Acid-Catalyzed Esterification of Waste Cooking Oil with High FFA for Biodiesel Production

In this work, Biodiesel was produced from waste cooking oil (WCO) obtained from Mr. Biggs.  Since WCO usually comes with a high content of FFA and thus requires an additional acid pre-treatment process to convert the FFA to ester. Two steps (esterification and transesterification) approach was employed to convert the WCO to biodiesel. In the first step, six experimental run was carried out until the % FFA was constant. Meanwhile, the second step required five experimental runs, and the average WCO biodiesel yield (95.06 % w/w) was computed at the following variable conditions, 0.55% KOH, 5:1 Methanol/oil molar ratio, 60 oC reaction temperature and 30 min reaction time. Meanwhile, the produced WCO biodiesel possess some fuel properties which satisfied both ASTME D6751 and EN 1424 standards. The fatty acid profiles of both the WCO and WCO biodiesel revealed that both profiles contained unsaturated fatty acids. Hence, it can be concluded that WCO is a potential raw material for biodiesel production which are biodegradable, economical, environmental friendly and always available. Keywords: Waste cooking oil (WCO), esterification, transesterification, biodiesel, fatty acids profile, physicochemical analysis

Inhibitory Action of Rice Husk Extract (RHE) on the Corrosion of Carbon Steel in Acidic Media

The study investigates the inhibition characteristics of rice husk extract (RHE) on the corrosion of mild steel in 1M acidic media. Mass loss, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), phytochemical analysis were used as basis for studying the corrosion inhibition behaviour of the extracts. The analyses of the results showed that as concentration increases, there was increase in the inhibitor while increase in temperature reduces the inhibition respectively. Moreover, the highest inhibition efficiency was 94.24 % at 40 oC and 0.25 g/l inhibition concentration in sulfuric acid medium while inhibition efficiency of 89 % at 60 oC and 0.20 g/l inhibition concentration in hydrochloric acid. The thermodynamic parameters revealed that the adsorption of extract onto the metal surface was spontaneous. Langmuir isotherm best fits the data obtained suggesting physical adsorption as the adsorption mechanism between the extract and the mild steel substrate. The results from the FT-IR spectroscopy showed that the organic compounds found in Rice husk made it a good inhibitor

Job Satisfaction of Academic Staff Members on Full-Time Appointment in South-Western Nigerian Tertiary Institutions

Man works to earn a living in an organization, and such work can be viewed as an instrument employed to achieve a lot of set personal goals and expectations. This study, therefore, examines job satisfaction of staff members on full-time appointment in South-western Nigerian tertiary institutions. It is a quantitative research in which a well-structured questionnaire was used to collect responses across eighteen tertiary institutions in South-western Nigeria. A purposive random sampling method was adopted to select a representative sample, and 880 questionnaires were properly selected and analyzed. The validity and reliability tests indicated that the measurement scales met the acceptable standards. Charts were used to present the biographic information of the respondents. The data obtained from the investigation were analyzed using Charts, Correlation Analysis, Regression Analysis and some relevant statistical tools. The findings have revealed a high factor of the academic staff’s dissatisfaction with opportunity available for self-development because of poor research environments. Moderate proportion has also revealed staffers’ satisfaction with their job. Factors leading to job satisfaction were also revealed. The study, therefore, suggests that Chief Executives of Nigerian tertiary institutions should focus on the identified factors leading to job satisfaction such as good remuneration and welfare package, appreciation and commendation, adequate facilities and teamwork etc. Implementing the aforementioned factors will definitely increase job satisfaction among the academic staff on full-time appointment, thus, reducing the friction rate and creating a stable and reliable teaching/learning environment for academic staff and the students. Keywords Job Satisfaction, Tertiary Institution, Remuneration, Welfare Package, Full-time Appointment, Academic Staff. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-36-10 Publication date: December 31st 202

Analyzing the Influence of Various Fuzzification Methods in the Evaluation of Netbeans Java Components’ Interface Complexity for Reusability

