The effect of government policy on the relationship between organizational factors and construction waste management in Abuja, Nigeria

Poor motivation for the implementation of the construction on-site waste reduction, insufficient waste management skills, the shortage of appropriately designed and decently handled landfill system, lack of team work, unequal workload and task distribution among the divisions is the result of poor organizational structure among construction organizations in Nigeria. Lack of frequent staff training, performance management and human resource management practices and the problems of waste management regulations is the result of improper enforcement of waste management policy and planning framework for waste management. Further the inadequacy of unified waste management regulations and operational system for the enforcement and control of construction waste management practices among others are accountable for the unsuccessful construction waste management. Drawing upon the resource base view theory, this study aimed to examine the effects of government policy on the relationship between organizational factors and construction waste management. A stratified simple random sampling was adopted for the four categories of construction organizations that are registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Out of 331 questionnaires’ distributed to the construction organizations a total of 178 completed and valid questionnaires were returned, yielding a 53.7 percent response rate. Structural equation model, smart PLS algorithms and bootstrapping were adopted to achieve all of the research objectives. This study found out that organizational structure has a strong and positive relationship with construction waste management. Organizational resources established a strong and positive relationship with construction waste management among Nigerian construction organizations. The government policy shows a strong, positive relationship with construction waste management among construction organizations and it also moderates and strengthens the relationship positively between organizational structure and construction waste management in Abuja. Finally, the study further found that government policy also moderates the relationship between organizational resources and construction waste management in Abuja. The results support the hypothesized direct relationship of the organizational structure and construction waste management with the t-value of 7.09, organizational resources and construction waste management with the t-value of 10.16, government policy and construction waste management with the t-value of 5.42. Government policy moderates the relationship between organizational structure and construction waste management with the t-value of 2.61 and also it moderates the relationship between organizational resources and construction waste management with the t-value of 1.66. The study provides appropriate theoretical, practical contributions to the academic, industry and the policy-makers. It is therefore recommended that construction organizations should focus on organizational factors that influence construction waste management. This study focused on non-hazardous material waste. The study suggested that hazardous waste, time and overrun waste should also be considered; while case study or qualitative method could be adopted in future research

Utilization of whole sorghum crop residues for bioethanol production

Sorghum is the fifth most important cereal worldwide and is a major source of agricultural residues in tropical regions. Bioconversion of whole sorghum crop residues comprising stalks, leaves, peduncles and panicles to ethanol has great potential for improving ethanol yield per sorghum crop cultivated, and for sustainable biofuel production. Effective pretreatment of sorghum lignocellulosic biomass is central to the efficiency of subsequent fermentation to ethanol. Previous studies have focused on bioconversion of sorghum stalks and/or leaves only to bioethanol, but the current study is the first report dealing with whole crop residues. We specifically focused on the impact of Nigerian sorghum cultivation location and cultivar type on the potential ethanol yield from whole sorghum crop residues. Efficient bioconversion of whole sorghum residues to ethanol provides a sustainable route for utilisation of crop residues thereby providing a non-food feedstock for industrial scale bioethanol production

Sweet sorghum:agronomic practice for food, animal feed and fuel production in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sweet sorghum is a cereal that belongs to the species Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench. Although the crop is reportedly native to Africa, it is grown worldwide largely because it thrives well under wide rainfall regimes, varied day lengths, soil conditions and can tolerate varying degrees of biotic and abiotic factors and stresses. This chapter reviews and discusses the physiology and adaptation of sweet sorghum crops to varied environmental and climatic conditions across Sub-Saharan Africa. Several research works have indicated that numerous improved cultivar types of sweet sorghum are grown across Africa. Virtually all sweet sorghum cultivars are primarily grown to produce grain, sugary stalk juice and forage or fodder. The grains are considered the 3rd most important source of staple food to people living in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Furthermore, the grains may also be malted to produce beverages or utilized as adjunct in beer brewing. However, the sugary stalk juice is most commonly used for sorghum molasses or syrup production. Sorghum molasses or syrup is a suitable alternative to refined cane sugars for beverage consumption; particularly for diabetic patients. Thus, the nutritional value, health benefits and future prospects of sorghum grain consumption to address certain human health challenges are discussed in this chapter. Alternatively, the sugary stalk juice from sorghum may be bio-converted to bioethanol (a fuel alcohol). Sweet sorghum crop residues (i.e., leftovers and after the grains are harvested and stalk juice extracted) can serve as animal feed or utilized as lignocellulosic biomass for second generation bioethanol production. This chapter reviews and discusses literature that demonstrates sweet sorghum is a cereal crop with high tolerance to diverse environmental and climatic conditions. In addition, the crop produces nutritious grains and sugary stalk juice that are of important health and economic benefits for domestic and industrial applications throughout in Africa

