Acid-Catalyzed Esterification of Waste Cooking Oil with High FFA for Biodiesel Production

In this work, Biodiesel was produced from waste cooking oil (WCO) obtained from Mr. Biggs.  Since WCO usually comes with a high content of FFA and thus requires an additional acid pre-treatment process to convert the FFA to ester. Two steps (esterification and transesterification) approach was employed to convert the WCO to biodiesel. In the first step, six experimental run was carried out until the % FFA was constant. Meanwhile, the second step required five experimental runs, and the average WCO biodiesel yield (95.06 % w/w) was computed at the following variable conditions, 0.55% KOH, 5:1 Methanol/oil molar ratio, 60 oC reaction temperature and 30 min reaction time. Meanwhile, the produced WCO biodiesel possess some fuel properties which satisfied both ASTME D6751 and EN 1424 standards. The fatty acid profiles of both the WCO and WCO biodiesel revealed that both profiles contained unsaturated fatty acids. Hence, it can be concluded that WCO is a potential raw material for biodiesel production which are biodegradable, economical, environmental friendly and always available. Keywords: Waste cooking oil (WCO), esterification, transesterification, biodiesel, fatty acids profile, physicochemical analysis

Statistical approach to optimization of the transesterification reaction from sorrel (hibiscus sabdariffa) oil

In an effort to optimize the reaction conditions of biodiesel production from Sorrel seed oil, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied and the effects of reaction temperature, catalyst amount, reaction time and methanol/oil molar ratio, and their reciprocal interactions were ascertained. A total of 30 experimental runs were designed by Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) and carried out. A quadratic polynomial was obtained for predicting the Transesterification process and the ANOVA test showed the model to be significant (p<0.05). The validity of the predicted model was confirmed by carrying out three independent replicates experiments. The actual maximum biodiesel yield obtained was 99.23% (w/w) at methanol/oil molar ratio 6.21, catalyst amount 1.03 (% wt.), reaction temperature 51 oC, and reaction time 63 min. The fuel properties of Hibiscus sabdariffa methylester (HSME) produced were found to be within the ASTM D6751 and DIN EN 14214 biodiesel standards. The fatty acid profile of the HSME revealed that the dominant fatty acids were oleic (58.34%), arachidic (1.55%), palmitic (18.28%) and linoleic (21.19%). Emission assessment revealed 70% reduction of CO at B80, 80% reduction of NO concentration at B40

Functional Properties of Corn Starch Extracted from Four Varieties of Maize (Zea Mays)

This study entails extraction and evaluation of starch from four varieties of Zea mays. From the results of the study, yellow maize and popcorn had higher water holding capacity than regular white maize and quality protein maize

HCME: An Environment-Friendly I.C. Engine Fuel

The study revealed that Hura crepitans oil is a good candidate for Hura crepitans methyl ester (HCME) production. Two steps (esterification and transesterification) production stages influenced the high yield of HCME. Three possible experimental runs were performed in each step, the best of the three conditions were 1.45 (% v/v) for H2SO4 conc., 5:1 for methanol/oil molar ratio, 40 min for reaction time which gave 1.06 % for FFA in the first step, in the second step, 92.70 %(w/w) of HCME was obtained at 0.55% KOH, 5:1 methanol/oil molar ratio, 60 oC temperature and 30 min reaction time. The produced HCME had fuel properties which satisfied both ASTME D6751 and EN 1424 standards. The fatty acid profile of the HCME revealed the dominant fatty acids were linoleic (64.50%), oleic (17.54%) and palmitic (12.70%). Exhaust emissions from an internal combustion (I.C.) engine revealed that there is 60% decreased in CO, 58% decreased in NOx, 60% decreased in HC, 39% decrease in smoke opacity and 42% decreased in BSFC at B20, respectively. Flue gas temperature increased by 12% at B20, 45% increased in BTE at B50 when compared to pure diesel (AGO). Hence, it can be concluded that B20 (20% HCME + 80% AGO) will provides the best emission reduction at the lowest cost

Evaluation of the Community Cataract Surgical Services of a University Teaching Hospital Using Cataract Surgical Coverage in Nigeria

Background: Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in the world. An efficient and effective cataract surgical service is necessary to reduce the backlog of cataract blindness in the community. This study aims to determine the cataract surgical coverage among individuals aged 50 years and above residing in Esie and Arandun communities. This will serve as a measure of the impact of the cataract intervention programme provided by the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.Methods: The study was a population-based, cross sectional survey conducted from November to December, 2013. Cataract surgical services are provided by the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, at Esie and Arandun communities as out-reach centres. Seven hundred and fifty-five individuals aged 50 years and above residing in these communities had basic ocular examination done.Result: Out of the 765 subjects registered, 755(98.7%) were examined. Out of these, 38.4% were males and 61.6% were females. The prevalence of bilateral cataract blindness was 1.6%. The Cataract Surgical Coverage (eyes) at visual acuity &lt; 3/60 for males and females were 52.3% and 51.2% respectively (X2=19.30, p=0.001), while the Cataract Surgical Coverage (person) at visual acuity less &lt; 3/60 for males and females were 80.6% and 68.4% respectively (X2=2.10, p=0.147).Conclusion: The Cataract Surgical Coverage was high with a correspondingly low prevalence of cataract blindness in these communities. The availability of cataract surgical services via out-reach programmes bridges the gap between eye care-givers and the community.Keywords: Cataract Surgical Coverage, Cataract Surgical Services, Community, Evaluatio

A PRELIMINARY BIOTRANSFORMATION OF BETULIN BY SOIL MICROBES

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and high Education of the Russian Federation (MEGAGRANT, contract No 075-15-2022-1118 dd.29.06.2022)

Bioflavor: a review

The research work was partly supported by RFBR grant 18-29-12129mk

Gray biotechnology

The importance of biotechnology to the world can not be overemphasized; its emergence has helped improve the quality of people’s lives for about 10,000 years. The field itself encompasses a lot of areas such as medical, industrial, waste treatment, agricultural and environmental technology. The gray biotechnology is dedicated to environmental applications and focused on the maintenance of biodiversity and remotion of pollutants

Prevalence of stroke in three semi-urban communities in middle-belt region of Nigeria: A door to door survey

Introduction: the burden of stroke has been projected to increase for developing countries, but data are limited, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.This necessitated this study to determine the stroke prevalence in a semi urban community in middle-belt region of Nigeria. Methods: a twophasedoor-to-door study was performed in three semi-urban communities of  Kwara state; in the first phase 12,992 residents were screened andprobable stroke cases were identified by trained health care workers. In the second phase individuals adjudged to be positive for stroke were screened with a stroke-specific questionnaire and made to undergo a complete  neurological examination by a neurologist. Stroke diagnosis was based on clinical evaluation using WHO criteria. Results: out of the numbers that were screened, 18 probable stroke cases were identified in the first stage, and of these, 17 fulfilled WHO criteria for stroke, giving a crude prevalence rate of 1.31/1000 population. The prevalence of stroke was higher among the males than the females (1.54/1000 vs. 1.08/1000) with a ratio 1.4: 1. Sixteen subjects (94.1%) had one or more risk factors for stroke.  Uncontrolled systemic hypertension (82.4%) was the commonest risk  factors for stroke followed by transient ischaemic attack (TIA) (41.2%). Conclusion: stroke is a condition that is prevalent in our environment; especially in older adults and men. Uncontrolled systemic hypertension and previous transient ischaemic attacks were the commonest risk factors for stroke in our community