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Effect of Chemical Modifications on the Adsorptive Ability of Palm Kernel Fiber for Indigo Blue Dye
Get PDFThis research work investigated the potentials of unmodified Palm Kernel Fibers and its modified forms for the adsorption of Indigo blue dye from aqueous solutions using batch adsorption procedures. Characterization of the fibers were done with the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FTIR. Adsorption result showed that maximum uptake of 38.3, 31.0, 33.5 and 14.5 mg/g were respectively obtained for Bleached (BPKF), Acetylated (APKF), Mercerized (MPKF) and Unmodified Palm Kernel Fibers (UPKF) adsorbents at an optimum time of 3 hours. The sorption kinetic obeyed pseudo second order with the bleached adsorbent (BPKF) having the best fit, and at a certain time limit, intra-particle diffusion controlled the process. Data collected from effect of initial concentration experiments were better fit to the Freundlich isotherm. The result from the thermodynamics of the process showed an endothermic process. Increasing adsorbent dosages led to corresponding increase in the quantity of the indigo dye adsorbed by the different adsorbents. This work revealed the potentials of modified palm kernel fibers over the unmodified fiber for effective removal of Indigo blue dye from wastewater
CHARACTERISTIC DISTRIBUTION AND SOURCE APPORTIONMENT OF SOME HEAVY METALS ON STREET DUST OF IKORODU AREA OF LAGOS STATE, SOUTHWESTERN, NIGERIA.
No full textThis research reports the characteristic distribution and source apportionment of some heavy metals in dust ofIkorodu area of Lagos State. The dust samples were collected randomly four times a month at ten different locationsin Ikorodu area. Dust samples were obtained by sweeping surface dust into plastic waste packer using plastic brushand transferred into pre-labeled polythene bags. The samples were filtered through 75 μm stainless steel sieve,weighed, digested with appropriate amount of HNO3 and H2O for 2 h. The concentrations of heavy metals wereanalyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Results showed that the percentage contribution ofeach heavy metal at Ikorodu area were: Zn 79.4, Pb 14.8, Cu 0.9, Ni 4.9 and Cd 0.01. The most abundant heavymetal was Zn 2869.70 mg/kg while the least was Cd 0.69 mg/kg. The most polluted site wasResidential Area 1 (993.674 mg/kg) while the least polluted was Industrial Area 3 (81.397 mg/kg). The major roads(38.1%) had the highest concentration of heavy metal pollution while the agricultural area (5.7%) had the leastpollution. The sequence and distribution follow the pattern: Zn > Pb > Ni > Cu > Cd. The Principal ComponentAnalysis PCA showed that the major sources of heavy metals in Ikorodu dust are anthropogenic. Pearsoncorrelation analysis also showed that there was strong positive correlation (0.887) between the heavy metals. Theconcentrations of Heavy metals Zn, Pb, Ni, Cu exceeded the recommended limits of the Federal Ministry ofEnvironment (FME), European communities (EC) and United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)permissible levels for dust suggesting that the study area is pollute
Mathematical Modeling of the Spread of the Ebola Virus Disease
Get PDFEbola, a viral and fatal disease with occasional outbreaks on the continent of Africa affects mostly humans and non-human primates, and poses a great health challenge to this part of the globe. The transmission of Ebola Virus can be through direct contact with blood, bodily fluids, or skin of Ebola Virus Disease patients or those who have passed away from the illness. In this paper, we formulate a mathematical model of the transmission of the Ebola virus disease in a population capturing its dynamics to study the impact of healthcare policies on its spread. The model is a four compartment model consisting of Susceptible, Latent, Infectious and Recovery compartments. To gain a good understanding of the model, the formulated model is transformed into difference equations. The basicreproduction number R0 is derived using the next generation matrix method. Further, the disease-free equilibrium of the model is obtained and its stability analysis is carried out. The result shows that the disease-free equilibrium point is locally stable if R0 < 1 but may not be asymptotically stable, indicating that the disease will eventually die out. Conversely, if R0 > 1, an endemic equilibrium exists, and the disease will persist at a stable level. Numerical simulations obtained illustrate the efforts of the parameters on the compartment of the model.