Improved production of ethanol using bagasse from different sorghum cultivars

For improved production of ethanol from whole sorghum residues, physico-chemical compositions and fermentation characteristics of the substrates are important factors to consider. In the present study, Nigerian sorghum cultivars SSV2, KSV8 and KSV3 were grown under rain-fed conditions without chemical fertilization in Kano state, Nigeria. On harvest, the whole sorghum residues (bagasse) comprising crushed stalks, leaves, panicles and peduncles were collected for further processing. Bagasse samples, which had different macromolecular composition and carbohydrate pasting properties, were pre-treated with dilute sulphuric acid at 75 °C followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and sequential detoxification by Ca(OH)2 over-liming and charcoal filtration. Hydrolysate samples were subsequently fermented with the yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pachysolen tannophilus. Sugar consumption, carbon dioxide evolution and ethanol production were shown to vary depending on the sorghum cultivar type. While KSV3 yielded most favourable biomass of 37 t ha−1 (dry basis), bagasse from cultivar SSV2 yielded the most favourable level of sugars (69 g/100 g) after enzymatic hydrolysis, and also consistently exhibited improved fermentation performance. Detoxification of pre-treated sorghum bagasse to remove potential yeast inhibitors resulted in improvement in ethanol yield, with 23 g L−1 ethanol (representing 72% of theoretical yield) being achieved from SSV2 bagasse following fermentation with P. tannophilus without exogenous nutrient supplementation. Our findings reveal that the choice of sorghum cultivar is important when converting bagasse to ethanol, and further that pretreatment with dilute acid at moderate temperature followed by detoxification improves fermentation kinetics and ethanol yield

Fermentation of stalk juices from different Nigerian sorghum cultivars to ethanol

For improved production of ethanol from sorghum stalk juice fermentation, cultivation location and cultivar type are important factors to consider. In the present study, SSV2 and KSV8 sorghum cultivars were cultivated in Kano and Kaduna states in Nigeria that exhibit notably different rain precipitation and diurnal temperatures. The crude stalk juices (without pre-treatment or nutrient supplementation) were extracted from these sorghum samples and fermented with a distiller’s strain of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sugar consumption and alcohol production were determined by HPLC and GC-MS, respectively. When it was grown in the Kaduna site, SSV2 was identified as the highest yielding sorghum cultivar from which we extracted the maximum levels of extractable sugars (161.50 g l-1 ) that yielded favourable ethanol levels of 80.56 g l-1 following fermentation. Our findings show that relatively colder and wetter cultivation sites are preferred for sorghum stalk juice destined for bioethanol production.<br/

