dyes exhibited both negative and positive halochromism. The molar extinction coefficient of the dyes was generally high indicating high hue strength. On application of the dyes on fabric, a high percentage exhaustion of 73 and 69 percent was obtained on polyester and nylon 6.6 fabrics respectively. The assessment of fastness properties of the dyes showed that the dyes have ratings of 4-5 for wash fastness, fastness to pressing and perspiration on both fabrics.

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The rapid turnover in technology in developed and developing countries like Nigeria, has created a new environmental problem in electronic waste (e-waste) management due to high obsolesce rate of consumption. Households are one of the major consumers of electronic equipment and consequently the major sources of electronic wastes (e-waste). In this study, an assessment of the sources, types, lifespan, and the end-of-life management options of electronic equipment acquired by households in three cities in Nigeria (Lagos metropolis, Kaduna metropolis and FCT Abuja) have been studied and compared. Also, a census of the number of out-of-use electronics currently in the households was carried out. The results of the study revealed that both new and used (secondhand) electronic equipments are acquired in households in the study areas. The study also showed that the average lifespan of desktop computers, laptop computers, printers, mobile phones is 2.5-3.5 years, while televisions have lifespan of 3.5-5.5 years. Mobile phones and televisions had the highest average penetration rates of 4.88 and 1.96 respectively while printers had the least penetration rate of 0.6. The most preferred end-of-life options for e-wastes in the study areas were storage and sales, which indicates that users still value their equipment at its end-of-life. The study recommended appropriate e-waste management strategies such as establishment of e-waste collection centers and awareness creation in the households on the need for proper e-wastes disposal.

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On a global scale, sustainable environment and noise pollution are of serious concern in most developing countries, and Nigeria is no exception. Notable scholars have studied many materials - natural and synthetic - for noise control in buildings. Sustainable environment evolves from the production, application and use of sustainable products. A product is considered sustainable if the materials used for its production could be readily available for future generations and create no negative environmental impact such as waste generation and pollution, without compromising the health of its inhabitants. However, few studies have been developed on a comparative analysis of the eco-acoustical properties of conventional synthetic materials, agricultural and environmental wastes products. The aim of this article therefore is to evaluate the sustainability of agricultural and environmental waste products for noise control in buildings from the view of past scholars. Critical literature reviews and content analysis of the recent studies alongside the collected secondary data from the Life Cycle Assessment, Eco-invent, and Eco-profiles of the natural and sustainable environmental waste materials would be presented in the literature. The paper concludes that sustainable acoustical materials (agricultural or environmental wastes) are a valid alternative to traditional synthetic materials; most importantly is the reuse of environmental waste materials which could substantially reduce environmental pollution and also serve as a source of wealth creation for the unemployed Nigerian.

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This study examines the influence of compactive efforts on the geotechnical properties of compacted black cotton soil treated with metakaolin (MTK) to assess its suitability for use as a barrier material in waste containment application. Black cotton soil treated with up to 10% MTK (obtained from calcinations of kaolin) by dry weight of soil was used. The natural soil classifies as A-7-6(22) and Clay with high Plasticity CH according to American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials AASHTO and Unified Soil Classification System USCS respectively. The laboratory result obtained showed that there was a significant improvement in some of the geotechnical properties of the soil. The liquid limit and plastic limit decreased from 50 and 27.38% for the natural soil to 47.1 and 16.7 % when treated with 10 % metakaolin while the plasticity index increased from 22.59 % for the natural soil to 30.93% when treated with 10 % metakaolin content The hydraulic conductivity value decreased from 1.91 x 10-8 , 1.81 x 10-8 and 1.72 x 10-8 to 0.38 x 10-8 , 0.66 x 10-8 and 0.66 x 10-8 cm/sec for the three compactive efforts of British Standard Light (BSL), West Africa Standard (WAS) and British Standard Heavy (BSH) respectively. It was recommended that MTK treated black cotton soil could be used as a liner or cover material in waste containment facilities.

