Development and property evaluation of alkyd resins from watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) seed oil

62-67Watermelon Seed Oil (WSO) has been investigated for its suitability in the development of alkyds. Chemical method is used to extract the oil, and the WSO's physicochemical properties are determined. The alcoholysis-esterification method is used to prepare two grades of alkyds containing 30 percent WSO (alkyd I) and 60 percent WSO(alkyd II).The progress of the reaction is monitored by determining the volume of water of condensation and acid value as the reaction progresses. Film properties of the prepared alkyd are determined. The results of the physicochemical properties of the WSO reveal an iodine value of 119.38 gI2/100g indicating that it is semi-drying oil and can serve as a modifier for alkyd resins production for the paint industry. Alkyd I has a higher acid value, a greater degree of polymerization and extent of the polymerization than alkyd II, according to the results. Alkyd II produce a harder film than that of alkyd I as observed from the scratch hardness test. Also, both alkyd show good flexibility properties and have good impact resistance on the coated panel. The present study, therefore, suggests that WSO can be considered as a modifier for alkyd resins production for the paint industry

Production of Particleboard from Agricultural Waste - A Sustainable Approach to Waste Management

Large amounts of agricultural waste are left unutilized in Nigeria, resulting in detrimental environmental consequences. Particleboard made from such trash would help to reduce deforestation and have a good impact on the environment. The characteristics of particleboard made from corn cob (CC) and sugarcane bagasse (SB) with cassava starch and urea formaldehyde as separate binders were compared in this study. CC and SB mix proportions of 90:10, 70:30, and 50:50 percent (by volume) were used to make three layers of medium density particleboard. Manual mixing and blending of 25% and 10% by volume of the different binders and water respectively was done. The mixtures were compressed for 1 hour at 100 °C and 342 kg/m2. The ASTM D. 1037-12 (2020) and EN 312 (2010) standards were used to evaluate the particleboard. However, particleboard produced from 90 % CC and 10 % SB with cassava starch binder had the greatest modulus of elasticity (MOE) of 444.65 N/mm2 and modulus of rapture (MOR) of 10.59 N/mm2. The MOR and MOE data from this investigation allowed researchers to draw the conclusion that while the mechanical qualities of the panels improved as the fraction of CC particles increased, the panels' physical characteristics remained subpar

Kinetic Adsorption of Heavy Metal (Copper) On Rubber (Hevea Brasiliensis) Leaf Powder

This research was carried out to study the adsorption of copper from aqueous solution onto rubber leaves powder (RLP) using a batch adsorption process. The functional groups responsible for the adsorption of copper onto the rubber leaves surface were investigated using the Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR). Factors influencing adsorption, for example, contact time, adsorbent dosage, pH, copper concentration, particle size, and temperature were also studied. The maximum Cu (II) ions adsorption was observed to have occurred at a pH of 5. The adsorption capacity of Cu (II) ions reduced as the particle size and adsorbent dose increased. The Kinetic studies showed a good correlation and best matched the kinetic model of a pseudo-second order. The Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models were used to describe the Cu (II) adsorption onto the rubber leaves powder. The data gotten from the adsorption process were best compliant with the Langmuir model with a correlation value of 0.9912 and a maximum adsorption capacity of 9.074 mg / g. The thermodynamic variables (parameters) like entropy change (∆S°), Gibbs-free energy change (∆G°) and enthalpy change (∆H°) were determined and the adsorption process was observed to be an exothermic and a spontaneous process. The adsorption of copper ions from aqueous solution using rubber leaves power involved physisorption mechanism