Bioconversion of degraded husked sorghum grains to ethanol

Efficient starch saccharification is an essential step towards achieving improved ethanol yields by fermentation. Sorghum grains are important starch sources for bioconversion to ethanol. In the present study, disease degraded (spoilt) husked grains from Nigerian sorghum cultivars were obtained from field sites and subjected to bioprocessing to ethanol. The crude husked grains (comprising husks, spikelet, awn, rachis and pubescence materials) were hammer milled and each meal separately mashed with enzyme cocktails comprising amylase, glucanase and protease enzymes. The saccharified worts obtained were then fermented with the yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia stipitis (aka Scheffersomyces stipitis), without exogenous nutrient supplementation. Sugars liberated during mashing were determined and it was found that enzymatic hydrolysis of milled sorghum grains was effective in yielding favourable levels of fermentable sugars up to 70g sugar/100g substrate with one particular cultivar (KSV8). Ethanol and carbon dioxide production was measured from subsequent trial fermentations of the sorghum mash and it was found that S. cerevisiae produced ethanol levels equating to 420 L/t that compares very favourably with yields from wheat and barley. Our findings show that crude degraded sorghum grains represent favourable low-cost feedstocks for bioconversion to ethanol with reduced energy input and without additional costs for nutrient supplementation during fermentation. Consequently, our results suggest some economic benefits could be derived from spoilt or degraded sorghum grains

Correlation between team and co-worker relationship and employee engagement

The objective of this study was to examine the correlation between team and coworker relationship and employee engagement in Federal University of Technology, Nigeria. Social exchange theory (SET) was utilized in developing the research framework. A total of 150 non-academics staff from Federal University of Technology, representing a response rate of 63.3% participated in this study. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaire. one hypothesis was tested using SPSS 2.0. The findings indicated that the relationship between team and co-worker relationship and employee engagement is low (r = .252). Theoretical and practical implications of the study as well as suggestions for future research were discussed

Assessing the Impact of Work Environment on Employee Engagement among Non-Academic Staff of the University

Aim of the Study - The objective of this study was to access the impact of work environment on employee engagement among the non-academic staffs of the university in Nigeria. Social exchange theory (SET) was utilized in developing the research framework.&nbsp; Methodology - A total of 150 non-academics staff from l University, representing a response rate of 63.3% participated in this study. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. The correlation and the hypothesis were tested using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS 2.0). The Cronbach’s Alpha value for the variables ranging from 0.724 to 0.804 indicates very good reliability of the research instrument.&nbsp; Findings - The findings indicate a moderate relationship between the work environment and employee engagement, and the hypothesis is not supported. &nbsp; Practical Implications - The study will provide direction to both the management and the university staff for them to proactively focus on providing a healthy and comfortable working environment that will boost engagement, which lead towards enhancing the performance of university staff, and also the university administrators in various ways

Randomised Controlled Double-Blind Non-Inferiority Trial of Two Antivenoms for Saw-Scaled or Carpet Viper (Echis ocellatus) Envenoming in Nigeria

Snake bite threatens millions of poor rural folk throughout Africa. In Nigeria, as in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa, it takes a terrible toll on human life and limb. Over the years, the news for those exposed to snake bite has been generally bad: withdrawal of antivenom manufacturers, increasing cost and, most recently, the marketing of ineffective or fake antivenoms in the region. Our paper reports encouraging results achieved by two antivenoms created as a direct consequence of the present crisis in antivenom supply for Africa. They have been assessed in the most powerful trial ever attempted in this field. The trial showed that in people with non-clotting blood following carpet viper bite, the commonest cause of snake bite morbidity and mortality in the West African savannah, administration of the antivenoms- EchiTAb G and EchiTAb Plus-ICP led to permanent restoration of blood clotting in 76% and 83% of the patients within 6 hours, respectively. Generally mild early adverse reactions were recorded in 19% and 26%, respectively. Both antivenoms proved effective and acceptably safe and can be recommended for treating carpet viper envenoming in Nigeria

Assessing the extent of effective construction risk management in Nigerian construction companies

In this paper, the extent of effective construction risk management among Abuja Federal capital territory and Lagos state Nigeria construction companies was assessed.Then, a survey was conducted among 331 local, national and multinational construction companies within Abuja Federal capital territory and Lagos in Nigeria, using proportionate stratified random sampling, out of which 238 questionnaire were collected for data analysis.Methodologically, this research is perhaps the first to assess the extent of effective construction risk management in Abuja Federal capital territory and Lagos state Nigeria. Using the five point Likert scale categories of risk management from previous studies, statistical analysis affirmed that the overall extent of effective construction risk management among these two states is at medium level