Renewable Energy and Sustainable Food Security in Nigeria

Renewable energy sources are becoming an increasingly important alternative source of energy in the agricultural sector. The use of renewable energy will reduce the use of fossil fuels, thereby minimizing the emission of green house gases. Increased use of renewable sources of energy especially in the agricultural sector will enhance the sustainability of food security in Nigeria and the quality of the environment. The use of renewable energy sources in the agricultural sector will also lead to environmentally friendly, sustainable and viable sources of energy to reduce the dependency on deplet­ing fossil fuels. Increasing attention is being focused on the installation and usage of renewable energy sources in the agricultural sector in several countries of the world purposely to contribute to global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable food security. This paper attempt to explain the role of renewable energy sources in agricultural sector as a means of enhancing sustainable food security in the country and presents the existing technologies, policies  and emerging opportunities in renewable energy application in the agricultural sector. Keyword: Available incentive, Energy policy, Renewable energy, Sustainable food security

Comparative Studies of Ethanol and Kerosene Fuels and Cook Stoves Performance

Comparative studies of ethanol and kerosene fuels and their performance with household kerosene cookstoves of the same dimensions and geometry were carried out. The authors examined the different sources of domestic cooking fuels such as LPG, kerosene, fuel wood, and ethanol. The overview of the use of bioethanol and kerosene cookstoves in different countries such as Brazil, India, Ethiopia, Kenya and Malawi were also done by the researchers. Simple water boiling test was carried out to determine the boiling time for a specified volume of water. The result showed that kerosene fuel boils water in a shorter time. The study compared the advantages and disadvantages of the two brands of fuels. Keywords: cook stove, deforestation ethanol fuel, kerosene and performance

SARA Separation and Determination of Concentration Levels of Some Heavy Metals in Organic Fractions of Nigerian Crude Oil

Nigerian Crude oil samples were obtained from Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC). The samples were subjected to column chromatography.  Sequential leaching method was used to separate the crude oil into four distinct fractions based on leaching of crude oil with different organic solvents and mixtures. Saturated fraction was extracted with hexane- cyclohexane (1:1v/v), aromatic fraction was extracted with hexane- toluene (7:3v/v), while resin was extracted with tetrachloromethane-trichloromethane (7:3v/v), and asphaltene was extracted with acetonitrile-methanol (1:1v/v). The fractions were digested using sulphuric acid, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid method followed by the detection of metals in the samples using AAS analysis. The elements analyzed were Pb, Cu, Cr, Fe and Ni. The result shows that Fe had the highest concentration while Ni had the least concentration. The concentration (ppm) levels of these elements in the crude oil fraction analyzed range from 0.1307 – 0.4107 for Pb, 0.1796 – 1.1250 for Cu, 2.7420 – 10.1903 for Cr, 11.2962 – 21.8084 for Fe, and 0.0464 – 0.5876 for Ni. It was obvious from this study and previous ones that Nigerian crude oil fractions have low metal content. However, despite their low concentrations they can still be detrimental to the refinery operations and the immediate environment, and therefore, should be removed before refining. Keywords: Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Aromatic, Asphaltenes, Risens, Saturates, Heavy Metal

Determination of Some Heavy Metals in Soil Samples Obtained From Rimi Local Government in Katsina State, Nigeria

Abstract: The concentration of lead, chromium, iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium and sodium in soil samples obtained from Rimi local government in Katsina state was analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy Technique. The Highest Mean concentration of   the metals for each sample were as follows:  Lead (8.3 ± 0.000 mg/g), Chromium (3.125±4.4.42 mg/g), Iron (14.2±0.000 mg/g), Zinc (4.2 ± 0.000 mg/g), Potassium (218.7 ± 44.19 mg/g), Magnesium (68.75 ± 8.84 mg/g)  and Sodium (1446.45 ± 25.24 mg/g), The results were discussed in terms of effects of the concentration of these metals on the agricultural soil understudy and the concentration obtained was below the ECDG (2004), WHO (2008), Kabata-Pendias (1995), SEPA (2000) and  DPR (1991) Permissible limits of heavy metals in Agricultural land. Although it was concluded that the soil is suitable for agricultural purposes, Remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils is necessary to reduce the associated risks, make the land resource available for agricultural production, enhance food security and scale down land tenure problems arising from changes in the land use pattern. Keyword: Agricultural Soil Pollution, Trace and Heavy Metals, Environmental Pollution

Biodegradation Studies of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene (BTEX) Compounds by Gliocladium sp. and Aspergillus terreus

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) are monoaromatic hydrocarbons found frequently in petroleum and its derivatives; and they are among the most important pollutants of soil and groundwater. This study focused on harnessing the enzymatic capabilities of filamentous fungi Gliocladium sp. and Aspergillus terreus, dwelling in a petroleum-contaminated soil to degrade benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) compounds. The biodegradation experiment was carried out using the fungi individually and in consortium in a batch culture containing mineral salts medium supplemented with 1% v/v BTEX. The experiments were carried out in triplicates at room temperature on a rotary shaker (180rpm) for twenty five days and aliquots were taken on a five day interval to determine the hydrocarbon utilizing fungal (HUF) count and residual BTEX in order to monitor the rate of biodegradation. The hydrocarbon utilizing fungal counts were determined by direct counting using a Neubauer Haemocytometer while, the residual BTEX was determined using absorbance values measured using a spectrophotometer and the corresponding concentrations determined from a standard curve. The highest percentage degradation of BTEX was observed with Aspergillus terreus (89.1%) while, the least was observed with Gliocladium sp. (84.4%). The growth peak was attained on the 15th day in all treatments after which the HUF counts declined. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference (P>0.05) in the mean amounts of BTEX degraded and hydrocarbon-utilizing fungal counts between the treatments. The strains of Gliocladium sp. and Aspergillus terreus used in this study showed high ability for BTEX degradation thus, they are potential candidates for bioremediation of soils contaminated with monoaromatic hydrocarbons

