Challenge of Using Non-Degradable Waste Material Polystyrene Packing in Reinforced Concrete Design and Construction

Weight and Environmental concerns are two elements that have made the search for alternative materials of construction critical in today’s construction industry. The importance of finding a solution to the problem has given rise to the use of non-degradable materials. This study examines the challenges of making such material as polystyrene used in product packaging a part of the structural element in construction. Such adventure it is envisaged reduced the volume and number of landfill sites in Nigeria where air pollution arising from dump sites affects the health of citizens. To achieve this aim, Styrofoam was used as a partial replacement for coarse aggregate (granite) by volume. The replacement was carried out in varying percentages of 10, 20 and 30% Styrofoam concretes respectively with a concrete mix ratio of 1:1:2. The result obtained showed that concrete produced using Styrofoam as the alternative aggregate possess lesser values of compressive strength when compared with the control of conventional concrete without Styrofoam. The optimal percentage of a replacement for Styrofoam concrete was 10% with a compressive strength of 21.33 N/mm2 while the control concrete had a compressive strength of 33.26 N/mm2. The loss of strength of Styrofoam concrete is compensated by the reduction of the requirement for landfill sites and the attendant pollution generated while the concrete can be used for non-structural elements in construction

Interactions of trace metals with bacteria and fungi in selected agricultural soils of Egbema Kingdom, Warri North, Delta state, Nigeria

This study was aimed at investigating the relationship of trace metals with prevalence of bacteria and fungi in polluted farmland of Egbema Kingdom, Delta state. This may contribute to the knowledge on the influence of the microorganism to the arability of agricultural soil from an ecotoxicological viewpoint. Soil samples were analyzed for physico-chemical parameters and trace metals using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Buck Scientific, 210VGP). The samples were also screened for fungi and bacteria isolates. Trace metals (Fe, Zn, Cd, Ni and Cu) determined in the agricultural soils of Egbema kingdom were below WHO limits. The fungi species with the highest number of occurrence was Aspergillus niger, while the species with the lowest occurrence were Fusarium oxsporium, Penicillium dirty white, and Penicillium sp. The order of abundance of fungi across the stations was Station 2> Station 4> Station 3> Station 1> Station 7> Station 5> Station 6> Station 9> Station 8. The bacteria species with the highest number of occurrence was Proteus sp I, while the species with the lowest occurrence was Alcaligenes sp. which occurred only once at Station 5. The order of abundance of bacteria in the soil samples across the stations was Station 4> Station 3> Stations 5 and 9> Station 2> Station 8> Station 7> Station 6. All trace metals in the agricultural soils of Egbema kingdom were below WHO limits. Fe, Zn, Cd and Ni showed no relationship with the microbial contents of the soil. Various strains of fungi and bacteria (gram positive and gram negative) were observed in the soil samples. An antagonistic relationship was observed between bacteria and fungi. Significant positive correlation occurred between the concentration of copper and bacteria counts indicating that the concentration of copper in the soil might have enhanced the abundance of bacteria in the soil, vice versa. The bacteria might be a promising tool in regulation of soil copper concentration