Effect of Processing Parameters on Solvent Oil Expression from Loofah Seeds (Luffa cylindrica L.) using Response Surface Methodology

Luffah cylindrica plant grows in the wild, around uncompleted buildings and fenced walls. The percentage oil composition of its seeds is about 30% oil. The research focused was the extraction oil from loofah seed using a solvent extraction methodology. Optimum conditions for oil extraction were determined using Response Surface Methodology of Central Composite Rotatable Design. A total of 20 experimental runs were used to investigate the optimum condition considering three independent variables at five levels each: extraction temperature (55, 60, 65, 60, 75ºC), seed/solvent ratio (0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.08 g/ml) and extraction time (4, 5, 6, 7, 8 hr.). An empirical model equation that could be used to forecast oil yield as a function of the independent variables was developed. The optimum oil yield obtained was 27.43% at the extraction temperature (74.05ºC), seed/solvent ratio (0.05 g/ml) and extraction time (5.35hr). The analysis of variance showed that extraction temperature and time had significant effect on oil yield (p = 0.05). The interaction of the independent variables with oil yield gave R2 and R2 adj. values of 0.98 and 0.93, respectively. The result showed that the selected independent variables had a significant effect on oil yield, thus an optimum condition was established

Utilization of Ceramic Ware Waste as Complementary Aggregate in Hollow Masonry Unit Production

Continuous increase in ceramic ware waste from construction and demolition waste without good management practice has resulted in elevated volume of this waste category. However, utilization of this waste in masonry unit production could be a plausible option to solve this menace, particularly, in its ability to enhance masonry unit compressive strength. In this study, ceramic ware waste was utilized for hollow masonry unit production and three different natural fine aggregate to ceramic aggregate mix ratios of 100:0, 90:10, 80:20 and 70:30 were examined. Furthermore, the cement to total aggregate mix ratio considered was 1:7. Sequel to the process of aggregates mixing, casting, and subsequently demoulding, the masonry units were cured for 28 days prior to inspection for compressive test parameters. Results indicated that masonry unit with natural sand to ceramic waste mix ratio of 80:20 has the highest crushing strength at peak, yield and break point which were 60.903kN, 60.493kN and 53.863kN respectively. The compressive stress at peak and break were 6.57MPa and 6.50MPa in that order and Young’s modulus was 0.262GPa. Statistically, there were no significant differences at 95% confidence interval between the aggregate mix masonry units when the compressive strength indices were evaluated. Ceramics ware waste from demolition and construction waste is a suitable co-aggregate in hollow masonry unit production

Effect of Double-T and V-shaped Pipe Configurations and Perforations on the Quality of Chicken Litter Compost

Livestock waste management has received much attention because of the huge volume and instability. One of the good management practices adopted to address this menace is composting. This study examined the effect of specialized passively aerated composters on some physicochemical properties of chicken litter.  The composter is made up of six double T and V shaped pipe with three different perforation diameters of 15, 20 and 25 mm. Pile configuration of the developed composters had marked effect on total nitrogen content (p0.05) of the compost subjected to 90 days composting time. The composters had uniform air distribution as pile temperature was not significantly affected by pile configuration, perforation size, and their interactions. Furthermore, both T and V shaped pipe structures reached a thermophilic temperature of 49.0 and 67 oC respectively and the compost stabilized in the 12th week. From the agronomic point of view, V-shaped pipe outperformed double inverted T pipes with perforation sizes of 15 and 20 mm. Overall result from this study suggests that double-T and V-shaped composters are feasible composting systems that can enhance biodegradation, maturation, and stability of chicken litter.Keyword: compost, litter, composter, double-T, pile, perforation

Climate change adaptation options in farming communities of selected Nigerian ecological zones

This chapter examines the impacts of climate change on three tropical crops and assesses the climate change adaptation options adopted by rural farmers in the region. The study was conducted among farming communities settled in three major ecological zones in Nigeria. Over 37 years of data on rainfall and temperature were analyzed to examine climate change impacts on three major crops: rice, maize, and cassava. Farmers' adaptive capacity was assessed with a survey. Climatic data, crop yields, and survey data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The relation between rainfall/temperature and crop yields was examined using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results show a high variation in the annual rainfall and temperature during the study period. The major findings from this research is that crops in different ecological zones respond differently to climate variation. The result revealed that there is a very strong relationship between precipitation and the yield of rice and cassava at p <0.05 level of significance. The results further showed low level of adaption among the rural farmers. The study concludes that rainfall and temperature variability has a significant impact on crop yield in the study area, but that the adaptive capacity of most farmers to these impacts is low. There is a need for enhancing the adaptation options available to farmers in the region, which should be the focus of government policies

Development and performance evaluation of a poultry waste management technique using gravity sand filter

The research aimed at developing and evaluating a poultry waste management technique using gravity sand filter. Poultry waste slurry prepared in a mixing tank was intermittently applied uniformly to the surface of a filter bed using a spreader as dosing technique. Two different types of configurations were designed for the filter bed. Single media bed consisted of 150mm depth of silica sand with average particle diameter of 0.5mm. Dual media bed consisted of 100mm depth of granulated charcoal with average particle diameter of 1.0mm and 50mm of silica sand with average particle diameter of 0.5mm. Design considerations important to achieving this level of treatment include; pretreatment, media characteristics, hydraulic and organic loading rates and filter dosing techniques. Each sand filter configuration was operated daily for a period of 12days. The following data were collected on a daily basis: Volume of effluents (mm3), hydraulic residence time (Hours), unit filter run volume (m3/m2), filtration rate or filtration velocity (mm/hr). Head loss on the filter was calculated using Carmen-Kozeny equation for uniform sand bed. Laboratory investigations showed that effluent from the filter had biological oxygen demand (BOD5), total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), and turbidity range between1.98 – 12.08 mg/L, 20.75 – 30.20 mg/L, 29.40 – 34.40 mg/L and 5.10 – 6.20 NTU