Determination of Saturated Hydrocarbon from Nigerian Crude Oil from Selected Oil Wells: A Comparative Study

The saturated hydrocarbons were isolated from the crude oil samples by the use of SARA separation and column chromatography methods. The fractions obtained were identified using GC-MS. The result shows that the saturated hydrocarbons presence in the samples indicate that all the samples spectra indicated the presence of Trans-decalin-2-methyl, Dodecane, Tridecane, Tetradecane, Pentadecane, Hexadecane, Octadecane, Nonadecane and Eicosane, all at a minimum quality of correlation of 70%.  The result of the GC-MS indicated that sample D has the highest number of saturated hydrocarbons presence in a minimum quality of % correlation of 70% and sample E has the lowest amount of saturated hydrocarbons. Keywords: Crude oil drilling, GC-MS, Sara analysis, Saturated hydrocarbons, Trans-decalin-2-methy

The impact of dividend policy on the shareholders value of listed firms in the Nigerian petroleum marketing industry

Dividend policy is directed towards establishing the proportion of current income that should be retained in the firm and the proportion that should be distributed among its shareholders. This study, therefore, assessed the impact of dividend policy on the value of listed firms in the Nigerian petroleum marketing industry. six firms, out of eight that are quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) were selected as sample for the study. Data were collected from secondary sources. Annual reports and accounts of the selected firms, daily official lists and facts books of the NSE for the period of 2008-2017 form the source of the data. egression was used in analyzing the data. The findings revealed that payment of dividend by petroleum marketing firms in Nigeria positively influence the market price of their shares. Based on these findings, the study concluded that dividend policy of petroleum marketing firms in Nigeria affects the value of the firms. Based on this conclusion, the study recommends that management need to identify the shareholder’s interest in setting up a dividend policy that would balance their needs and retention for recapitalization to maximize value of the firms

Estimation of turbidity in water treatment plant using hammerstein-wiener and neural network technique

Turbidity is a measure of water quality. Excessive turbidity poses a threat to health and causes pollution. Most of the available mathematical models of water treatment plants do not capture turbidity. A reliable model is essential for effective removal of turbidity in the water treatment plant. This paper presents a comparison of Hammerstein Wiener and neural network technique for estimating of turbidity in water treatment plant. The models were validated using an experimental data from Tamburawa water treatment plant in Kano, Nigeria. Simulation results demonstrated that the neural network model outperformed the Hammerstein-Wiener model in estimating the turbidity. The neural network model may serve as a valuable tool for predicting the turbidity in the plant

How do markets react to political elections during periods of insecurity and governance crises? Evidence from an African emerging democracy

PURPOSE – This paper operationalizes insecurity and governance crises to study their effects on stock market response to two political events in Nigeria – the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH – An event study was used to capture the market responses. Abnormal returns at the aggregate and sectoral levels were measured over several time windows before and after the respective election results were announced. FINDINGS – The market reacted strongly positively to a change in presidency from an incumbent to an opposition party candidate in the 2015 election but weakly positively, at best, to the re-election of the incumbent candidate in the 2019 election. In addition, banking stocks exhibited greater sensitivity to these events than oil and gas stocks. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS – There may be peculiarities with the Nigerian case and with the two elections analyzed. Therefore, future research could focus on understanding the extent to which the results generalize to the broader sub-Saharan context and other regions that face similar governance challenges. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS – Understanding that markets may have a different perception towards incumbent versus opposition candidate electoral victories during periods of insecurity and governance crisis is important for investors, policymakers, researchers and the wider society. ORIGINALITY/VALUE – Past empirical studies on political events and stock returns in Sub-SaharanAfrica contexts such as Nigeria ignore shifts in voter mood and produce contradictory findings. This paper helps to resolve some of these contradictions by providing insight into how the markets can have a different perception towards incumbent and opposition candidate electoral victories during periods of insecurity and governance crisis.https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-0705.htmam2023Economic

Semiconductor Nanowires Biosensors for Highly Selective and Multiplexed Detection of Biomolecules

The surface modification of Nano-structure has allowed specific and selective detection to be made on nano structures devices. Current study, a nanowire was surface engineered with the potential of silicon nanowires biosensors (SiO2) which enhance the biosensor activity especially identifying single-stranded bio-molecular such as E.coli DNA. The device's capabilities were studied based on it response n electrochemical activities of the terminal group of the surface modification agent. NH2 -terminated APTES) to provide rigid chemistry between the DNA organic and Si inorganic link of a biomolecule single_stranded ssDNA probe and SiO2_APTES link nanostructure. Thus, the study demonstrates that silicon nanowire sensing capability to discriminate molecular probe to that of molecule target of supra-genome 21 mers salmonella due to sensitive surface chemistries that made distinguishing the two species. The device captured the molecule precisely; the approach took the advantages of strong binding chemistry created between APTES and biomolecule. The results indicated how modifications of the nanowires provide sensing capability with strong surface chemistries that can lead to specific and selective target detection