Production of Ceiling Board from Piliostigma Thonningii using Styrofoam Adhesive as Binder

The use of synthetic fibres resulted in environmental degradation and the growing interests towards the utilisation of readily available agricultural fibres as a potential replacement for synthetic fibres. This research aims to produce a ceiling board composite from piliostigma thonningii particulate using styrofoam adhesive binder. The board was produced from the readily available materials leading to the low cost of production. The composition has a formulation of fibre/binder mixing ratios (2:1, 1:1, 1:2 w:w), pressures of (100, 300, 500 kg/m2) and temperatures of (30, 65, 100 °C) respectively. The process was successfully modelled and optimized using a Box–Behnken design method. The optimal conditions for the piliostigma thonningii board were found to be fibre/binder mixing ratio of 1:1 w:w, pressure of 500 kg/m2 and temperature of 92 °C yielded response values of density (151.5 kg/m3), water absorption (9.04 %), tensile strength (16.9 N/m2), thermal conductivity (0.11 W/mK). Hence the board has greater insulating properties and good potential to be used as a ceiling board

Bio-Fertilizers via Co-Digestion: a Review

In diversifying the economies of most oil producing countries especially in regions with arable lands, Agriculture becomes the next choice aside mineral deposits. This has led to a search for an alternative to inorganic fertilizers, the alternatives are the biofertilizers. The paper discussed the classification of the anaerobic co-digestion process based on the application of inoculants to the biodigester feedstock to speed up the digestion process and the absence of inoculants. Biodigester feedstock also looked at the various mechanisms in the digestion process which includes hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis, the pathways were illustrated with chemical equations and various microorganisms that take part in the anaerobic process were mentioned and tabulated. The types of biofertilizers, merits, and demerits, the difference between biofertilizers and organic fertilizers were comprehensively discussed. Current trends on the application of the co-digestion technique to improve the yield, nutrient, and safety of biofertilizers and also the recent progression on the technique were mentioned

Production of Ceiling Board from Piliostigma Thonningii using Styrofoam Adhesive as Binder

The use of synthetic fibres resulted in environmental degradation and the growing interests towards the utilisation of readily available agricultural fibres as a potential replacement for synthetic fibres. This research aims to produce a ceiling board composite from piliostigma thonningii particulate using styrofoam adhesive binder. The board was produced from the readily available materials leading to the low cost of production. The composition has a formulation of fibre/binder mixing ratios (2:1, 1:1, 1:2 w:w), pressures of (100, 300, 500 kg/m2) and temperatures of (30, 65, 100 °C) respectively. The process was successfully modelled and optimized using a Box–Behnken design method. The optimal conditions for the piliostigma thonningii board were found to be fibre/binder mixing ratio of 1:1 w:w, pressure of 500 kg/m2 and temperature of 92 °C yielded response values of density (151.5 kg/m3), water absorption (9.04 %), tensile strength (16.9 N/m2), thermal conductivity (0.11 W/mK). Hence the board has greater insulating properties and good potential to be used as a ceiling board

Equilibrium and kinetics of phenol adsorption by crab shell chitosan

Chitosan synthesized from the Pessu river crab shell was screened to coarse (CC, 600 µm), medium (MC, 300 µm) and fine (FC, 150 µm) aggregate for phenol removal. The aggregates were characterized for surface chemistry, surface morphology, thermal behavior, and surface texture. The surface chemistry showed the characteristics primary and secondary amine/amide groups of chitosan. The values of specific surface area are 191, 226, and 209 m2/g for CC, MC, and FC, respectively. The effects of initial concentration (10–300 mg/L), adsorbent dosage (0.5–2.0 g/L), contact time (0–100 min), temperature (20–70 °C) and solution pH (2.6–8.7) were evaluated in phenol removal. Coarse chitosan displayed a maximum adsorption capacity of 59.3 mg/g, in which mesopore filling and ionic interactions are the possible adsorption mechanisms. Sips isotherm model fitted well with the equilibrium data (R 2 = 0.988 and SSE = 33.74), suggesting the adsorption onto a heterogeneous surface through adsorbate-adsorbent interactions. Kinetics data are best described by the pseudo-first-order model (R 2 ≥ 0.98 and SSE ≤ 2.88), indicating that external diffusion is the significant step in phenol adsorption. Chitosan derived from crab shell is a promising adsorbent for the removal of phenol from wastewater