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Health-care services in rural or urban settings inevitably generate wastes that may be hazardous to health or have harmful environmental effects. This paper therefore assesses the generation, characterization and disposal of hospital waste of some selected hospitals within Kaduna metropolis. Nine hospitals were selected for the study. The weight of waste generated in these facilities is measured after which the wastes were segregated into various classes. 927 kg per day was generated out of which 84% is non-hazardous and 16% hazardous. Waste generation rate in these facilities range from 1.14 to 2.32 Kg/bed/day and 0.13 to 0.50 Kg/out-patient/day. The composition of waste across these facilities include; non-hazardous, infectious, sharps, and pharmaceutical wastes. Out of the facilities surveyed, two have locally built incinerator for waste pretreatment, three employ the use of open burning method, and four facilities do not have any form of waste pretreatment. The paper recommends pretreating of hazardous hospital waste before disposal.

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The work was aimed at the production of biodegradable grease from Atili (Blackdate) Oil that will be environmentally friendly. The grease was produced by mixing and blending of the base oil (Atili oil) with a mixture of calcium hydroxide and the stearic acid at 90oC which was then slowly heated to 190oC for about three hours to obtain the desired product. Three sets of the grease were produced by varying the amount of thickener, the base oil, the stearic acid and the temperature of the reaction. The grease produced was then milled (pound) to obtain a smooth-textured product at room temperature. The tests carried out to analyze the grease produced were dropping point test, unworked and worked penetration test; and most importantly, the test for biodegradability known as BOD5 test. Dropping point test was carried out to determine the temperature at which the grease sample began to drip. The consistency of the grease was measured using the worked and unworked penetration test. Finally, the Biochemical Oxygen Demand test or BOD5 was carried out by measuring the amount of oxygen dissolved in a grease sample initially and after five days. The results showed that dropping point was 70oC, 68oC and 71oC for sets 1, 2, and 3 samples respectively. The consistency values were 0.4 mm, 0.8 mm, and 0.3mm for sets 1, 2, and 3 samples respectively. The BOD was found to be 18.0 ppm, 16.8 ppm, and 18.0ppm for sets 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The grease produced was found to be more biodegradable than those made of mineral oil like Oando and Texaco grease which were 4.8ppm and 6.0ppm respectively. The consistency and dropping point of the grease was found to be dependent on the nature and amount of thickener used and also the viscosity of the base oil

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Nanomedicine can be succinctly defined as the application of nanotechnologies in a healthcare setting. Nanomedicine ascends from the integration of different sciences; physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, engineering, using the nanometer scale. This leads to scientists with different backgrounds, and diversified technical and intellectual skills, trying to address medical problems using nanotechnology. The task of nanomedicine is to integrate the knowledge of physicists, chemists and biologists to reach an ideal answer. Presently, nanomedicines are being explored for the management of various disease conditions which includes fungal infections, asthma and emphysema, ovarian and breast cancer, menopausal symptoms, chronic pain, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis. Nanotechnology is creating an insurrection, a paradigm shift in the manner we diagnose and treat disease. This treatise and current research concentrates on specific fields such as Nanodiagnostics, Molecular imaging, Dental Care, Orthopedics, Cardiac therapy and newly targeted drug-delivery systems. Nanomedicine offers hope for treatment of spinal cord injuries, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and cancer.

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The use and effectiveness of granular and powdered activated carbon made from Borassus aethiopum shells in adsorption studies were investigated. The source material was carbonized at 5000C and for a residence time of three hour in a muffle furnace, while 0.5M each of H3PO4 and ZnCl2 were used for chemical activation at 7500C and for 60m residence time. The adsorption of lead from aqueous solution by ZnCl2 and H3PO4 activated carbons was evaluated for the possibility of using the source material for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution. The effect of varying the concentration of the solution and the type of activating agents on the adsorption capacity were assessed. The results indicated that ZnCl2 activated carbons exhibited better adsorption capacity than H3PO4 activated carbons. This provides low cost method of producing activated carbons locally in developing country like Nigeria for use in water treatment.

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Samples of hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles (HTW) have been synthesized through a modified sol-gel method in Tween 20 (a polysorbate surfactant), separate portions of the powders were annealed at three different temperatures (400, 500 and 600 °C). The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM), Mössbauer spectroscopy and by means of a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). In addition, all the characterization techniques used showed the formation of phases of hematite nanoparticles with improved purity and crystallinity after higher temperature annealing. The nanoparticle size range was between 16 and 27 nm indicating good size control for Tween 20. The BET specific surface area ranged between 17 and 37 m2 g -1 which is also good for synthesis via solution route. The saturation magnetization and and mӧssbauer analysis both support the presence in the sample at lower annealing temperature of the presence of impurities of maghemite (γ-Fe2O3). Of particular note was the ability of Tween 20 to control the growth of the particles so that grain sizes well below 15 nm were obtained. Thus, Tween 20, when used as a surfactant in the sol-gel route, can serve to improve the physical properties of synthesized hematite nanoparticles.

