Energy Performance Modeling of a Sugar Manufacturing Industry

Effective energy monitoring, reporting, and management strategies for wise energy usage is one of the objectives of Energy Management. Numerous researches have highlighted the extremely good profits of imposing business and industrial energy management measures. Notably, a number of those research display that extra financial savings may be found out in growing international locations. Unfortunately, industries in developing countries like Nigeria are lagging behind in the adoption of energy management measures and as such missing the benefits of implementation. This research study sets out to evaluate the energy consumption performance in manufacturing industry in order to showcase the gains of energy management in manufacturing industry. Data on weekly energy consumption (in MW) and weekly production of sugar (in Bags, 50kg/bag) were obtained from a sugar manufacturing company in southwestern Nigeria. Energy management data analysis and modeling was done using linear regression plot of energy consumption against production; energy intensity plot and cumulative sum of difference (CUSUM) plot respectively. The energy performance model was obtained from the linear regression plot and two parameters namely incremental energy consumed per bag (per kg) of sugar produced and “no-production” energy consumption are the performance measures. The model showed that the incremental energy consumed per bag (or per kg) is 0.00008 MW/Bag or 80W/Bag or 1600W/kg while the no-production energy consumption is 211.73 MW. Results also reveals that the no-production activities consumed energy more when compared with the actual energy used for production. CUSUM identified five periods when energy consumption gave higher and increased production thereby showing that CUSUM charts are more effective in detecting changes in energy consumption. The research study has shown how energy management data analysis can be helpful in taking decision that will enhance increased production and reduction of no-production energy consumption activities. Keywords: Energy management, CUSUM, Performance model, Energy, No-production energy consumptio

LINEAR PROGRAMMING APPROACH TO MODELING FOUNDRY CUPOLA FURNACE CHARGE

In order to control the specifications of the cast iron produced by the cupola furnace, it is necessary to estimate the proportions of the contents of the furnace charge. Traditionally, knowing the percentage of elements present in each constituent of charge and the loss or gain of each element, the final analysis of cast iron can be estimated by trial and error approach - a common approach in most Nigerian foundry workshops. This study presents a programming model technique used to obtain the optimum cupola furnace charge. The objective function was to minimize total cost of raw material and processing costs. The model was developed and implemented using the hypothetical process data of a Foundry workshop. The model was analysed using MATLAB Software Version 7.0. The results obtained using the model is significantly superior to the conventional trial and error approach. It is faster and brings about satisfying a lot of requests at the most minimal expense.&nbsp

Determinants of rural bank loan repayment capacity among farmers in Yewa Division of Ogun State, Nigeria

This study examined the determinants of the Nigeria Agricultural Cooperative and Rural Development Bank (NACRDB) repayment by farmers in Yewa division of Ogun State. Primary data collected through scheduled interview with the help of a structured questionnaire as well as secondary data were used for this purpose. Descriptive analytical tools, linear discriminate function, and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data collected. Results show that majority of the respondents attributed reasons for loan default to production failure due to weather, pests, diseases and poor storage (72.5%). Furthermore, a good proportion of loan defaulters (52.5%) use the loan for farming. Discriminate analysis conducted shows that the total annual income of the household heads, other occupation of the respondents and membership of cooperative society are the most significant variables that discriminate between rural bank users and non-­‐users. The regression analysis shows that the most important variable for loan repayment is farm size (hectares) accounting for 32% of the variations in repayment level of the credit user, followed by farm income(0.29%). It was suggested that NACRDB loans should be disbursed through farmers’ cooperative society, with adequate monitoring and supervision

Corrosion: Favoured, Yet Undesirable - Its Kinetics and Thermodynamics

This chapter describes the fundamentals of metal corrosion in relation to thermodynamics and kinetics. The chapter is so titled, because corrosion of metal is thermodynamically favourable. Moreover, it impacts negatively on economy and safety. Industries expend a substantial percentage of their budgets on corrosion control, and lose revenue due to corrosion damage. Effects of corrosion on industrial and public infrastructure cannot be overemphasized. Several accidents in the transportation and recreational industries have been linked to corrosion of metallic parts of respective gadgets. Some of these accidents are utterly catastrophic and fatal. Therefore, corrosion, albeit its thermodynamic favouability, is not desired by man. Metals corrode as a way of minimizing energy contents. Active metals are more stable in combined forms such as oxides, sulphides, and hydroxides, even though these forms are less useful to man. It appears the “price” to pay for extracting the pure forms of these metals from their ores is corrosion. This chapter presents fundamentals of thermodynamics and kinetics of metal corrosion, with emphasis on aqueous medium. It promises to serve as an introductory chapter for corrosion science students and as a concise material for tutors

