Physico-Chemical and Microbiological Characterization of Soils Laden with Tannery Effluents in Sokoto, Nigeria

Changes in microbial community content as well as physico-chemical properties of soil contaminated with tannery effluents in Sokoto metropolis were determined using standard procedures. The results showed that the soil sample contained a variety of microorganisms which include Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Serratia marcensces, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium notatum, Mucor pusillus as well as Fusarium sporotrichioides. It also revealed high counts of bacteria and fungi in all the sampling sites. The viable count of bacteria was in the range of 8.60±1.80 – 8.70±0.52 ×105cfu/g while that of fungi was 1.70±0.30 – 2.0±0.10 × 104cfu/g. Similarly, it revealed high levels of sulphide (0.35-0.44mg/g), ammonia (0.40-0.60mg/g), and chromium (0.20-0.26mg/g) in all the sampling sites. These levels exceeded the tolerable levels set by the Federal Ministry of Environment. The presence of these microorganisms and chemical substances pose a potential threat to the local inhabitants of these areas. KEYWORDS: Physico-chemical, Microbiological, Soil, Tannery, Effluent, Sokot

Assessment of Physico-chemical and Microbiological qualities of Abattoir Wastewater in Sokoto, Nigeria

Wastewater samples were collected from three different points in Sokoto (Nigeria) abattoir and the physico-chemical and the microbiological qualities were determined. The pH of the wastewater was near neutral in the range of 7.22-7.47. The physico-chemical parameters were biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (31.4mg/l), dissolved oxygen (DO) (85.0mg/l), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) (3.20mg/l). The microorganisms identified, mostly pathogenic, included<i> Escherichia coli, Salmonellatyphi, Neisseria lactamica, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens, Branhamella catarrhalis, and Shigella sp, Aspergillus clavatus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Curvularia sp, Trichophyton rubrum, and Penicillium echinulatum. </i>The potential public health implications associated with discharging untreated abattoir wastewater into the environment and thus, the need for adequate treatment to ensure decontamination as well as providing wastewater treatment facility in the abattoir are discussed.Keywords: Assessment, Physicochemical, Microbiological, Abattoir, Wastewate

Effect of Temperature and Relative Humidity on the Growth of Helminthosporium fulvum

The effects of temperature and relative humidity on the growth of Helminthosporium fulvum were investigated. Various temperature regimes of 10oC, 15oC, 20oC, 25oC, 30oC, 35oC and 40¢ªC were used to determine the temperature effect on the growth of H. fulvum. Maximum growth of H. fulvum was obtained at 25¢ªC and 30¢ªC temperatures. The fungus was also cultured on 100, 92.5, 85, 74 and 32.5% relative humidity regimes. The fungus showed maximum growth at 92.5 and 100% relative humidity. The growth of the fungus was observed to increase with increase in relative humidity and vice versa. There were significant differences (P¡Â0.05) in the growth of the fungus at different temperature and relative humidity regimes. The implication of these findings were discusse

Effect of Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis L) Leaf Extract on Root-Knot Nematode of Tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum L.)

A screen house experiment was conducted to test the efficacy of leaf extract of mahogany (Khaya senegalensis L) for the control of root-knot nematodes of tomato. The completely randomized design was used to test the materials. Results obtained showed that the leaf extracts of the mahogany plant significantly (P0.05) reduced the population of the nematodes compared to the untreated seedlings. It also indicated that there is significant difference (P0.05) on the effect of the extract on the test organism between the varying concentrations of the extract used. The study revealed that the higher the concentration of the extract the more its effect on the test organism. The result also showed a significant variation (P0.05) in the extent of galling, plant height and root lenght in tomato treated with different levels of concentrations of the leaves extracts. The implications of these findings were discussed

Assessment of the efficiency of a yeast biofilter in the treatment of abattoir wastewater

A yeast biofilter consisting of Candida krusei, Candida morbosa, Torulopsis dattila, Torulopsis glabrata, and Saccharomyces chevalieri was constructed to bioremediate abattoir wastewater. Potato peels were used as filter bed for the growth of the yeasts. Wastewater samples were collected from three different points in Sokoto (Nigeria) abattoir and the physiochemical as well as the microbiological qualities of the wastewater were determined before and after biofiltration. The results revealed that after the biofiltration process, the pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and the nitrate content of the wastewater were drastically reduced. Similarly, there was a decrease in the variety of microorganisms isolated as well as in microbial counts after the biofiltration process. Salmonella typhi, Neisseria lactamica, Serratia marcescens, Branhamella catarrhalis, Shigella sp, Penicillium sp, Curvularia sp, and Trichophyton rubrum were completely eliminated after the biofiltration process. The reduction in the pH, BOD, DO, COD, nitrate as well as in the variety and total counts of bacteria and fungi for the wastewater after the biofiltration process indicated that the biofilter was effective in bioremediation of the wastewater. The percentage efficiency of the biofilter was found to be 42.5%.Key words: Assessment, efficiency, yeast, biofilter, abattoir, wastewater

Bacteriological and chemical properties of soil amended with fermented poultry bird feather