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Novel bacterial strains capable of decolorizing textile dyes were isolated from dye contaminated soil obtained from the vicinity of African Textiles Industry Challawa, Kano - Nigeria. The Carcinogenic azo dye Congo red used widely in various industrial processes poses terrific environmental concern, causing major health problems to human beings. In the present study, decolourization of Congo red by newly isolated antibiotics sensitive novel bacterial strains from dyes contaminated soil of a treatment plant capable of decolorizing organic dyes were investigated and identified as Rhodococcus rhodochrous and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains by 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. Decolorization of Congo red dye using these bacterial strains was assayed by screening and optimizing various parameters to determine the optimal conditions required for maximum decolourization. Rhodococcus rhodochrous and Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed maximum decolourization upon incubation for 24 hrs at 37 °C and pH 7. Enhanced decolourization was achieved by amendment with glucose and peptone as well as carbon and nitrogen sources in the culture medium. The bacterial strains showed great potential in the decolourization of Congo red dye up to 96.1 % for Rhodococcus rhodocchrous and 91.1 % for Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the aqueous environment at optimal conditions. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis confirmed that dye decolourization occurred due to the breakdown of dye molecules into colourless end products. The less toxic nature of the dye degraded products was observed by microbial toxicity assay of agricultural significant bacteria and this can be exploited for the bioremediation of different classes of textile dyes and their derivatives containing waste

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The effects of kolaviron , an active component of Garcinia kola seeds were investigated on sodium arsenite-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Administration of a single dose of sodium arsenite (10mg/kg body weight) orally, increased the activities of serum marker enzymes-Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT). This also led to increase in lipid peroxidation and reduction in the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase(SOD) and catalase(CAT). Treatment with 100mg/kg body weight of kolaviron for thirteen days before and after induction of arsenite toxicity reduced the serum activities of ALT and AST significantly (p<0.05). Levels of endogenous antioxidant (SOD, CAT, GST (glutathione-s-transferase) and GSH (reduced glutathione) were also elevated significantly in rats treated with kolaviron. This study revealed that kolaviron possess antioxidant and hepatoprotective property against hepatotoxicity caused by arsenite.

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Nzu clay’ is a geophagious clay consumed in Africa for some medicinal purposes. This study reports the level of accumulated metals in mice that ingested ‘Nzu clay’ for 14 days. Eight female mice (10 ± 2 g) were each fed 0.02 g of ‘Nzu’ mixed with Bendel Plc Feed per day. The ‘Nzu clay’ contained 2.900 mg/kg Pb and 2.143 mg/kg Cd, while the experimental mice accumulated 0.893 mg/kg of Pb and 2.750 mg/kg Cd, but the control accumulated 0.714 mg/kg Pb and 2.250 mg/kg Cd. By extrapolation for 65 kg human weight, 0.014 mg/kg of Cd is anticipated to be accumulated at the end of two weeks. This is 13-fold the WHO tolerable weekly intake of 0.007 mg/kg body weight of human; and 10-fold increase in Pb compared to the WHO tolerable weekly intake. Neutron activation analysis indicated that the clay contained As, Cd and Pb at levels above WHO limits in foods. The accumulated concentration of Al in the mice was four-fold the 120.24 mg/kg in the control, while the accumulated Al concentration was 230-fold the tolerable intake. The accumulated concentration of manganese was 2.05 mg/kg compared to 0.07 mg/kg in the control. ‘Nzu clay’ is rich in K (96.0 mg/kg) and the mice also accumulated 11.5 mg/kg K; the National Academy of Sciences maximum level of daily dietary intake of K is approximately 72 mg/kg. The concentration of As in the clay was 51 mg/kg, which is of health concern. The level of Cr in the experimental mice was significantly elevated (Students’ t-test, P < 0.05) compared to the control. The accumulated level of Cr in the experimental mice was about 36-fold higher than the tolerable intake. The accumulated Fe and Mg in the mice was about 33-fold and 2-fold respectively. This implies that consumption of ‘Nzu clay’ result to bio-accumulation of essential and non-essential metals. Accumulation of heavy metals of health concern at long-term ingestion of the clay call for continuous ban on its consumption.

