Product configuration of photovoltaic systems in developing countries – Case Ghana

This study aims at introducing product configuration of photovoltaic systems in developing countries with focus on Ghana. The current problem of electricity production and delivery in Ghana forms the background of the objective of the study. Solving this, particular attention is focused on solar photovoltaic technologies. The objective was to look at how various configurations of photovoltaic systems would help either households or businesses in developing countries to improve their day-to-day life and activities. Focusing on photovoltaic system configurations offers households and businesses the options of standalone, backup or hybrid systems although, the study limits its options to backup systems as a result of the rationing of electricity in Ghana. The theoretical part provided comprehensive background for the study with an insight into the current energy situation and the renewable energy policies in Ghana. Furthermore, an in-depth understanding of the different components (i.e. panels, charge controllers, inverters, battery and load) of a photovoltaic system is achieved with a look at their basic technical parameters. The empirical research is conducted via a focus group study and a survey. The focus group study was conducted in Finland among African students while the survey was done in Ghana through questionnaire sent to 102 respondents via an online survey portal: Google Form. From the result, the most common areas of use for solar photovoltaic are for lighting, household and office appliances for which varied configuration can be established. The research established the electrification problem in Ghana and one key recommendation in solving this is the use of renewable energy such as solar photovoltaic systems.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Thermochemical Liquefaction of Kraft Lignin As A Waste Management Process

Waste management is the collection, transportation, processing or disposal, monitoring, and managing of waste materials. It tries to reduce the harmful environmental impact of each through different methods, which include but not limited to landfill, incineration, recycling, biological processing, and reduction methods. Generation, utilization and disposal of waste is increasingly becoming a significant problem in many cities of the world, with an exploding world population estimated to have a global doubling time now less than twenty years. This research focuses on energy recovery as a viable method of disposal of non-hazardous biomass components of municipal solid waste with a prototype waste kraft lignin material using the thermochemical liquefaction process. The process used high pressure, high temperature in the presence of kraft lignin, slurry solvent, and a suitable catalyst to produce a mixture of gases, liquid, and solid capable of been used as fuels and chemicals and providing an alternative to the other methods. This value-adding process serves a dual purpose of providing a source of energy and providing an alternative waste management method

Removal of chromium and nickel ions from aqueous solution by adsorption on modified coconut husk

The study investigated the adsorption of Cr(VI) and Ni(II) on modified coconut husk (low cost adsorbent) for the remediation of Cr(VI) and Ni(II) from some synthetic industrial waste effluents. The coconut husk was modified by mixing with 0.1 M NaOH and HCl respectively. The effects of varying adsorbent loading, hydrogen ion concentration, contact time and temperature of adsorption were studied. Similar experiments were carried out using unmodified coconut husk, in order to compare the results obtained from the modification experiments. The result showed that the HCl modified adsorbent gave 96% ± 3.6 removal for Cr(VI) at a pH of 4.0 while about 99% ± 0.7 of Ni(II) was removed at a higher pH of 7.0. The unmodified adsorbent gave a 90% ± 8.8 adsorption for Cr(VI) and 97% ± 1.5 for Ni(II) respectively. However, the NaOH modified adsorbent gave the least adsorption of 40% ± 9.9 for Cr(VI) and 80% ± 6.1 for Ni(II). The equilibrium data for the adsorption of Cr(VI) and Ni(II) on coconut husk was tested using both the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms. The Freundlich isotherm was found to be more suitable for Cr(VI) adsorption, while the Langmuir isotherm was observed to better for Ni adsorption on coconut husk. To evaluate the mechanism of adsorption, pseudo-first order and second order kinetic models were used. The adsorption mechanism was found fit the second order. The HCl modified adsorbent gave the best result for removal of Cr(VI) from synthetic industrial effluents

Product configuration for photovoltaic systems in developing countries

Demand and supply of electricity have always been problematic in developing economies. Poor infrastructure because of weak government policies has compounded the problem thus making it difficult for businesses to operate uninterrupted. As a result, households and businesses have no choice than to take matters in their own hands. The paper uses Ghana (a West African country) as the focus of study. The main objective is to develop various solar photovoltaic (solar PV) configurations for households and businesses in developing economies. The proposed research question is set as, ‘how can product configuration support reduction and improvement of the energy predicament in developing economies?’ The possibilities include standalone, backup or hybrid systems with a focus on off grid solutions. As a limitation, this paper confines its choices to backup systems because of the current distribution of electricity in Ghana. The empirical background provides insight into existing energy condition and the renewable energy plans in Ghana [6,11,17,18]. The method applied in this paper includes focus group study and a survey. The focus group session utilized some African students living in Finland while the main survey utilized a sample frame in Ghana to arrive at the desired conclusion. Some 102 respondents answered questionnaire via Google Form. From the outcome, the most common areas of use for solar PV included lighting, some household and office appliances with varied configurations. The study confirms the inadequate supply of electricity in Ghana and proposed solar PV systems as a viable alternative.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Rhizosphere Fungi of Red Pepper (Capsicum frutescens)