Bio-Fertilizers via Co-Digestion: a Review

In diversifying the economies of most oil producing countries especially in regions with arable lands, Agriculture becomes the next choice aside mineral deposits. This has led to a search for an alternative to inorganic fertilizers, the alternatives are the biofertilizers. The paper discussed the classification of the anaerobic co-digestion process based on the application of inoculants to the biodigester feedstock to speed up the digestion process and the absence of inoculants. Biodigester feedstock also looked at the various mechanisms in the digestion process which includes hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis, the pathways were illustrated with chemical equations and various microorganisms that take part in the anaerobic process were mentioned and tabulated. The types of biofertilizers, merits, and demerits, the difference between biofertilizers and organic fertilizers were comprehensively discussed. Current trends on the application of the co-digestion technique to improve the yield, nutrient, and safety of biofertilizers and also the recent progression on the technique were mentioned

Physicochemical characteristics of surface modified Dijah-Monkin bentonite

The aim of this study was the evaluation of the physicochemical characteristics of surface modified Dijah-Monkin bentonite clay. The clay was modified by calcination and treatment with hydrochloric acid. The natural and modified clays were characterized by x-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), electron dispersive x-ray (EDX), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental composition, cation exchange capacity (CEC), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area and methylene blue adsorption. The XRF displayed the presence of SiO2 and Al2O3 in the range of 61.6–65.6 wt% and 19.4–21.7 wt%, respectively. The FTIR spectra showed the existence of Al–OH, Al–O, Si–O, and Si–O–Si functional groups in all clay samples, confirming the presence of hydrated aluminosilicate in the clay. The BET surface area decreased from 23.5 to 17.1 m2/g after acid treatment, while the CEC of clay samples range between 40.7 and 20.2 mEq/100 g. The minerals present in clays are montmorillonite, quartz, kaolinite, and muscouvite. The maximum methylene blue adsorption were estimated as 59, 48, and 45.8 mg/g for natural, calcined, and acidified bentonite, respectively. The structural formula for one-layer unit of montmorillonite was determined as K0.722Ca0.155[Si7.686]iv[Al3.054Ti0.113(Formula presented.)]viO20(OH)4. The natural Dijah-Monkin bentonite is a promising adsorbent candidate for the removal of charged pollutants

Adsorption dynamics of dye onto crab shell chitosan/neem leaf composite

The aim of this study was to evaluate the adsorption dynamics of crab shell chitosan/neem leaf composite against methylene blue dye at varying concentrations (50 and 200 mg/L), bed depths (2.5 and 5.0 cm), and flow rates (2.17 and 2.90 mL/min). The chitosan composite has a specific surface of 258 m2 /g. Its surface is rich in amine/amide groups. The results reflect better dye adsorption at higher operating conditions. The maxi-mum dye adsorption capacity observed was almost 77 mg/g. The kinetics models showed good correlation with the experimental data and described the breakthrough behaviour of dye removal. The Thomas model predicts external and internal diffusion as the rate controlling mechanisms, while the Adams-Bohart model indicates a simultaneous steady state process of intraparticle diffusion and ionic interaction. Chitosan composite is a prom-ising adsorbent candidate for dye wastewater treatment

The influence of travel time to health facilities on stillbirths: A geospatial case-control analysis of facility-based data in Gombe, Nigeria

Access to quality emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC); having a skilled attendant at birth (SBA); adequate antenatal care; and efficient referral systems are considered the most effective interventions in preventing stillbirths. We determined the influence of travel time from mother’s area of residence to a tertiary health facility where women sought care on the likelihood of delivering a stillbirth. We carried out a prospective matched case-control study between 1st January 2019 and 31st December 2019 at the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe (FTHG), Nigeria. All women who experienced a stillbirth after hospital admission during the study period were included as cases while controls were consecutive age-matched (ratio 1:1) women who experienced a live birth. We modelled travel time to health facilities. To determine how travel time to the nearest health facility and the FTHG were predictive of the likelihood of stillbirths, we fitted a conditional logistic regression model. A total of 318 women, including 159 who had stillborn babies (cases) and 159 age-matched women who had live births (controls) were included. We did not observe any significant difference in the mean travel time to the nearest government health facility for women who had experienced a stillbirth compared to those who had a live birth [9.3 mins (SD 7.3, 11.2) vs 6.9 mins (SD 5.1, 8.7) respectively, p=0.077]. However, women who experienced a stillbirth had twice the mean travel time of women who had a live birth (26.3 vs 14.5 mins) when measured from their area of residence to the FTHG where deliveries occurred. Women who lived farther than 60 minutes were 12 times more likely of having a stillborn [OR=12 (1.8, 24.3), p=0.011] compared to those who lived within 15 minutes travel time to the FTHG. We have shown for the first time, the influence of travel time to a major tertiary referral health facility on the occurrence of stillbirths in an urban city in, northeast Nigeria