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The work reports the physicochemical properties of gum exudates from two Combretaceae tree species (Terminalia avicennioides (TA) and Anogeissus latifolia (AL)) determined by standard methods. The gum exudates exhibited differences in physicochemical qualities. The physicochemical properties of the gum were in the following ranges: moisture (11.3 - 11.5%); swelling capacity at 30oC (11 - 13%); pH (4.34 - 5.24); melting temperature (218- 242oC); total ash (3.30- 3.54%); nitrogen (0.70 - 0.71%); protein (4.38 - 4.46%) and ash content (0.53 - 0.60). The two gum samples did not contain tannin and fibre. The gum samples had high proportion of Ca and contained Ni, Pb and Cd at levels below the maximum permissible limits. The physicochemical parameters obtained for TA and AL compare well with those reported in previous studies on other gums. This signals the need for exploitation of the exudates for potential industrial applications

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An extracted vanillin from Foster Clark vanilla flavour for the chemical substitution of toxic carriers used in aqueous dyeing of polyester fabrics was assessed. The extracted vanillin was used to compare the dyeing of a woven polyester fabric with two commercial dyes C.I Disperse Yellow 56, and C.I. Disperse Yellow 50. The vanillin carrier is used for dyeing at 3 % shade at boil, the dye uptakes increased for both C,I Disperse Yellow 56 and C.I Foron Yellow 50 , while higher at 0.15 g of vanillin at pH 4 gave 70.4 % exhaustion on C.I Foron Yellow 50 and least on C.I Disperse Yellow 56 gave 0.66 % at pH 11. The wash, heat pressing and light fastness was determined, an excellent wash fastness was observed at both ISO 2 and ISO 3 wash fastness respectively, given an excellent rating at 4-5. More so, the light fastness test gives a high fastness rating at an average of 6-7 for both the two commercial dyes at different pH and concentration used. The study confirms that vanillin can be used as a chemical substitute to conventional carriers using the aforementioned dyes and gave good wash and light fastness properties

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Crushed particles of canarium schweinfurthii (Blackdate) seed shells were used to reinforce general purpose unsaturated polyester and the properties were studied in this work. Particles of sizes 0.6mm, 1.18mm and 2.36mm with each particle size having a composition weight of 100g, 150g, 180g 200g and 220g respectively were used as reinforcement. The results showed that the composite produced from particles of sizes 0.60mm and composition weight of 100g absorbed the least amount of water with percentage water absorption of 0.89%. The composite from particle size of 1.18mm had the best tensile strength and modulus of rupture of 69.95MN/m2 and 29.39MN/m2 at composition weight of 180g and 100g respectively

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High energy requirement of vapour compression refrigeration systems necessitate the increasing need for more reliable, flexible and cost efficient cooling systems alternatives. Energy saving potential, Carbon emission reduction and waste heat utilization of adsorption refrigeration system could be exploited in this regard. Some of the setbacks that hinder adsorption refrigeration systems from real mass production and commercialization can be address by the development of relatively low cost, available and suitable adsorbent materials. This research work seeks to locally produce date-seed activated carbon and test its adsorptive properties for possible application in adsorption refrigeration system. Physico-chemical analysis was carried out using standard established procedures. The average pH-level, porosity, bulk density and iodine number were found to be 9.43, 62.25%, 0.41g/cm3 and 1075mg/g respectively. The Date-seed activated carbon was found to have relatively good adsorptive characteristic in addition to its availability and relative low cost and therefore could be used as adsorbent in refrigeration system

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Zinc sulphide (ZnS) thin films were deposited from inorganic reagents (solution electrolytes) using a two electrodes electrochemical cell. The film’s thickness and particle distribution were determined by Surface profiler. The film’s particles are continuous but not uniformly distributed across the substrate and the thickness was determined to be 70 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study indicated that the film possesses Zinc blend cubic structure. Crystal size and inter-planar spacing were estimated as 0.36 nm and 0.29 nm respectively. Optical characterization showed that the film has poor absorbance in the visible light region while transmittance is enhanced as wavelength increases. Energy band gap of 3.49 eV was estimated for the film. I-V characteristic of ITO/ZnS/Ag is linear indicating possibility of an ohmic contact between ITO substrate and ZnS film and also between ZnS and Ag. Thus, this study demonstrates that ZnS thin film can be a good recipe for window layer of tin film solar cells.