Huge amount of poultry wastes are generated annually in developing nations, of which end up in our environment. Feather as a poultry waste have caused environmental concerns in many of these countries. In this research work, poultry feather was used to study its effects on bacteriological and chemical properties in agricultural soil. The feathers collected were grinded, sterilized and fermented before mixing it with soil. Total heterotrophic counts of colonies were enumerated from the soil samples. Isolates were characterized based on morphological and series of biochemical tests. Soil chemical analysis for pH, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, potassium was also carried out. The heterotrophic bacteria count of the treated soil had the highest count in the range of 1.54 x106 to 2.02 x106 (CFU/g) as against the control soil with 1.24 x106 (CFU/g). The bacteria identified from these samples were Bacillus sp., Proteus sp., Staphylococcus sp. and Actinomyces sp. Actinomyces sp. was isolated only after three weeks of treatment with the feather while all other bacteria were also present in the control soil but at elevated levels based on heterotrophic bacteria count in the treated soil. The soil chemical analysis of the treated soil had high amount of mineral (Organic carbon 1.10 %, nitrogen 0.09%, phosphorus 0.53±0.02 mg/kg, magnesium 0.45±0.01 mg/kg as against the control (Organic carbon 0.26%, nitrogen 0.05%, phosphorus 0.30±0.10 mg/kg, magnesium 0.45±0.01 mg/kg) and their pH is almost near neutrality, 7.12 and 7.08 respectively. The result suggested that soil treated with poultry feather increased the plate count of Bacillus sp, Proteus sp, Staphylococcus sp and Actinomyces sp. Poultry feather which is a waste by-product can provide essential nutrients for the survival of soil microorganisms, plant growth and therefore can be exploited as biofertilizer.Keywords: Bacillus sp., biofertilizer, fermentation, keratin, poultry wast

A review on advances in green treatment of glycerol waste with a focus on electro-oxidation pathway

Over the past decades, research efforts are being devoted into utilizing the biomass waste as a major source of green energy to maintain the economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Specifically, there is an emerging consensus on the significance of glycerol (an underutilised waste from biodiesel industry) as a cheap, non-toxic, and renewable source for valuable chemicals synthesis. There are numerous methods enacted to convert this glycerol waste to tartronic acid, mesoxalic acid, glyceraldehyde, dihydroxyacetone, oxalic acid and so on. Among these, the green electro-oxidation technique is one of the techniques that possesses potential for industrial application due to advantages such as non-toxicity process, fast response, and lower energy consumption. The current review covers the general understanding on commonly used techniques for alcohol (C1 & C2) conversion, with a specific insight on glycerol (C3) electro-oxidation (GOR). Since catalysts are the backbone of chemical reaction, they are responsible for the overall economy prospect of any processes. To this end, a comprehensive review on catalysts, which include noble metals, non-noble metals, and non-metals anchored over various supports are incorporated in this review. Moreover, a fundamental insight into the development of future electrocatalysts for glycerol oxidation along with products analysis is also presented

TMEM120A and B: Nuclear Envelope Transmembrane Proteins Important for Adipocyte Differentiation

<div><p>Recent work indicates that the nuclear envelope is a major signaling node for the cell that can influence tissue differentiation processes. Here we present two nuclear envelope trans-membrane proteins TMEM120A and TMEM120B that are paralogs encoded by the <i>Tmem120A</i> and <i>Tmem120B</i> genes. The TMEM120 proteins are expressed preferentially in fat and both are induced during 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation. Knockdown of one or the other protein altered expression of several genes required for adipocyte differentiation, <i>Gata3</i>, <i>Fasn</i>, <i>Glut4</i>, while knockdown of both together additionally affected <i>Pparg</i> and <i>Adipoq</i>. The double knockdown also increased the strength of effects, reducing for example <i>Glut4</i> levels by 95% compared to control 3T3-L1 cells upon pharmacologically induced differentiation. Accordingly, TMEM120A and B knockdown individually and together impacted on adipocyte differentiation/metabolism as measured by lipid accumulation through binding of Oil Red O and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy (CARS). The nuclear envelope is linked to several lipodystrophies through mutations in lamin A; however, lamin A is widely expressed. Thus it is possible that the TMEM120A and B fat-specific nuclear envelope transmembrane proteins may play a contributory role in the tissue-specific pathology of this disorder or in the wider problem of obesity.</p></div

Production of bacterial amylase by Bacillus species isolated from rice husk dumpsites in Sokoto metropolis, Nigeria

Ten grams (10 g) of soil sample was obtained from a rice husk dumpsite in Sokoto metropolis and analyzed. The species isolated were Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus lentus and Bacillus megaterium. The Bacillus species isolated were screened for amylolytic activities. The isolate with the widest zone of clearance (A1) was selected for further analysis. The highest activity was observed in B. licheniformis (2.00±0.01 mm) followed by B. lentus (1.96±0.40 mm) and B. megaterium (1.70±0.18 mm) had the least activity. Amylase activity was determined using DNS method. The optimum temperature for the activity of the amylase produced was obtained at 90 °C with a concentration of 0.373 mg/ml. Optimum pH activity was obtained at 4.0 with a concentration of 0.376 mg/ml. Bacillus licheniformis has the greatest potential for producing amylase than the other isolates and rice husk can be exploited for amylase production. The B. licheniformis strain producedthermostable alpha-amylase with characteristics suitable for application in starch processing and other food industries