The prognostic nature of fuzzy has made it a versatile tool in handling uncertainty problem. One of the major components of fuzzy system that plays an important role in its successful interpretability is fuzzification. While many researches have utilized its different forms in the accomplishment of their evaluations, especially in the domain of component based software development; it remains to be seen, the application and effects of these different membership functions in the assessment of components a singular solution. The research work examined the interface complexity of two NetBeans Java Components in determining their reusability. The result of the experimentation carried using MATLAB as tool, shows that Trapezoidal returned the highest reusability value, indicating that the components are reusable, and Polynomial fuzzification method returning the lowest reusability value and giving a false alarm that the used components were not reusable. The results underline the indispensable role of fuzzification method in the evaluation of component reusability

Compositions Optimization of Antang Corundum for Developing Advanced Ceramic

The research aims to study and optimize the formulation of materials required for advanced ceramic production using response surface methodology (RSM). In this research effort, the five (5) process independent variables studied with their corresponding levels are: Antang corundum powder, A (92.2 – 100 %W); polyvinyl alcohol, B (0 – 5 %W); CaO, C (0 – 2.3 %W); MgO, D (0 – 0.5 %W); and the sintering temperature, E (1200 – 1500 °C). The mechanical property responses determined were density, ρ, compressive strength, C/S, flexural strength, F/S; which are key characteristics of ceramics for armour applications. The optimized density, compressive strength and flexural strength of the sintered Antang corundum are 3.45 g/cm3 g, 1982 MPa and 295 MPa respectively; while the respective RSM prediction values are 3.45 g/cm3 g, 1982 MPa and 295 MPa. On comparing the determined optimum mechanical responses of the sintered Antang ceramic with the maximum RSM prediction values, there is high level of assurance in using RSM for the formulation process in ceramic armour development

APPLICATION OF RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY (RSM) AND ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK (ANN) FOR ACHIEVING DESIRE BA IN THE BIOTRANSFORMATION OF BENZALDEHYDE USING FREE CELLS OF SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISAE AND THE EFFECT OF Β-CYCLODEXTRIN

This work dwells on the production of benzene alcohol (BA) from the biotransformation of benzaldehyde using free cells of Saccharomyces cerevisae and effects of β-Cyclodextrin. Meanwhile, the properties of BA produced was evaluated. The effects of five variables considered in this research work were evaluated using RSM and ANN. The root mean square error, the coefficient of determination, the adjusted coefficient of determination and the predicted values were used to compare the performance of the RSM and ANN models. The RMSE and R2 of RSM and ANN were 2.00 and 0.0739; 0.9898 and 0.99206, respectively. The R2 adj. and the predicted values of RSM and ANN were found to be 0.98416 and 0.9889 and 327.259 mg/100 ml and 351.50 mg/100 ml. The quality of BA showed that at room temperature, BA was colourless liquid with density 1.030 kg/dm3, the boiling point and refractive index was found to be 204 ± 2 0C and 1.5453, respectively. The results indicated the ANN model to have higher predictive capability than RSM model. Thus, the ANN methodology presents a better alternative than the RSM model. The quality of produced BA was found to be in line with Analytic grade values

Good governance, social order, and development in Nigeria: The critical role of gender inclusion

This paper seeks to examine whether gender inclusion in governance is a determinant of good governance, social order, and development. This is germane to ascertain the policy implications of gender inclusiveness in the attainment of development in Nigeria. The paper utilizes secondary sources of data, archival reviews, and relevant sociological theories to advance knowledge on good governance, social order, and the need for gender inclusion in Nigeria's development agenda. The study found that good governance cannot thrive without accountability, a strong, virile, predictable, and stable legal framework. Notably, all stakeholders' collaborative efforts by gender inclusiveness are crucial for attaining good governance and social order and ultimately developing the country. This paper advocate for policy inputs on gender inclusiveness in the attainment of development goals