A Review of Local Factors Affecting Solid Waste Collection in Nigeria

The knowledge of local and regional factors that affect effective solid waste collection plays an important role in choosing appropriate technology. Waste collection has grown to become a major challenge demanding daily response from waste managers and it becomes inevitable to provide stakeholders with necessary information to aid key decision-making. This paper provides a comprehensive and detailed review of local-based factors that affect waste collection in Nigeria. Literature study and on-site observation were used for getting theoretical and useful information on the collection of waste in the study area. The study considered various standard collection technologies and their supporting factors in order to assess the effectiveness of existing methods. The current collection techniques existing in different parts of the country together with unique local factors for these various areas are reported. The findings in many cases reveal that the method of waste collection adopted and equipment used are faced with many challenges. This paper revealed that there is no investment presently made on the existing development plan to initiate a modern waste collection system. The study recommends a new approach that could be used by institutions and government agencies for efficient municipal solid waste collection to achieve sustainable and effective sanitation which will consequently facilitate the development of an aesthetically balanced and friendly environmen

Production of Flexible Polyurethane Foam using Soya Bean Oil and Palm Kernel Oil as Surfactant and Polyol Respectively

The use of local raw materials in industrial processes is an important aspect of technological development. These locally produced raw materials can be substituted for imported raw materials in different production and manufacturing processes. This study investigated the performance characteristics of polyurethane foams produced through partial to total substitution of imported constituents; surfactants (silicone oil) and polyol with locally produced soya bean oil and palm kernel oil. The produced polyurethane foam samples were taken through the required physical tests to investigate their degree of compatibility or otherwise with polyurethane foam produced using 100% imported polyol and silicone oil respectively.   The results of various physical tests established that palm kernel oil can be blended with polyol up to 20% formulations; also soya bean oil can be blended with silicone oil up to 20% formulations. This is because the polyurethane foams produced through these formulations compared favorably well at 20% substitution with foam produced using 100% imported polyol and silicone oil respectively while other formulations showed a wide variation from the standard recommended values. Keywords: Polyurethane, Soya bean oil, Palm kernel oil, Polyol and Silicone oil

Functional Properties of Processed Pinto Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Grown in Plateau State, Nigeria

It is well documented that processing method influences the chemical composition and utilization of plant foods. For this purpose, the effect of different processing methods (boiled, cooked, roasted, sprouted and fermented) was investigated on the functional properties of pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) flour. Functional properties (water, oil, oil emulsion and foaming capacities: WAC, OAC, OEC, FC; foaming and oil emulsion stabilities: FS, OES; least gelation concentration: LGC; bulk density: BD; protein solubility: PS) of raw and processed pinto bean flour were all determined using standard analytical techniques. The results showed that OEC, OES, LGC and BD were enhanced by different processing methods while WAC and OAC were reduced by roasting method. Processing significantly (p ?0.05) affected the content of some functional parameters in pinto bean flour. Boiling, sprouting and fermenting increased WAC and OAC contents by 34.6, 28.8, 21.2% and 33.0, 24.2, 36.3%, respectively while cooking, roasting and sprouting reduced FS by respective 3.9, 32.4 and 13.6%. The protein solubility studies of the raw and processed sample flour were found to have minimum solubility at pH range of 4.0 to 5.2 which correspond to isoelectric points where protein isolates might be recovered from the samples. Generally, all the functional parameters determined in this study were good thereby making raw and processed samples of pinto bean potentially useful in some food formulations. Keywords: Pinto bean, domestic processing, functional parameters

Sustainable Facilities Management Practices in Selected Universities in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria

 Sustainable development is being pursued at a global level and acknowledged across all sectors of the economy including universities. In order to apply sustainable measures, universities need to be vigilant in their management approaches. This study aimed at assessing the extent to which the selected universities in Ado-Oda/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State have incorporated sustainability principles into their facility management practices. The study adopted a qualitative case study approach where interviews were conducted with experts from Covenant University (CU) and Bells University of Technology (BUT) who were purposefully sampled. The study population was comprised of facility managers from the physical planning and development units of the two universities who were chosen because of their expertise and responsibility. The interview guide contained questions about the types of buildings in the universities, sustainable facilities management (SFM) strategies being used by the universities, factors influencing the adoption of SFM strategies at the universities and challenges to the adoption of SFM practices. Data was analysed using conventional content approach. The study found that the universities have partially implemented SFM practices. The common practice adopted by the universities includes energy management. The universities have also done well in waste management. Legislation and cost savings were the drivers for the adoption of SFM practices. Despite such being the case, there are challenges to the adoption and implementation of SFM. These include resource constraints, design constraints, and lack of knowledge about SFM. Therefore, the study recommends development of a system that monitors and evaluates progress of sustainable facilities management practices in the Universities in Ado-Odo/Ota LGA, Ogun State

