THE PERCEPTION, AWARENESS AND USE OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING SERVICES BY UNDERGRADUATES OF THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE ABEOKUTA, NIGERIA

This research investigated perception, awareness and use of Guidance and Counselling Services (G&CS) by undergraduates of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). Simple random sampling technique was used to sample 283 respondents across the ten (10) Colleges in the Institution. Data were collected with the aid of questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages, and mean. The questionnaire was subjected to a pilot study that revealed psychometric properties of Cronbach's Apha 0.86. Results revealed that 91.1% of the respondents were aware of G&CS and 74.6% of the respondents currently using the services indicated that it was very helpful. The rating of the counselling needs of the respondents revealed that academic issues with a mean of 3.62 is the most important factor, followed by examination pressure management which had a mean of 3.51. The rating of the perception of students on the quality and effectiveness of G&CS indicated that organized orientation services for fresh students ranked first (mean = 2.55), while effective counselling on personal, social, academic and vocational challenges ranked second (mean = 2.49). The fresher's orientation service received the highest perception (mean = 2.55) among respondents on the quality and effectiveness of G&CS in the institution. The use of G&CS is presently assisting students to attain competencies needed to overcome academic, career and personal concerns. The study concluded that the G&CS needs of the students across the Colleges differ due to the dissimilarities in their disciplines across the University.   &nbsp

CHALLENGES FACING UNDERGRADUATES ON THE USE OF LIBRARY SERVICES: A CASE STUDY ON FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, ABEOKUTA

This study investigated the challenges facing undergraduates on the use of library services in Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). The objectives were to assess the attitude and level of satisfaction of undergraduates as well as the challenges they face on the use of library services. This study adopted the descriptive survey design. The sample of 180 respondents, who were undergradu- ates, was randomly selected from all Colleges of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. The instrument used to elicit responses from the respondents was a questionnaire designed by the authors while descriptive statistic was employed to analyse the data. Findings of this study revealed that ma- jority of the respondents (55.00%) agreed that there is enough space in the library, 75.00% agreed that there is adequate number of staff in the library, 76.67% agreed that there are spacious shelves to house books, and 85.00% agreed that the library is conducive for learning. On the other hand, majority of the respondents (64.45%) disagreed that the library has current textbooks and 83.89% disagreed that the internet services in the library are accessible. Students«¤?? attitude towards the use of library varied, majority of the respondents (78.33%) agreed that the library is meant for reading or studying and not only during examination period. The major challenges identified by undergraduates in the use of the library services are inadequate up-to-date books in the library and tight academic schedules of students while the minor challenges include poor infrastructural facilities and insufficient space to ac- commodate users. It was recommended that libraries should ensure that adequate orientation and training are given to students on the use of the library services

Influence of Torrefaction on Lignocellulosic Woody Biomass of Nigerian Origin

Torrefaction process is a thermal treatment that can improve quality of lignocellulosic biomass into a carbon-rich and hydrophobic feedstock which is applicable as fuel and metallurgical reductant. Biomass (Melina and Teak wood) of Nigerian origin was subjected to mild (240o C) and severe (300o C) torrefaction treatment at different residence times (30 and 60 min) and particle sizes (+0.5 - 2 mm and +4 - 6.35 mm). Raw biomass and biochar from torrefaction were subjected to proximate, ultimate, higher heating value and SEM analyses. The mass yield obtained for mild treatment conditions for both biomass was in the range of 72 - 84 (wt. %) compared to 40 - 54 (wt. %) under severe treatment conditions. However, 33 - 56 % increment in higher hating value was observed for severe treatment conditions as against 11 - 17 % of mild treatment condition. This ultimately led to a 60 - 72 (wt. %) energy yield for severe treatment conditions and 73 - 94 (wt. %). The fixed carbon content increased from the range of 8 - 11 (wt. %) to 20 - 61 (wt. %) after torrefaction. The volatile matter content under mild condition was reduced by 7 - 10 % for both biomass as against 41 - 47 % under severe treatment condition. The fuel ratio increased from 0.11 and 0.15 for Melina and Teak woods respectively to a range of 0.22 - 0.25 for mild treatment conditions and 0.97 - 1.75 for severe treatment condition. The H/C and O/C atomic ratios of biochar were lowered towards that of sub-bituminous coal and peat. A honey-comb-like structure with cylindrical holes were observed for biochar compared to the fibrous and spongy nature of the raw biomass. Biomass of Nigerian origin were improved under torrefaction and thus can be suitable as feedstock in thermal or metallurgical applications

Ash analyses of bio‑coal briquettes produced using blended binder

The behaviour of ash of fuel affects its thermal efficiency when in use. The ash analyses of bio-coal briquettes developed from lean grade coal and torrefied woody biomass have received limited intensive study. Therefore, the present study aims at analysing the ashes of briquette made from lean grade coal and torrefied woody biomass using blended coal tar pitch and molasses as the binder. Bio-coal briquettes were produced from coal and torrefied biomass in various hybrid ratios. Ashing of various briquettes was done in a muffle furnace at 850 °C for 3 h. Mineral phases of the ash were identified using an X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), while the mineral oxides were obtained using an X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer. The AFT700 Furnace was used with its AFT700 software to evaluate the ash fusion temperatures of the ashes. The XRD patterns look similar, and quartz was found to be the dominant mineral phase present in the raw coal and bio-coal briquettes. The SiO2 (57–58%), Al2O3 (19–21%), and Fe2O3 (8–9%) were the major oxides observed in the ashes. The final fusion temperatures of the ashes range from 1300–1350 °C. The compositions of the ashes of the bio-coal briquettes are classifed as detrital minerals. It was concluded that the addition of torrefied biomass (≤10%)and blended binder (≤ 15%) to coal gave a negligible impact on the ashes of the resultant biocoal briquettes

