Processing of Ogbolokuta limestone through calcination technique for quicklime production

Report on processing of Ogbolokuta limestone through calcination technique for quicklime production is presented. The limestone was washed to remove impurities, dried, ground in to powder form and classified with the aid of the automatic vibrating sieves of 80mm, 90mm, 100mm, 300mm and 425mm. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy was used to determine the chemical compositions of the limestone, while its mineralogical composition was determined by X-ray diffractometer. Scanning electron microscope was used to study the surface morphology of the sample. Sample size area was grossly estimated by Langmuir method, while density functional theory was used to obtain different pore structural morphology of the sample. Analyses of the results showed that CaO (65.7%) is the predominant chemical constituent, and calcite is the main mineral of the limestone. Quicklime was successfully produced from Ogbolokuta limestone through calcination process. Calcination of the limestone enhanced its surface morphology. The quicklime yield was temperature, particle size and time dependent.

Response surface central composite design optimization of soluos dumpsite leachate treatment using agricultural biowaste

Process optimization plays a very important role in the process industries as it helps to miximise desire output by minimizing the cost of process variables. The aim of this work is to carry out response surface central composite design optimization of Soluos dumpsite leachate treatment using agricultural biowaste. Leachate collected from Soluos dumpsite in Lagos was treated using adsorbent prepared from Muas sapientum peels by studying the effects of adsorbent dosage and contact time on the percentage removal of total dissolved solids (TDS) with the aid of design expert software version 10.0.3. The developed second order regression model was adopted in comparison with the linear and two factor interaction ( ) model based on its coefficient of determination (R2) value and its adequacy by analysis of variance (ANOVA). 80.34 percentage removal of TDS was achieved under experimental process at contact time of 120 mins and dosage of 1 g/100mL while 81.134 percentage removal of TDS was obtained under simulation process at contact time of 63.469 mins and dosage of 0.994 g/100 mL. the values obtained under simulation condition were adopted as the optimum conditions. The developed second order regression model predicted the experimental data up to 98.10 percent confidence level hence it is a true representation of the treatment process and can be used to navigate the design space and optimization process of treatment of Soluos dumpsite leachate.

Study of the effect of process parameters on the yield of fermentable sugar from red cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) peels via acid and enzyme hydrolysis

The aim of this work is to study the acid and enzymatic hydrolysis of cocoyam peels using HCl, H2S04 acids and cellulase enzyme. The cellulase was secreted from Aspergillus Niger (A. niger) fungi. The proximate analysis of the substrate showed that cocoyam peel is a lignocellulosic biomass with a cellulose composition of 48%. The effect of the process parameters (time, temperature, acid concentration and pH) on the yield of glucose in acid and enzymatic hydrolysis of the cocoyam peel was respectively investigated. Maximum glucose yield of 44.5% was obtained after 3 days of enzymatic hydrolysis at 30°C and pH 5. The HCl acid hydrolysis showed a maximum glucose yield of 27.3% at 70°C, 5% HCl after 180 minutes. The glucose yield in H2S04 hydrolysis was relatively lower than that of the HCl with a maximum yield of 26.5% at 70°C, 5% H2SO4 after 180 minutes. In addition to, the functional groups present in the glucose synthesized from cocoyam ground peels and the standard glucose were evaluated using Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR). The FTIR results showed similarities in the functional groups present in both sugars. Cocoyam peel can be used for the production of glucose and further fermentative process to produce ethanol.

Management of road transport-induced air pollution in urban areas: A case study of Owerri, Nigeria

Environmental concerns have continued to be on the increase as human activities soar. One such environmental concern is air pollution. A major contributor to air pollution is the road transportation activities. This paper sets out to provide a management strategy for air pollution owing to road transportation in urban areas, with Owerri Nigeria as a case study. A field study was conducted in Owerri to ascertain the total passenger requirement, number and mix of passenger vehicles as well as measure three main road transport-induced air pollutants at five locations in the city. The result of the field work showed existing commuter vehicles mix of 56.2:63.7: 19.6:1.6:1 of salons, wagons, mini-buses, coaster buses and big buses respectively, of a total of 85,950 vehicles and air ambient pollutants level higher than the recommended standards. A new model was developed to achieve a remix of 10:33:53: 14:1 of same vehicle types and reduction in traffic volume and target air pollutants. The analyses show that mini-buses and coaster buses have advantage over salon cars, wagon vehicles and big buses in terms of traffic congestions and pollutants release into the environment. The two bus types could be said to have least pollutants release per passenger carried. An optimal vehicle remix, which gives higher priority to these buses have been shown to reduce congestion by 40%, Carbon monoxide by 40%, Nitrogen Dioxide by 50% and Methane by 50%. It therefore recommends that vehicular remix of 10:33:53: 14:1, for salon: wagon: mini-buses: coaster buses: big buses be adopted for Owerri commuters’ transportation need. It concludes that governments should adopt economic instruments embedded in a “push and pull” strategy, leveraging on disincentive and incentive measures to skew road transportation to the use of mini and coaster buses as a deliberate means of reducing air pollution in cities.

