Phytoremediation of Contaminated Soil Using Maize (Zea mays) and Mycorrhiza Inoculation

The phytoextracting capacity of maize (Zea mays) on soil contaminated with brewery waste was determined. The method used was based on the responses of the maize plants grown on four different soils (inoculated and uninoculated, with and without brewery waste) tagged M+B+, M-B+, M+B- and M-B-. These were analysed for mid-rib growth, neurosis, and heavy metals uptake in the plant in addition to soil and pH analysis. Results showed that maize (Zea mays) planted on soil of type M+B+ had a rapid increase in mid-rib size (55.3cm) while the plant grown on the control sample had the lowest size (47.0cm). There were initial increases in plant with neurosis in the inoculated samples which either stabilised or increased while the number in the uninoculated samples reduced with time. The plants grown on inoculated soil had greater heavy metal uptakes of 54–83% except for Cd where the uptake was 33–40% while those grown on uninoculated soil had metal uptakes of 19–52% except for Zn where the uptake was 80–81%. The investigation concluded that maize has the capacity of removing heavy metals from brewery waste and suggested revegetation of the soil to reduce wind and water erosions. &nbsp

Development of a Hybridized Model for Determining the Degree of Polymerization of Power Transformers

Power transformers have been described as an important equipment of electrical switchyard in which its failure results in long hours of outage. Some of the existing models for determining the Degree of Polymerization (DP) of power transformers were based on singular parameter which is not sufficient for the assessment of power transformers’ lifespan. This research paper therefore developed a hybridized model for determining the degree of polymerization of power transformers. The study employed the use 2-Furaldehyde (2FAL) content values of 0.5 ppm to 10ppm in determining the DP value and simulation was carried out using MATLAB. The result was compared with existing DP model for effectiveness of the Hybridized DP model. The developed model yielded a DP range of 247 ≤ DP ≤ 1184 based on a constant hotspot temperature of 1100C and the values of activation energy and pre-exponential factors used. The results from this research presented a better method of determining the Degree of Polymerization of power transformer compared to the existing method. Therefore, the Hybridized DP model developed is more sufficient for the evaluation of lifespan of power transformers. Keywords: Power Transformers, Electrical Switchyard, Lifespan, Degree of Polymerization, Statistical Tools, Power Failure, Outages. DOI: 10.7176/ISDE/12-6-04 Publication date:October 31st 2022

Emergence and spread of two SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest in Nigeria.

Identifying the dissemination patterns and impacts of a virus of economic or health importance during a pandemic is crucial, as it informs the public on policies for containment in order to reduce the spread of the virus. In this study, we integrated genomic and travel data to investigate the emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.318 and B.1.525 (Eta) variants of interest in Nigeria and the wider Africa region. By integrating travel data and phylogeographic reconstructions, we find that these two variants that arose during the second wave in Nigeria emerged from within Africa, with the B.1.525 from Nigeria, and then spread to other parts of the world. Data from this study show how regional connectivity of Nigeria drove the spread of these variants of interest to surrounding countries and those connected by air-traffic. Our findings demonstrate the power of genomic analysis when combined with mobility and epidemiological data to identify the drivers of transmission, as bidirectional transmission within and between African nations are grossly underestimated as seen in our import risk index estimates

Use of sewage sludge ash (SSA) in the production of cement and concrete - a review

The use of recycled sewage sludge ash (SSA) in Portland cement and concrete has attracted a lot of global interest due the increase in sludge production and the limitation of land availability where it is used as a soil conditioner. These are in addition to rising environmental concerns. The major components of SSA are SiO2, CaO, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO and P2O5. These compounds, in theory, make SSA a good pozzolanic material because when finely ground, SSA is found to be cementitious. Thus it can be used as cement replacement in Portland cement and concrete. Some of the advantages include reduction in waste disposal costs, provision of excellent sustainable practices, conservation of the environment provision of partial solution to land limitation problem for landfill. Some of its disadvantages are in terms of pozzolanic activity and strength coupled with high water demand which could be solved by adequate modification and treatment. This paper reviews the various use of SSA and summarises the progress made in the development of SSA as a partial replacement for Portland cement and concrete

Greenhouse gas emissions: quantifying methane emissions from livestock

Problem statement: The rearing of animals for domestic consumption and export invariably lead to the production of methane as a product of digestion. This study investigated the emission of methane from Malaysian livestock between 1980 and 2008. Approach: Seven categories of animals identified were camel, buffalo, sheep, goats, horse, pigs and poultry. The estimation of methane was based on the IPCC Tier 1 and Tier 2 methods. Methane emission from cattle rose by 44% within the period from 45.61-65.57 Gg. Results: Buffalo recorded a drop in methane emission by 54% from 17.12-7.86 Gg while the methane emission from sheep initially rose by 350% in 1992 only to drop by another 56% by 2008. Goats emission only declined by 17% from 1.79 Gg in 1980-1.49 Gg by 2008. Methane emission from horse has been consistent at around 0.14 Gg. The decreasing stock of pigs has led to a drop in methane emission from these set of animals with most of the emission coming from manure management. Conclusion: The healthy export market for poultry has seen a rise in methane emission by 274% from 2.18 Gg in 1980-8.17 Gg by 2008. The overall increase in methane emission from all the livestock is 20% from 81.83 Gg in 1980-98.76 Gg in 2008. With the aggressive drive of government to boost cattle and goat production, there is the likelihood of an increase in methane emission in the future and mitigation options will have to be applied

Assessing environmental impacts of municipal solid waste of Johor by analytical hierarchy process

The views of the public on solid waste bound to be generated in Johor Bahru Malaysia are presented and appraised. This is because of the massive development currently going on to transform the city to an international standing by the year 2025. For this reason, attempts to raise stakeholder awareness on the need to embrace on how best to manage the current problem with reduced impacts to the environment currently and in the future was attempted. Data were collected through contacts and questionnaire survey. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique was used to structure and assess the views and judgments of stakeholders on the environmental impacts of solid waste disposal. SuperDecision software was used to generate and compute results of stakeholder's judgments. The assessment revealed that fauna and flora, habitat depletion and land use among the criteria are most critical environmental impacts. Landfilling, recycling, incineration and composting were evaluated in terms of the environmental impacts. The choice of incineration is perceived to improve environmental visibility, preserves fauna and flora as well as stream ecology, improves environmental air quality and optimizes land use. Similarly, recycling of waste, is perceived to preserves fauna and flora, stream ecology, habitat depletion, improves air quality as well as land use. Composting is perceived to be the best option in terms of preservation of stream ecology, habitat depletion and land use practice. Landfill generates less noise and vibration but found to be responsible for more than 50% of the environmental impacts created by solid waste in this area. Composting and recycling are mostly preferred to landfilling and incineration and the reason why this is so was provided. The study also identified challenges ahead and highlights that benefits attached to some vital disposal options (such as incineration) are yet to be fully implemented