Biodegradation of endosulfan by mixed bacteria culture strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus

Endosulfan is a synthetic cyclodiene non-systemic insecticide and acaricide with both contact and stomach activity. Microorganisms play a key role in removal of xenobiotics like endosulfan from the contaminanted sites because of their dynamic, complex, and complicated enzymatic systems which degrade these chemical. In this study, endosulfan was degraded by indigenous bacteria strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The biodegradation process was carried out according to the method established by Buff et al., 1992. The results obtained showed that the bacterial strains efficiently degraded endosulfan by consuming more than 90 % of 40 mg/l of the minimal media within 7 days of incubation. Maximum biodegration by these two selected bacterial stains was observed at an initial pH of 8.0 at an incubation temperature of 30 °C. The findings from present study suggest that these bacterial strains could be potentially promising as a low cost effective technology in the biodegradation of endosulfan from the environment.Keywords: Endosulfan, Microoganisms, Biodegradation, Contamination and Soi

Determination of bacteria and trihalomethane compounds in sachet water commonly sold in Samaru, Zaria

Portable water is essential to humans and other forms of life. Poor treatment of drinking water results in the distribution of drinking water contaminated with bacteria and trihalomethane (THMs) compounds. Five brands of sachet drinking water were analyzed for coliform colony units and THM compounds concentration using Multiple Tube test and UV- spectrophotometer. The results showed the presence of Enterobacter which is a disease causing bacteria in all the water samples with W5 having the highest colony unit of 11. This was followed by W4 and W3 with five colony units and lastly W2 and W1 with less than two colonies. The concentrations of THMs were also determined with W5 having the highest concentration of 0.032 μg/cm3, followed by W2 with a concentration of 0.02 μg/cm3; W4 had a concentration of 0.011 μg/cm3, W1 a concentration of 0.01μg/cm3 and lastly, W3 having a concentration of 0.007 μg/cm3. All samples had THM compounds with concentrations above the national permissible limits. The presence of Enterobacter, a disease causing organism and the high concentration of THMs in the water samples, are a cause for concern as they pose as a risk to human health; indicating that the waters evaluated are not in any way fit for consumption.Keywords: Trihalomethanes, Coliforms, Pathogens, Sachet water, Bacteri

ATR-FTIR Quantitation of Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) and Ethanol in Some Covid-19 Targeted Hand Sanitizers in Nigeria

Communication in Physical Sciences, 2020, 7(1):8-13 Authors: D. Paul* O. B. Adesina and *C. E. Gimba Received 05 February 2021/Accepted 20 February 2021 The Corona Virus originated from Wuhan, China in the later part of 2019. As at the end of 2020, no medication or vaccine is available for the treatment and/ or control of the Covid-19 pandemic yet. However, preventive measures have been suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) which include proper and regular personal hygiene and a healthy life style. Regular washing of hands using soap and water and the use of Hand sanitizers have been suggested as the first line of defense against the SARS COV2 virus. In this study, the Shimadzu FTIR-8400S Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer with Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) accessory was used for the quantitation of the isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and Ethanol content of nineteen (19) different brands of hand sanitizers used in Kaduna state, Nigeria and its environs for the non-pharmaceutical prevention of COVID-19. Results revealed an Isopropyl alcohol concentration in the range of 10.155% to 85.684% and an Ethanol concentration in the range. Of the nineteen samples studied, five had an IPA concentration below 50%. Nine of the samples had concentrations above the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended 75%. The implications on the health of the populace, with respect to the efforts to combat and contain the ravaging SARS COV-2 virus and the resultant COVID-19 are discusse

Comparative Analysis of Methods of Activated Carbon Surface Area Determination

Communication in Physical Sciences, 2023, 10(1): 204-212 Authors: Stephen Eyije  Abechi*, Casmir Emmanuel Gimba, Adamu Uzairu and  Odike Jotham  Ocholi Received:  28 July  2023/Accepted 20 November 2023 This work sought to determine the surface area (SA) of prepared activated carbons from palm kernel shells by two methods and to do a comparative analysis of the results obtained. The methylene blue adsorption test (MBT) gave a surface area in the range of 418 to 544 m2/g for the nine prepared activated carbons labelled A1 to C3. The surface area (SN2) obtained by nitrogen gas adsorption< However, ranged from 17 to 217 m2/g. The surface area obtained for the prepared activated carbons by the MBT decreased in the following order: A1 > A2 > C1 > A3 > B1 > B3 > B2 > C2 > C3, while the BET surface area obtained by nitrogen adsorption for the activated carbons was in the order: A1 > A2 > A3 > C1 > B3 > B1 > B2 > C3 > C2. The order shows a comparable trend and it can be deduced that while the MBT measured the mesopore volume of the activated carbon, the nitrogen gas adsorption measured the micropore volume.  The MBT was therefore in good agreement with the nitrogen gas adsorption method and can therefore provide a cheaper and affordable method to characterize the surface area of activated carbon

New raw material for activated carbon: I. Methylene blue adsorption on activated carbon prepared from Khaya senegalensis fruits

Activated carbons were prepared from Khaya senegalensis fruits. Carbonization and activation temperatures were 500°C and 800°C, respectively, at residence time of 5 min for each process. Activating agents were 1M each of NaCI, KCl, CaCl2, MgCl2.6H2O, Na2CO3 K2CO3 H2SO4, and ZnCl2. Particle size was 125 um and adsorption studies were carried out using methylene blue in aqueous solution as adsórbate through fixed beds in micro columns. Equilibrium data were analyzed using adsorption intensity and capacity parameters from the Freundlich isotherms as well as breakthrough curves. Results were compared with performances of commercial animal charcoal and granular activated carbon. The results suggest that K senegalensis fruits are suitable raw matenals for producing activated carbons. The NaCI activated carbon has the best adsorption characteristics which are better than the commercial products .Carbón activado se preparó a partir de frutos de Khaya senegalensis. Las temperaturas de carbonización y activación fueron 500 y 800°C, respectivamente, con un tiempo de exposición de 5 min para cada proceso. Los agentes activantes fueron 1M de NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, MgCl2.6H2O, Na2CO3 K2CO3 H2SO4, o ZnCl2. El tamaño de partícula fue 125 um. Los estudios de adsorción se realizaron empleando azul de metileno en solución acuosa como adsorbente a través de substratos fijos en microcolumnas. La información de equilibrio se analizó empleando parámetros de intensidad y capacidad de adsorción de las isotermas de Freundlich como también las curvas de quiebre. Los resultados se compararon con el comportamiento de carbon comercial de origen animal y carbon activado granulado. Los resultados sugieren que los frutos de K senegalensis son apropiados como materia para producir carbon activado. El carbon activado con NaCl tuvo la mejor adsorción y resultó mejor que el producto comercial