Investigation of Wetland Soil Properties affecting Optimum Soil Cultivation

An investigation was carried out on wetland (fadama) soil properties affecting optimum soil cultivation. A cone penetrometerand a shear vane apparatus (19 mm) were used to determine the cone index and the torque that cause the soil to shearat different moisture contents. The study shows that the cone index and shear vane of fadama soils increased with depth anddecreased with increase in moisture content. High moisture content reduced the soil cohesion. The internal frictional angleof the soil was 37.90. The following values were obtained for soil cohesion 112 kN/m2, 62 kN/m2, 38 kN/m2, 30 kN/m2, and12 kN/m2 at moisture contents of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% respectively. Moisture content between 10% -15% (dry basis)appeared ideal for cultivation of the soil. For this soil the critical moisture content was found to be 23.72%. Moisture contentbeyond the critical level needs to be drained before cultivation is carried out

Potential impact of industrial solid waste management in Ilorin Metropolis

Solid waste is an inevitable consequence of human activities on earth; hence an investigation was carried out to assess the impact of methods of solid waste management of selected industries on the environment in Ilorin metropolis. Two main tools used for the study were: a structured questionnaire and physical collection of solid wastes generated from the industries located within Ilorin metropolis. Percentages and charts were used in analysing the data. Sawmill waste recorded 98.69% out of the total weight of waste collected for the experiment. 1.04%, 0.22% and 0.04% were recorded for plastic, printing (papers) and films (publishing) industries, respectively. The results showed that 58% of the industries monitored their solid waste with 15% and 20% of PVC and sawmill industry, respectively. It was also observed that 20% of the respondents employ contractors for waste disposal, 6% deposit their waste at the dump site while 44% sell their industrial waste and 30% respondents burn their waste.Keywords: Waste, management, solid, earth, questionnaire, environmen

Assessment of selected agroclimatic indices on maize yield forecasting under climate change in Nigeria

This study investigates the relationship between climate, agroclimatic indices, and maize yield in Nigeria, focusing on diverse agroecological zones. Climate change is poised to significantly impact agricultural output. Analysis of historical data reveals varying sensitivities to weather changes in Nigeria's agroecological regions. Regional climate impact assessments typically use annual statistical models, which may not capture sub-seasonal weather variations and often assume a constant relationship between crops and weather. Crop yield anomalies were created to remove non-weather-related influences from a time series dataset. Also, agroclimatic indices were incorporated into forecasting models as inputs to offer more relevant information for estimating crop output. The research demonstrates the critical role of climate factors such as rainfall in March and minimum temperatures in shaping maize yield in Nigeria. By expanding the scope to include a broader range of climate-related elements, this study has illustrated how incorporating agroclimatic indices into crop yield forecasting models can enhance forecast accuracy and reliability. The study reveals that different agroecological zones may face varied outcomes with regions in the south recording more negative maize yield anomalies as oppose to the north. The research underscores the complexity of the relationship between climate, agroclimatic indices, and crop yield in Nigeria. It provides essential insights for policymakers, farmers, and researchers to make informed decisions and develop strategies for ensuring food security and agricultural sustainability in the midst of a changing climate in Nigeria

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Moringa Oleifera Coagulation Characteristics in Wastewater Treatment in a University Dormitory

Wastewater treatment necessitates the use of an appropriate method to achieve satisfactory results. The conventional method of Alum addition has been widely used for years, but it is prohibitively expensive. This study uses Moringa oleifera, an inexpensive and readily available plant, as a natural coagulant to treat wastewater collected from university dormitories. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, Turbidity, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) were examined based on appropriate standards. Wastewater treatment with varied coagulant dosages of 50, 100, and 150 mg.L-1) was monitored using a standard jar test device with an initial wastewater perturbation at 100 rpm for 5 min was reduced to 50 rpm in 10 minutes with a rest time of 30 min. The results showed that the quality of the physicochemical properties of the water improved. The percentage increase in the water quality is; BOD (92%), COD (92%), and TDS (52-64%), with an increase in Moringa coagulant achieving a reduction of 96% of Turbidity. While the DO improved (79%), the pH remained below acceptable limits (6.73-7.56) for effluent disposal. The treated water showed clarity (colorless) and no odor compared to the wastewater. Hence, Moringa oleifera seeds cake residue can be an effective coagulant for wastewater treatment