Effects of proximity to anthropogenic disturbances on nesting colonies of red-throated bee-eaters
Get PDFAnthropogenic disturbances are major threats to biodiversity especially birds in their nesting habitats. Therefore, proximity of nesting sites to such disturbances remains a concern to biodiversity conservation. This research investigated the relationship between the proximity to various surrounding features (distance to building, distance to nearest road, distance to farmland, distance to quarry, and distance to refuse dump) and nest selection in avian species belonging to the family Meropidae nesting in Plateau State using binomial regression. The results revealed associations between certain features and nest selection. The distance to nearest road (0.004, z = 2.523, p = 0.012) and distance to farmland (0.007, z = 2.007, p = 0.045) exhibited significant positive effects, indicating that greater distances from roads and farmland were associated with increased nest selection. However, the distance to quarry (-0.001, z = -0.902, p = 0.367), distance to building (-0.003, z = -1.812, p = 0.070), and distance to refuse dump (0.001, z = 1.858, p = 0.063) did not show significant effects on nest selection. These findings suggest that the proximity to roads and farmland may influence nest selection, while the distances to quarry, buildings and refuse dump may not have a significant impact. Environmental awareness in communities with nest records is therefore recommended
Evaluation of the Concentrations of Nitrate, Nitrite and Heavy Metals in Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) Irrigated along the Amba Stream Lafia, Nasarawa State
Get PDFThe concentrations of nitrate, nitrite and heavy metals were evaluated in the soil and edible portion of Spinach, irrigated along the Amba stream, Lafia, Nasarawa State. Nitrate, nitrite and heavy metals in the soil and spinach samples were determines using Spectrophotometric method. The mean concentrations (± Standard deviation) of nitrate ranged from 3042.91±1.62mgkg-1 to 4977.26±9.57mgkg-1, for Spinach while 5899.20±58.98mgkg-1 to stipulated by WHO and EC respectively. Mean of nitrite concentrations (NO2) (± standard deviation) ranged from 0.00029±0.00002mgkg-1 to 00102±0.00001mgkg-1 for all the spinach, while 0.00332±0.00002mgkg-1 to 0.00903±0.00002mgkg-1 for all soil were all below the mg/kg maximum specified by WHO. NO3 levels were generally higher than NO2.The mean concentrations of heavy metals ranged from Cd (1.29±0.01 mg/kg) to Fe (281.60±1.65 mgkg-1) for spinach while Cd (0.93±0.32 mgkg-1) to Fe (1084.1±1.73 mgkg-1) for soil. The values in spinach exceeded the permissible limit set by FAO. Transfer factors for the anions between the soil and spinach identify the efficiency of a spinach species to accumulate a given anion. There was positive correlation at p = 0.05 between the anions in the spinach. The transfer factors calculated were lower for all metals except cadmium (1.39)
On the QSPR Models of some Anti-Malaria Drugs using some Reversed Degree-Based Topological Indices
Get PDFA topological index is a real number obtained from the chemical structure of a molecular graph that can be used to predict the physiochemical and biological properties of chemical compounds like drugs and benzene structures. This study aimed at proposing a quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) model for some physiological and biological properties of some anti-malaria drugs. Some reversed-degree-based topological indices of the molecular graphs of these drugs were computed; hence, a linear regression model analysis of these indices with the empirical values of the said properties of these drugs was carried out and presented. It was found that the topological indices computed for the said drugs have a good correlation with these physicochemical properties
Existence and Uniqueness of a Second Order Difference Equation of Accretive Type in 2-Banach Spaces
No full textIn this paper, we investigate the existence and uniqueness of solutions to a homogeneous second order difference inclusion of accretive type in 2-Banach spaces using expansive mappings and 2-Banach contraction mapping
PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND HEAVY METAL CONTENT ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY IN KEANA AND NASARAWA–EGGON LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS, NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA
Get PDFThis study conducted a thorough evaluation of the physicochemical parameters of various drinking water sources in Keana and Nasarawa Eggon, Nasarawa State. The assessment involved the use of standard methods to analyze the water samples. Additionally, the heavy metal contents were determined using the atomic absorption spectrophotometric method. The findings revealed that the pH levels ranged from 7.36 to 8.16 in Keana (KN) and 5.70 to 5.80 in Nasarawa Eggon (NE), with mean pH values of 7.74 and 5.74, respectively. The conductivity varied from 3.94 to 4.56 µS/cm in KN and 510 to 1760 µS/cm in NE. Alkalinity content ranged from 4.06 to 4.52 mgL-1 in KN and 45 to 50 mgL-1 in NE. Nitrate, acidity, chloride, phosphate, TDS, DO, and BOD levels were also assessed. The metal concentrations included Pb, Mn, Cr, Zn, Fe and Cu, and were within permissible limits, except for Pb and Ni, which exceeded WHO specifications. This study provides crucial insights into the water quality of these regions, essential for ensuring the safety of water for human consumption and other activities