Women Farmers’ Contributions to Maize Production in Afijio Local Government of Oyo State

The study investigated the contributions of women farmers to maize production in Afijio Local Government area, Oyo state. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 128 women farmers as sample size for the study. Data collected through interview schedule were analysed using frequency counts, percentages and mean while Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Chi-square were used to test the relationships that exist between selected socioeconomic characteristics and contributions of women farmers to maize production. Results revealed the mean age of respondents was 45years, 83.5% of respondents were married and 41.4% of the respondents had no formal education. High percentage of the respondents (82.5%) engaged in farming for both commercial and subsistence purposes, and activities such as, planting, fertilizer application, harvesting, processing, storage and marketing were performed by women farmers whereas ridging, land clearing and weeding were considered laborious and were usually contracted to hired labour. The results of Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis showed that age (r = 0.950, P<0.05), farm size (r = 0.174, P<0.05), household size (r = 0.354, P<0.05) while the results of Chi-square analysis revealed that educational status (ᵡ2 =36.864 P<0.05), marital status (ᵡ2 =19.615, P<0.05) have significant association with contributions of women farmers to maize production in the study area. Hence, the study recommended that female education (through adult literacy) be intensified, young women be encouraged to be more involved in maize production, women should form themselves into group to learn techniques of trapping farm pests and in time of surplus, women maize farmers should form supply cooperatives to transport their produce to areas where it commands higher prices

Change in Lipid Quality of Tilapia Fish (Oreochromis niloticus) After Different Heat Treatments

Tilapia fish (Oreochomis niloticus) has been considered to be popular among the freshwater fishes, economically cheap and more abundant in Nigeria. For this reason, a study was conducted on the effect of traditional processing methods on fatty acid composition of Oreochomis niloticus using electric oven (control), sawdust, melon husk and rice bran as different heat treatments. Fatty acid composition was determined using standard analytical technique. The result showed that palmitic and oleic acids had the highest concentrations among saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in all the processed samples, respectively. It was also revealed that samples of Oreochomis niloticus recorded decrease in total saturated fatty acid (TSFA) with various heat treatments whereas the same heat treatments enhanced the components of total unsaturated fatty acids (TUFA) and total essential fatty acid (TEFA). It was found that levels of ratio of n–6 PUFA to n–3 PUFA and oleic to linoleic which are used as biomedical index are desirable in all the processed samples of Oreochomis niloticus oils. However, heat treatment using sawdust was proven to be of good economic potential. Keywords: Oreochomis niloticus, agricultural wastes, fatty acids

Seed Metrics for Genetic and Shape Determinations in African Yam Bean [Fabaceae] (Sphenostylis stenocarpa Hochst. Ex. A. Rich.) Harms

The metric measures on seeds, their correlation and relationship are important for systematic breeding for seed yield and shape determination. Variations among eighty genotypes of African yam bean (AYB) for six metric seed characters (seed length, width and thickness and their ratios) were evaluated in this study. Paired comparison among the six characters revealed very high significance (P < 0.001), approving the six traits as unique parameters for evaluating AYB. They equally exhibited high and substantial genetic variance: the genotypic proportion of the total variation ranged between 90 and 97%, broad sense heritability (81 - 94%) and genetic advances (14 - 31%). Seed length and width had the highest joint inheritance of 99.04%, the least, 4.32% was between width and WT as depicted by coheritability. Positive and significant (P < 0.05) phenotypic and/or genotypic correlation existed between seed width and thickness, the three ratios and seed length with the ratios except WT. Non-significant negative correlation existed between seed thickness with LT and WT. There were very reliable and highly significant linear relationships between the seed traits except for length and width whose relationship was non-linear. Breeding concentration on any of these traits may simultaneously influence the others. The seed shape indices were the metric ratios and the flatness index; they described the common shapes of AYB seeds as: round/spherical, oval/ellipsoidal, oblong and rhomboi

Physicochemical Analyses of Different Sources of Drinking Water in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria

The water quality of three different sources of drinking water (stream, hand–dug well and borehole) collected within the Okene local government area of Kogi State, Nigeria was investigated by determining some physicochemical parameter of the water samples using standard analytical techniques. The results of physicochemical parameters (pH, temperature, turbidity, conductivity, alkalinity, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, total solids, bicarbonate, chloride and dissolved oxygen) for both dry and wet seasons revealed high spatial variations in the concentrations of physicochemical parameters. Alkalinity was not recorded in all the three different sources of water samples for both seasons however, other physicochemical parameter values fall within the acceptable values of EU and SON standard limits except turbidity values in two sources (stream and borehole) which are higher than SON acceptable limit. Therefore, it is imperative that the water sources should be monitored regularly and be subjected to further treatments in order to reduce the concentrations of the few identified pollution indicators that may pose some dangers to the health of people living in this area. Keywords: Stream, hand–dug well, borehole, physicochemical parameters

Compositional Evaluation of Pulp and Seed of Blood Plum (Haematostaphis barteri), a Wild Tree Found in Taraba State, Nigeria

Traditional leafy vegetables represent inexpensive but high quality nutritional sources for the poor segment of the population especially in developing world like Nigeria, where malnutrition is wide spread. Blood plum (Haematostaphis barteri) is an under–utilized leafy vegetable belonging to the Anacardiacea family. A comparative study was carried out on proximate composition and amino acid profile of pulp and seed of H. barteri. The proximate composition values (%) for pulp and seed samples were found to be as follows: Moisture (3.56 and 2.75), ash (2.97 and 3.92), crude fat (17.76 and 29.68), crude protein (21.81 and 29.38), crude fibre (8.44 and 2.40), and carbohydrate (45.48 and 31.88). The calculated fatty acids and metabolizable energy were 14.21 and 23.74%; 1801.05 and 2139.58 kJ/100g, respectively. The high metabolizable energy values showed that the samples have an energy concentration more favourable than cereals, and which compare favourably well with those of legumes. The amino acid profiles revealed that pulp and seed samples of H. barteri contained nutritionally useful quantities of most of the essential amino acids. The total amino acids (TAA), total essential amino acids (TEAA) (with His), total sulphur amino acids (TSAA), and essential aromatic amino acids (EArAA) for the pulp and seed samples were 53.39 and 67.07; 26.49 and 34.28; 1.21 and 2.59; 2.70 and 3.37, respectively. However, supplementation of essential amino acid is required in a dietary formula based on H. barteri (pulp and seed), when comparing the EAAs in this report with the recommended FAO/WHO provisional pattern. The limiting EAAs in the pulp and seed of H. barteri were Leu and Lys, respectively. Keyword: Proximate, amino acids, pulp, seed, Haematostaphis barter

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analyses of Energy and Exergy in Thin Layer Drying of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) Slices using Centre Shaft Rotary Tray Cabinet (CSRTC) Dryer

This paper presents a simulation of the drying process of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) in a Center Shaft (CS) Rotary Tray Cabinet Dryer using three drying temperatures (50, 60 and 70 °C). ANSYS 14.5 Workbench was used to simulate the dryer model in 2D (2 Dimensional). The detail of the CFD simulation was utilized to investigate the energy and exergy of the dryer. The ANSYS Design Modeler was used to model the 2D representation of the dryer and the meshing was done using ANSYS ICEM. ANSYS Fluent CFD solver was then used to calculate the alternative using the normal turbulence-realizable k-epsilon model in a steady-state system with improved wall temperature treatment. The simulation outcome was used in calculating the dryer's exergy and energy analysis based on the thermal efficiency. It was noted that the simulated temperature from the experiment is greater than that of the experiment. The results indicated that the experimental energy utilization (EU), energy utilization ratio (EUR) and energy efficiency increased from 14.1 to 57.93 J/s, 0.15 to 0.20 and 18.89 to 33.98 percent, while the simulated energy utilization ratio increased from 23.91 to 57.68 J/s, 0.19 to 0.20 and 26.21 to 33.40 percent, respectively, and as the drying air temperature increased from 50 °C to 70 °C. Experimental exergy inflow, outflow, exergy loss and exergy efficiency increased from 4.01 J/s to 6.98 J/s, 1.83 J/s to 1.9 J/s, 3.18 J/s to 5.07 J/s and 21 to 27%, while simulated air temperatures increased from 5.01 J/s to 7.49 J/s, 1.33 J/s to 2.20 J/s, 3.66 J/s to 5.29 J/s and 27 to 29% respectively with respect to the drying air temperature range (50–70 °C). Model equations were derived from the plotted graphs to express the energy and exergy parameters as a function of drying temperature