DEVELOPMENT AND PRELIMINARY TESTING OF A PARABOLIC TROUGH SOLAR WATER HEATER

Solar energy is a high-temperature, high-energy radiant energy source, with tremendous advantages over other alternative energy sources. It is a reliable, robust renewable resource which is largely undeveloped. The design and fabrication of parabolic trough solar water heater for water heating was executed. The procedure employed includes the design, construction and testing stages. The equipment which is made up of the reflector surface (curved mirror), reflector support, absorber pipe and a stand was fabricated using locally sourced materials. The results obtained. compared favourably with other research works in the literature. It depicts that employing a suitable design, selection of time of heating and proper focusing of the reflected rays to the focal spot region, solar radiation can efficiently be utilized for water heating in a tropical environment. This work presents a parabolic trough solar water heater as a suitable renewable energy technology for reducing water-heating costs

DEVELOPMENT AND PRELIMINARY TESTING OF A PARABOLIC TROUGH SOLAR WATER HEATER

Solar energy is a high-temperature, high-energy radiant energy source, with tremendous advantages over other alternative energy sources. It is a reliable, robust renewable resource which is largely undeveloped. The design and fabrication of parabolic trough solar water heater for water heating was executed. The procedure employed includes the design, construction and testing stages. The equipment which is made up of the reflector surface (curved mirror), reflector support, absorber pipe and a stand was fabricated using locally sourced materials. The results obtained. compared favourably with other research works in the literature. It depicts that employing a suitable design, selection of time of heating and proper focusing of the reflected rays to the focal spot region, solar radiation can efficiently be utilized for water heating in a tropical environment. This work presents a parabolic trough solar water heater as a suitable renewable energy technology for reducing water-heating costs

Thermochemical and Pyrolytic Analyses of Musa spp. Residues from the Rainforest Belt of Nigeria

Four different morphological plant parts of Musa spp. (banana and plantain) residues obtained from the rainforest belt of Nigeria were investigated. The study undertook Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and physicochemical analysis. The total crystallinity (TCI) and lateral order (LOI) indices showed that the cellulose crystallinity for banana pseudo-stem (LOI-5.18; TCI- 0.37) and banana rachis (LOI-4.25; TCI-0.44) were relatively higher than for the banana (LOI-0.11; TCI-0.20) and plantain (LOI-0.17; TCI-0.18) peels. The XRD analysis confirmed the presence of starch in the peels and cellulose I in the structural samples (rachis and the pseudo-stem). A further demonstration of the marked differences between the morphological parts of Musa spp was highlighted in the analysis of the FAMES extract as banana peels (21 mg g21 of biomass) and plantain peels (20 mg g21 of biomass) had the highest quantity of palmitic acids whereas the eicosanoic, behnic, and lignoceric acids were absent in the peels. The relatively high ash content (�12.30 wt %) in the Musa spp. samples may necessitate a pretreatment process prior to deployment for bioenergy or chemical extraction purposes. Furthermore, kinetic studies, which involved differential Friedman’s and integral Flynn–Wall–Ozawa techniques, and analytical pyrolysis of the residues were undertaken. The activation energy varied continuously with conversion; reaching a peak of >290 kJ/mol. The analytical pyrolysis detected acids, sugar derivatives, and phenolic compounds in significant concentrations for all biomass samples. VC 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 00: 000–000, 201

Mild pyrolytic treatment of Gmelina arborea for optimum energetic yields

One of the most promising routes to produce solid biofuel from biomass is mild pyrolytic treatment (torrefaction). In the present study, mild pyrolytic treatment of Gmelina arborea was carried out to obtain optimum energetic yields (mass yield, higher heating value and energy yield). The biomass of 0.5–6 mm particle sizes were torrefied at two different temperatures, 240 and 300°C for residence time of 30 and 60 min. Full-factorial experimental method was used for the optimization of torrefaction conditions in order to produce solid fuel with high energetic yields. The analyses revealed that torrefied biomass was better in terms of heating value, proximate contents and fuel ratio. The results also showed that temperature has the largest effect on the energetic yields compared to residence time and particle size. The optimum torrefaction conditions that produced the highest energetic yields were temperature of 260°C, residence time of 60 min and particle size of 2 mm as predicted using the factorial linear models. The optimum conditions were experimentally validated and the energetic yields obtained were acutely close to those predicted using factorial linear models developed in this study. Hence, mild pyrolytic treatment at a temperature of 260°C, residence time of 60 min and particle size of 2 mm is useful to produce solid biofuel with maximum energetic yields

Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Study and Thermal Decomposition Kinetics of Sorghum bicolour Glume and Albizia pedicellaris Residues

An investigation into the thermal decomposition kinetics, by thermogravimetric analysis, of an agricultural and a forestry residue was carried out using distributed activation energy model (DAEM) and Friedman’s differential technique. Preliminarily, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy alongside proximate, ultimate and heating value was used in the characterisation of the biomass resources. The characterisation experiment showed differences between Sorghum bicolour glume (SBG) and Albizia pedicellaris (AP). The activation energy (E) showed a significant variation as conversion progresses; recording E using DAEM for AP (169–291 kJ mol−1) and for SBG (212–283 kJ mol−1), while E (Friedman’s model) for AP (188–314 kJ mol−1) and SBG (163–280 kJ mol−1). The correlation coefficients obtained for both models (DAEM; R2 ≥ 0.976, Friedman; R2 ≥ 0.971) were high; attesting to the suitability of the models. The reaction order n was also evaluated as a function of temperature based on Avrami’s theory. The average values (0.209 and 0.195) of n obtained for AP and SBG, respectively were found to be lower than those from literature. This places emphasis on the probable effect of biomass complex structure on the reaction order in biomass thermochemical conversion proces