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Using the Pearson Correlation technique, this paper established significant linear relationship among pairs of analysed physic-chemical parameters with the determined regulated (regTHMsDBPs) and emerging (emergTHMsDBPs) Tri-halomethanes Disinfection By-Products in the drinking water produced by the Ahmadu Bello University water treatment plant. Using standard methods including the USEPA Method 551.1, selected physico-chemical parameters and the levels of the regulated and emerging tri-halomethanes were determined. These were subsequently subjected to statistical correlation analyses. Statistical correlation of pairs of the some of the chemical parameters with total mean tri-halomethanes, show that total mean regulated tri-halomethanes DBPs (TregTHMs) values significantly correlated positively with temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS), total organic carbon (TOC) and residual chlorine values, while significantly correlating negatively with pH. On the other hand, total mean emerging tri-halomethane DBPs (TemergTHMs) significantly correlated with nitrates concentration levels (F=0.62578*) while being highly significantly correlating with residual chlorine (F=5.2670**), total organic carbon (F=13.3882**), total dissolved solids (F=6.2695**) and pH (F=2.7783**) and total mean regulated THMs (TregTHMs) with F=25.4016**. Similarly, the resulting grand total THM (GTTHMs) concentration levels (comprising of the regulated and the emerging THMs) showed highly significant correlation with the total regulated THMs (TregTHMs) (F=54.9578**) and with total emerging THMs (TemergTHM2)(F=289.2349**) but with pH (F=3.3757**) as the only physico-chemical parameter. These signify that the concentrations of both emerging and regulated THMs are both significantly affected by the proportions of the total dissolved solids, nitrates, total organic carbon and residual chlorine. The generation of these models has established additional frontier to manipulate the concentrations of DBPs in treated drinking water by controlling independent physic-chemical variables in the drinking water treatment process. These predictive models could be safely used to predict the levels of these DBPs even though additional testing and analyses can enhance the confidence in such recommendation and extrapolation.

Abstract

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This study was carried out to examine the catalytic effects of Single Super Phosphate (SSP) with Wood ash on the production of biogas from Cow Dung. The study was carried out in four identical reactors to enable variation of the catalyst combination (100gSSP/50gWoodash, 150gSSP/75gWoodash and 200gSSP/100gWoodash). The research showed that SSP and Wood ash could reduce the lag phase in anaerobic digestion of cow dung. The control which was Cow dung digested without any catalyst had the longest lag phase of 7.5 days as compared to 5.9 days for those digested with catalyst. At the end of 32 days digestion period, total volume of biogas produced across the digesters were 0.0906m3 (no catalyst), 0.0973m3 , 0.0937m3 , and 0.1141m3 (200gSSP/100gWood ash), which indicated an increment with increase in catalyst. The Modified Gompertz equation was applied to describe the cumulative biogas generation. The Biogas production Kinetic Constants estimated by the linear regression method using the solver function in Microsoft Excel as well as other characteristics obtained for the four digesters were 0.0037m3 /day 0.0036m3 /day 0.0045m3 /day and 0.0056m3 /day for Biogas Production Rate and 0.0893m3 , 0.0841m3 , 0.0977m3 and 0.1188m3 for Biogas Production Potential. The average temperatures of the digesters recorded were 35.20 oC, 35.30 oC, 35.17 oC, and 35.18 oC respectively while the average ambient temperature observed during the study was 36 0C which were within the mesophilic range.

Abstract

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Low aspect ratio pristine Multi-walled carbon nanotubes prepared by carbon vapour deposition (CVD) were dispersed in Miranol, Cetyl pyridinium chloride and a 50:50 ratio mixture of them. They were each applied on 100% PET fabric using classical polyester dyeing techniques (exhaust dyeing) as well as cold padding by 3, 5-minute dip-dry techniques under controlled conditions. Exhaust dyeing yielded poor, uneven uptake; cold padding gave good, level uptake. The chroma characteristics of the dyed fabrics conformed to the Kubelka-Munk equation for determining additive reflectance functions. The polyester fabric became electrically conductive at a percolation threshold between 1-2.5% shade (owf). The electrical conductivity increased with the concentration of carbon nanotubes, up to 5.0x10-3 S/m at 5 % shade concentration. From the percolation threshold onwards, the conductivity was able to power light-emitting diodes (LEDs).