Fungi present in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of Capsicum frutescens at different stages of plant growth were studied. The experimental soil was loamy sand in texture. The pH of the rhizosphere soil in the field ranged from 6.4 to 6.7 and in the pots, it ranged from 6.3 to 6.8. The fungi isolated were Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus candidus, Penicillium expansum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium poae, Penicillium citrinum, Mucor racemosus, Mucor mucedo, Verticillium lateritium, Fusarium avenaceum, Trichophyton mentagrophyte, Fusarium verticilliodes, Aspergillus ustus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspegillus fumigatus. The most frequently isolated fungi were Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus nigers and Mucor mucedo. The highest fungal number occurred on the 30th day of plant growth for pots and field.Key words : Fungi , rhizosphere, rhizoplane, plan

Physicochemical and sensory characteristics of fermented seeds of Prosopis africana

No Abstract

Physicochemical Analysis of a Soil near Microbiology Laboratory at The University of Ilorin, Main Campus

In this study the physico-chemical analysis of a soil near microbiology laboratory at the University of Ilorin, main campus was carried out. The objectives of the study were to determine the soil parameters such as pH, moisture content, organic matter content, water holding capacity, temperature and soil texture in consideration of the soil’s suitability for microbial growth and plant development. Six soil samples were collected with interval of two weeks between two samples. pH range value was 7.10 to 7.82, the range of water holding capacity was from 0.28 ml per gram to 0.53 ml per gram of soil. The organic matter content of the soil samples ranged from 3.42% to 4.70%. The moisture content was discovered to range from 2.10% to 5.23%. The texture was discovered to be loamy sand with average composition of 89% sand, 7% silt and 4% clay. Keywords: soil texture, Organic Matter Content, Water Holding Capacity, Moisture content, Sand, Silt, Cla

The Reactions of Common Chemical Fertilizers in An Ultisol and Their Effects on Cowpea Performance

Chemical fertilizers (CF) are the major input on arable farms in Nigeria. Current increasing rate of nutrient depletion in CF treated soils calls for the need to study their reactions in soils. To achieve this, three CF based treatments, namely NPK 15:15:15 applied at 40 kg P2O5 ha-1, Urea applied at 20 kg N ha-1  mixed with Single superphosphate at 40 kg P2O5 ha-1, and single superphosphate at 40 kg P2O5 ha-1  mixed with Gliricidia sepium leaves at 20 kg N ha-1  were studied. Sole lime (CaCO3) at 1 Mg ha-1 and a plot that received no amendment were compared. Cowpea was grown for two consecutive cropping seasons in 2012 and 2013 on the treated fields. The results indicated that CF reduced soil pH from initial 4.8 to 4.0. The NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer was the most severe of the CF tested, removing up to 133% alkalinity from the soil relative to lime. The NPK 15:15:15 reduced calcium saturation (from 25% to 21%) and magnesium saturation (from 12% to 8.3%) and increased acidity saturation (from 53% to 66%) with significant reductions in organic carbon content (from 13.2 g kg-1 to 11.0 g kg-1). Precaution including co-application of CF with organic materials such as Gliricidia sepium leaves can benefit for the soils

Synthesis and transformation of the 2,6,8-triaryl-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones

The 2-aryl-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones were prepared via acid-catalyzed cyclization of the corresponding 2-aminochalcones, which were in turn, prepared by base-promoted Claisen-Schmidt aldol condensation of 2-aminoacetophenone and benzaldehyde derivatives. The 2-aryl-6,8-dibromo-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones were prepared by reacting 2-aryl-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) in carbon tetrachloride-chloroform mixture at room temperature. The 2-aryl-6,8-dibromo-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones were subjected to palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction with arylboronic acid using dichlorobis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II)-tricycohexylphosphine as catalyst mixture and potassium carbonate as a base in dioxane-water under reflux to afford the corresponding novel 2,6,8-triaryl-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones in a single-pot operation. The latter were subjected to thallium(III) p-tolylsulfonate in dimethoxyethane under reflux to yield the 2,6,8-triarylquinolin-4(1H)-ones. The 2,6,8-triaryl-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones were treated with molecular iodine in refluxing methanol to afford the corresponding 2,6,8-triaryl-4-methoxyquinolines. All the new compounds were characterized using a combination of 1H NMR & 13C NMR spectroscopy, IR and mass spectroscopic techniques.ChemistryM.Sc. (Chemistry