Investigation of water and heat response to the compression property of raffia, bamboo and coconut fiber-reinforced-polyester composites

The dearth of construction materials has been the bane of the global construction industry. In a bid to curb this menace, it becomes very imperative to source for construction materials from discarded and least costly materials from raffia, bamboo and coconut fibers. This research investigates the hydrothermal response of plant fiber-reinforced-polyester composites (PFRC). Imperical methods were used to determine the mechanical properties of PFRC (bamboo, raffia and coconut fiber composites), with the usage of Monasanto Tensometer testing machine. All the samples were chemically modified with 12.5g of sodium hydroxide. Numerical and micro-soft excel graphics were used to model compressive responses of the PFRCs. From the analyses, the compressive strengths of raffia, bamboo and coconut composites are 40, 45 and 38MPa respectively.

Optimal residential load scheduling under dynamic pricing and demand-side management

Balancing electricity consumption and generation in the residential market is essential for power grids. The imbalance of power scheduling between energy supply and demand would definitely increase costs to both the energy provider and customer. This paper proposes a control function to normalize the peak cost and customer discomfort. In this work, we modify an optimization power scheduling scheme by using the inclined-block rate (IBR) and real-time price (RTP) technique to achieve a desired trade-off between electricity payment and consumer discomfort level. For discomfort, an average time delay between peak and off-peak is proposed to minimize waiting time. The simulation results present our model more practical and realistic with respect to the consumption constrained at peak hours.

HVAC system requirements for protection against epidemics similar to Covid-19

Tuberculosis and in some cases, flu, colds and other airborne diseases. Since research is one of the biggest concerns of causing influenza pandemics, most research surrounding aerosol contamination revolves around environmental influences on the influenza virus. Many literatures suggest that influenza is transmitted primarily through close contact, such as exposure to large respiratory droplets, direct mouth-to-mouth contact and short-term exposure to infectious aerosols. Diffusion can be accelerated or controlled by heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Researches continue that advances state of knowledge in the specific techniques that control airborne infectious disease transmission through HVAC systems, including ventilation rates, airflow regimes, filtration, and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI). In this paper three methods of transmission of Airborne Infectious Diseases are discussed, namely through direct contact, large droplet contact, inhalation of droplet core. An extensive literature review of many papers was conducted infectious diseases spread in several different ways and the transmission of infectious viruses. This review targets direct and indirect contact as well as infectious viruses known to be transmitted from the air. And he focused on preventive ventilation systems for these targets. This paper will give idea to support further research on engineering controls to reduce infectious disease transmission.

Towards a sustainable road transportation system in urban areas: A case study of Owerri, Nigeria

Urban Areas in almost all cases develop outwards from the centre. Public facilities (schools, offices, markets) are usually located at about the centre while residential abodes radiate outwards. Such development pattern necessitates road transportation movement to the centre. This paper examines strategies that can be adopted to achieve the necessary movement in a sustainable manner for these urban areas, with Owerri Nigeria as a case study. A field study was conducted to ascertain the total passenger requirement, number and mix of passenger vehicles as well as measure three main road transport-induced air pollutants. The result of the field work showed existing commuter vehicles mix of 56.2:63.7: 19.6:1.6:1 for salons, wagons, mini-buses, coaster buses and big buses respectively, of a total of 85,950 vehicles. The survey also revealed ambient air pollutants level higher than the recommended standards. A new model was developed to achieve a vehicles remix of 10:33:53: 14:1 of same vehicle types and reduction in traffic volume and target air pollutants. The analyses showed that mini-buses and coaster buses have advantage over salon cars, wagon vehicles and big buses in terms of traffic congestions and pollutants release into the environment. The two bus types have least pollutants release per passenger carried. An optimal vehicle remix, which gives higher priority to these buses has been shown to reduce congestion by 40%, Carbon monoxide by 40%, Nitrogen Dioxide by 50% and Methane by 50%. Based on the findings, it is recommended that vehicular remix of 10:33:53:14:1, for salon: wagon: mini-buses: coaster buses: big buses be adopted for Owerri commuters’ transportation need. Some policy measures were put forward to help achieve this. The measures include an outright ban on use of low-passenger-carrying vehicles for commercial purposes.