Production of Clay-Based Water Filter Using Biomass of Bacillus Subtillis, Sawdust, Activated Charcoal, Periwinkle and Snail Shell as Additives

A Significant proportion of rural households lacked access to improved and safe drinking water due to chemical and microbial contamination. Point-of-use (POU) water filters made from cheap, locally available ceramic materials and additives can achieve quality water parameters. Ceramic water filters were prepared by combining clay minerals with additives. Sawdust was used as a burnout material to achieve porosity and enhance the filtration rate. Silver nitrate, charcoal, periwinkle shell, snail shell, and biomass of Bacillus Subtilis were added in different ratios. The filter was formulated with charcoal, sawdust, snail shell, and periwinkle shell to remove microbes and treat heavy metals through the adsorption process. The filters were molded and fired in a temperature range of (700oC - 900oC). Characterization of the clay mineral, physiochemical and Microbial tests were conducted on the ceramic and water. Antimicrobial test was carried out on the biomass of Bacillus subtilis. Mineralogical (XRD) and elemental analysis of the clay, snail, and periwinkle shells showed high percentage composition of serpentine (a clay crystal), plagioclase, a mixture of feldspar minerals albite (sodium aluminosilicate - NaAlSi3O8), anorthite calcium aluminosilicate- CaAl2Si2O8) and Calcium (70-97 %composition) respectively. The results showed a greater proportion of silica in the clay, suggesting the material is silicate. Filtration rate was estimated at 1.125 L/hr. The result showed the filter has 96.72%, 99.26%, and 66.67% colony removal efficiency for heterotrophic bacteria, coliform, and fungi respectively. The filter showed about 70% - 96% efficiency for the treatment of physiochemical parameters in wastewater

Optimization of Protection Condition on the Stability of Castor (Ricinus communis) Oil Based Biodiesel using Response Surface Methodology

The effects of designed protection conditions such as different antioxidant (propyl gallate, PG and Pyrogallol, PY), antioxidant concentration (30 – 600 ppm), temperature (30˚C -120˚C) and storage period (3 – 5 days) on the oxidation stability of castor biodiesel were investigated. Using the American Standard for Testing Materials (ASTM) recommended protocols to determine the changes in the physicochemical properties (acid value, p-anisidine value, peroxide value, totox value, density, kinematic viscosity and refractive index ) of the castor biodiesel were measured and protection conditions optimized using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) according to the Box–Behnken Design (Design Expert version 11 Statistical Software). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed results indicated the nature of antioxidants; concentration levels and temperature were the most important factors in the biodiesel oxidation, whereas the day of storage was one of the lowest factors. The changes in some important physicochemical values are indication of degradation occurring in the biodiesel under the set storage condition. The optimal conditions for better protection against biodiesel degradation were propyl gallate with the concentration of 316.634 ppm, temperature of 57.874 oC for 4.166 days produced refractive index of 1.515 oC, acid value of 1.423, p-anisidine value of 21.068 and Totox was 1.842 with the overall desirability of 1.000. The overall results showed that castor biodiesel could comply with the standard with PY being more effective than PG. The combined use of these antioxidants did not show, especially at low concentrations, a synergic or additive effect, which makes the mixture of these antioxidants unsuitable to improve the oxidative stability