Traditional Fermented Condiments Modulate Biochemical Indices in High Cholesterol Diet-Fed Rats

Hypercholesterolemia is implicated in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and is identified as a common cause of mortality in this degenerative condition. Hence, CVD management strategy should include control of hypercholesterolemia. This study describes the effect of some legume condiments on biochemical indices in hypercholesterolemia rat model. Adult male Wistar rats were used for this study and hypercholesterolemia was induced by inclusion of 1% cholesterol in the rat feed. The animals were divided into five groups containing six animals each and were fed with diets supplemented with 16% fermented soybean, bambara groundnut and African locust bean. The study lasted for 30 days after which plasma was analyzed for the lipid profile and liver function marker enzymes and the liver tissue analyzed for malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Elevated plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and MDA content showed significant (p<0.05) reduction in the rats fed with fermented legume condiment-supplemented diets, with a concomitant increase in plasma HDL-cholesterol as compared with the hypercholesterolemia control rats. This study revealed that fermented legume condiment-supplemented diets attenuate hypercholesterolemia and protect the liver of the experimental rats from oxidative damage, with African locust bean condiment displaying the best biological potential

Road transport accidents in Nigeria and the role of automotive active safety system

Analysis of road traffi c accidents revealed that most accidents are as a result of drivers’ errors. Over the years, active safety systems (ASS) were devised in vehicle to reduce the high level of road accidents, caused by human errors, leading to death and injuries.This study however evaluated the impacts of ASS inclusions into vehicles in Nigeria road transportation network. The objectives was to measure how ASS contributed to making driving safer and enhanced transport safety. Road accident data were collected, for a period of eleven years, from Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Central Offi ce of Statistics. Quantitative analysis of the retrospective accident was conducted by computing the proportion of yearly number of vehicles involved in road accident to the total number of vehicles for each year. Results of the analysis showed that the proportion of vehicles involved in road accidents decreased from 16 in 1996 to 0.89 in 2006, the injured persons reduced from 15.58 in 1998 to 0.3 in 2006 and the death rate diminished from 4.45 in 1998 to 0.1 in 2006. These represented 94.4 %, 95 % and 95 % improvement respectively on road traffi c safety. It can therefore be concluded that the inclusions of ASS into design of modern vehicles had improved road safety in Nigeria automotive industry

Effects of drying on cholinesterases and angiotensin‐I converting enzyme inhibitory potential and phenolic constituents of African mistletoe (Loranthus bengwensis L) leaves from kolanut host tree

This study investigated the most appropriate drying method (sun drying, oven drying, and shade drying) for mistletoe leaves obtained from kolanut tree. The phenolic constituents were characterized using high performance liquid chromatography–diode array detector, while the inhibitory effect of the aqueous extracts of the leaves on cholinesterases and angiotensin‐I converting enzyme (ACE) and antioxidant activities were determined in vitro. The extracts inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and ACE in dose‐dependent manner. However, extract from sun‐dried sample exhibited the highest AChE, BChE, and ACE inhibitory effect while extract from shade‐dried sample had the least. Likewise, sun‐dried sample exhibited the highest antioxidant properties as exemplified by Fe2+‐chelating, 1,1‐diphenyl‐2 picrylhdrazyl, OH, and nitric oxide radical scavenging abilities. This study also revealed the presence of 20 phenolic compounds with caffeic acid being the most predominant. Conclusively, kolanut host tree mistletoe leaves can be used as therapeutic agent in the management of Alzheimer's disease and hypertension

Quantification of radicals generated in a sonicator

The hydroxyl radical (OH•) is a powerful oxidant produced as a consequence of cavitation in water. It can react nonspecifically in breaking down persistent organic pollutants in water into their mineral form. It can also recombine to form hydrogen peroxide which is very useful in water treatment. In this study, terephthalic acid (TA) and potassium iodide dosimetry were used to quantify and investigate the behaviour of the generated OH radical in a laboratory scale sonicator. The 2-hydroxyl terephthalic acid (HTA) formed during terephthalic acid dosimetry was determined by optical fibre spectrometer. The production rate of HTA served as a means of evaluating and characterizing the OH• generated over given time in a sonicator. The influence of sonicator power intensity, solution pH and irradiation time upon OH• generation were investigated. Approximately 2.2 x 10-9 M s-1 of OH radical was generated during the sonication process. The rate of generation of the OH radicals was established to be independent of the concentration of the initial reactant. Thus, the rate of generation of OH• can be predicted by zero order kinetics in a sonicator