Phytoremediation Efficiencies of Water Hyacinth in Removing Heavy Metals in Domestic Sewage (A Case Study of University of Ilorin

<p>This paper studied the suitability and efficacy of water hyacinth in domestic sewage treatment. The study was carried out in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. Three treatments of water hyacinth replicated two times were used in the study. These treatments include no water hyacinth (control), 1kg and 2kg water hyacinth plant density cultures. The system was designed based on Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Sewage samples were collected during the growth of water hyacinth. Purification of water hyacinth on sewage was rapid during the first three weeks in the sewage cultured with water hyacinth (especially 2kg water hyacinth plant density) and there was low absorption in nutrients in the last two weeks when attaining maturity. Parameters such as Cl-, Fe, Cu, Mn, Pb, K, F-, Nitrate and Sulphate were drastically reduced from 9mg/l to 3.33 mg/l, 1.25 mg/l to 0.36 mg/l, 0.3mg/l to 0 mg/l, 0.5mg/l to 0.08mg/l, 0.2mg/l to 0.01 mg/l, 1.7 mg/l to 0.17mg/l, 0.7 mg/l to 0.08mg/l, 8.6mg/l to 0.03mg/l, 17.5mg/l to 6.20 mg/l respectively throughout the course of the study. Also, the 2kg water hyacinth plant density cultured in the sewage purifies more compared to the 1kg water hyacinth plant density which is moderate and minimal in the control.</p

Enhanced data storage security in cloud based on blowfish algorithm and text steganography

Cloud Computing (CC) offers a lot of services that are widely used in Information Technology. These services include sharing of data, information applications and infrastructure, cost reduction, increased storage and flexibility. Despites these services and benefits that CC provides to its user. However, unreliable security, data redundancy and disaster recovery are some of cloud computing challenges. With the existence and introduction of several data security technique, intruders or hackers do not relent in their efforts in developing means of accessing private and important data in the cloud. There are different approaches for securing data in the cloud such as cryptography, steganography, and digital watermarking and so on. This paper presents the combination of Blowfish algorithm (symmetric cryptography) and font properties text steganography to improve the security of data stored in the cloud. Blowfish as a fast and secure symmetric cryptography algorithm was used to change the readable secret data known as plaintext into unreadable format known as cipher text, and then text steganography was applied to the cipher text to change the visibility of the cipher text. The experimental results obtained showed that the proposed system provides reliable security for documents that are store in the cloud.Keywords: Cryptography, Steganography, Digital Watermarking, Cloud Computing, Security

Modelling and Optimization of Poultry Wastes Effect on Water Quality of Some Shallow Wells in Kwara State, Nigeria

Increase in poultry farm settlement has led to high production of poultry products and byproduct as a result, much wastes are generated. This study was carried out to model and optimized water qualities of shallow wells of poultry farms in Asa and Ilorin South Local Governments of Kwara State, Nigeria as affected by pollution from poultry wastes. Variables such as distance from the dumpsite to the well (D), year of existence of the farm (Y), number of birds per farm (N) and hydraulic conductivity of soil of the area (H) were considered as input parameters in the development of the model. Output parameters investigated include; pH, turbidity, nitrate, phosphate, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Faecal coliform (FC). Eight (8) model equations were developed, checked for adequacy and validated. All developed model equations were found to present functional relationships between input and output parameters. The result showed that COD have maximum R2 and R2adj of 0.91 and 0.90 while Nitrate have 0.81 and 0.79 as the minimum R2 and R2adj respectively. Thus, all developed equations can be used as a vital tool for estimating, predicting and forecasting water quality. Best optimized results were selected and compared with WHO standard. pH (6.70) (Maximized), Turbidity (25.8) (Minimized), Phosphate (0.50) (Minimized), Nitrate (4.30) (Minimized), DO (11.90) (Minimized), BOD (2.30) (Minimized), COD (15.80) (Minimized), FC (0.01) (Minimized). Both Turbidity and FC were found to exceed WHO and FEPA maximum limit. Thus, proper treatment is needed in consumption of the water to prevent serious health effects