Comparative effect of quercetin and rutin on α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and some prooxidant-induced lipid peroxidation in rat pancreas

Staff PublicationThis study was designed to investigate the effect of quercetin, its glycosylated conjugate rutin and various combinations of the two flavonoids on carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes associated with type 2 diabetes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) in a bid to understand the possible mechanisms of action by which quercetin and rutin could be used in the prevention/management of the degenerative condition. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of quercetin, rutin, and various combinations of the two flavonoids on α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities and the ability of the flavonoids to inhibit some pro-oxidants-induced lipid peroxidation in rat pancreas. The effect of the flavonoids on α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities as well as pro-oxidant (Fe2+ and SNP)-induced lipid peroxidation in rats’ pancreas homogenates was investigated. Rutin (IC50 = 0.048 μΜ) exhibited a significantly (P < 0.05) higher inhibition of Fe2+-induced lipid peroxidation than quercetin (IC50 = 0.075 μΜ). Furthermore, rutin had a stronger inhibition of α-amylase (IC50 = 0.043 μM) and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 0.037 μM) activities than quercetin [α-amylase (IC50 = 0.061 μM); α-glucosidase (IC50 0.038 μM)]. A combination of 25 % quercetin and 75 % rutin showed the strongest inhibition (P < 0.05) of α-amylase activity (IC50 = 313.87 μg/L) while 100 % quercetin showed the least inhibition of α-amylase (IC50 507.61 μg/L) activity and same trend was followed for α-glucosidase activity. This study revealed that glycosylation increased the inhibitory ability of quercetin on key enzymes linked to type 2 diabetes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase), and combination of quercetin and rutin had higher synergistic inhibitory abilities on the enzymes than the individual flavonoids, suggesting that a combination of food sources rich in these flavonoids could be very effective in the management/prevention of type 2 diabetes

Geophysical Investigation into the Cause(S) of Structural Failure within Bacosa and Faculty of Science Buildings, Bowen University Temporary Site, Iwo

Cracks on concrete and walls could be bothersome for quality of life and for property claims. Geophysical investigations was carried out around Faculty of Science and BACOSA buildings of Bowen University Temporary site, Iwo with a view to establish the possible cause(s) of failure of buildings within the study area. The geophysical methods used for the investigation were the Very Low Frequency Electromagnetic (VLF-EM) and the Electrical Resistivity (ER) methods. The VLF-EM measurements were taken at an interval of 10m along six traverse lines in the E-W and S-N directions. From the result of the VLF-EM, six VES stations were occupied in the study area involving Schlumberger configuration with half current electrode separation (AB/2) varying from 1 to a maximum of 65m. The 2-D VLF-EM models generated showed a network of suspected linear (geological) structures such as fractures, faults and contacts within the study area. The VES curve types obtained in the area include HA, KH, QH and AA with HA type curve dominating. Four subsurface geologic layers were delineated in the study area. These include the topsoil, weathered layer, clayey sand and fresh basement with resistivity ranging from 121.3 to 771.2 ohm-m, 134.4 to 595.8 ohm-m, 81.6 to 951.9 ohm-m and 1474.7 to 5134.4 ohm-m respectively. The thickness range from 0.5 to 2.4m, 1.8 to 9.8m and2.7 to 24.5m. Depths to the bedrock are generally less than 40m. The resistivity of the weathered layer beneath the topsoil in which the foundation is seated was found to be low within the study area, ranging from 134.4 to 595.8 ohm-m typical of clayey materials. From the models generated from VLF-EM and resistivity data, the distressed structures were found to be situated within the areas with a fairly high concentration of fractures, faults and contacts and relatively low resistivity values(less than 1000 ohm-m) typical of incompetent clayey formation. Keywords: Geophysical investigation, Structural failure, Electrical resistivity, Depth to bedrock, Foundation, Very low frequency electromagnetic, VLF-E