ARID ZONE JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

Kinetics of the Valorization of Food Waste for Medium Chain Carboxylates Production; Effect of Ensiling and Inoculum source.

J. A. Undiandeye — 2023-09-01

Higher yields of medium chain carboxylates (MCC) can be obtained from the anaerobic fermentation of complex feedstocks like food waste if pretreatment preceeds fermentation. However, many conventional pretreatment processes produce inhibitors that could affect downstream processing in addition to increasing the cost of the overall process. In this study, ensiling was used as a cost effective and sustainable pretreatment method to instigate the formation of electron donors like lactic acid and ethanol in food waste for MCC production. Food waste was ensiled for 120 days and thereafter subjected to batch anaerobic fermentation using two different inocula including leachate and rumen fluid. Results show that ensiling degraded the cellulose and hemicellulose component of food waste and converted the water soluble carbohydrate content to lactic acid, acetic acid and ethanol. Ensiled substrates had a total MCC yield of 990.44 g/kgVS and 878.68 g/kg VS when leachate and rumen fluid was used as inoculum respectively, while the unensiled food waste had a total MCC yield of 522.80 g/kgVS and 430.88 g/kgVS when leachate and rumen fluid was respectively used as inoculum. In order to predict the MCC production, two kinetic models were used including the first-order model and the modified Gompertz model. Statistical indicators including the coefficient of determination, R², the root-mean-square-error and the Akaike Information Criterion show that the first-order model predicted the experimental MCC better than the modified Gompertz model.

Investigation of Fresh and Hardened Behaviour of Nanostructured Concrete

C. D. Nwa-David — 2023-09-01

The need for sustainable environment has triggered the deployment of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) which reduces the effect of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission emanating from cement production, as well as the cost implications. Cassava peel ash was adopted as a SCM but in a nanostructured form to investigate the properties of concrete. The experimental outcome of the compressive and splitting tensile strengths of nanosized cassava peel ash (NCPA)-cement concrete was presented in this paper. Materials employed for the concrete production were ordinary Portland cement, NCPA, river sand, granite chippings, and water. The compressive strength was obtained using 150 x 150 x 150 mm concrete cube specimens, while 150 x 300 mm cylindrical concrete specimens were used to assess the splitting tensile strength; both measured at 7, 14, 28, 56, 90 and 150 days of curing. The mixes were prepared for varying water cement ratios of 1.5% NCPA replacement intervals in a mix ratio of 1:1.5:3. The study revealed that the slump values increased as percentage of NCPA increased. The results showed that at a water-cement ratio of 0.75 and 19.5% NCPA replacement, the concrete attains excellent compressive strengths of 18.70 N/mm², 22.10 N/mm², 24.20 N/mm², 30.10 N/mm², 33.30 N/mm², and 36.90 N/mm² at 7, 14, 28, 56, 90 and 150 days respectively with 5.96 N/mm², 7.04 N/mm², 7.71 N/mm², 9.60 N/mm², 10.61 N/mm², and 11.75 N/mm² for splitting tensile strength. The results confirm the suitability and uniqueness of nanosization as adoption of NCPA enhances the properties of concrete in both the plastic and hardened states.

Effects of Varying Transmitter Half Power Angle in Visible Light Communication

S. F. Kolawole — 2023-09-01

Visible light communication (VLC) involves sending and receiving information using light as carrier to transmit the information from sender to receiver. One of the most important parameters of a transmitter in a VLC system is the semi angle at half power which is also referred to as the transmitter half power angle. Varying it could affect the amount of light or optical power received at the receiver and depending on the configuration of the transmitters. This can lead to loss of some part of received power. This work investigates how such variation in half power angle can affect average received power by considering separate transmitter arrangements/configuration that can be adopted for VLC based on same number of these transmitters. Six separate arrangements of six transmitters were considered in a line of sight (LoS) indoor VLC scenario. The results were achieved by varying the half power angle between a minimum of 10° and a maximum of 80°. The result showed that different levels of received power were attained at different half power angles for each different transmitter configuration. For instance at a low angle of 10^o, the third configuration had an average received power of 2.8139mW while fourth configuration had an average received power of 2.6700mW which implies the third configuration has a better performance. At a high angle of 80°, average received power for third configuration was 1.2207mW and it was 1.0672mW for the fourth configuration showing that the third configuration still performs better. The third configuration generally outperformed all the other ones. The fifth configuration had a good average received (2.8120mW) at low angle of 10^0 but it gradually became poorer (1.1782mW) at higher angles of up to 80° in comparison to other configurations which indicates this configuration does not perform well at higher half power angles. The findings of the work signified that changing the transmitter configuration can cater for power losses that maybe encountered as a result of varying the transmitter half power angle in a VLC system without giving up so much on uniformity of distribution of the light.

The Effects of Atmospheric Attenuations on C, Ku and Ka Frequency Bands on Satellite Communication System

E. U. Udo — 2023-09-01

This paper presents the effects of atmospheric attenuations on C, Ku and Ka microwave frequency bands. The atmospheric attenuations such as cloud, rain, oxygen and water vapour have a much significant effect on the transmitting and receiving of signals over satellite communication especially in locations prone to rainfall. This paper analyzed the effects of atmospheric attenuation on satellite communications in selected location in the city of Aba. The rainfall, cloud and gas data were measured and collected from the Nigerian meteorological agency for a period of three months using simulink model to determine the frequency bands within the areas affected by bad weather condition. The method employed the use of Matlab and International telecommunication union radiocommunication sector (ITU-R) prediction model which include the fuzzy logic system to improve the received signal on satellite communication. The results obtained shows that for the exceedance time of 0.01, the attenuation values recorded during the rainfall at elevation angles of 100, 200, 300 and 400 are 14.0440, 17.84080, 25.32430, 13.45070, 17.67230, 24.05440, 14.37360, 18.35890, 26.18720, 13.12440, 16.62090, 23.31440, 12.70280, 16.03920 and 22.36270 while for the exceedance time of 1.00, the attenuation values recorded are 0.639130, 0.88553, 1.41930, 0.605330, 0.834540, 1.32490, 0.62090, 0.91320, 1.48480, 0.585040, 0.804960, 1.26970, 0.560440, 0.767250 and 1.2080 respectively. Therefore, the work reported here showed that the effects of satellite connection which suffers from poor signal quality due to atmospheric disturbances in the study area was minimized.

Production and Evaluation of the Physiochemical and Sensory Property of Biscuits From Wheat-Maize-Cashewnut Flour Blends

L. P. Mshelia — 2023-09-01

This study aimed to prepare and evaluate the quality characteristics of biscuits produced from wheat, maize and cashew nut flour blends. The flours were processed and blended using different proportions of eight (8) formulations with whole wheat flour as a control. The proximate composition of the flour blends, physical properties and sensory evaluation of the biscuits produced were determined using the standard analytical techniques. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results show that moisture, ash, fat, protein and carbohydrate of the flours used for the blends ranged from 5.43-10.12 %, 1.74- 29.51, 9.34-26.56 and 34.48-77.25% respectively. Also, the moisture, ash, protein, fat, fibre carbohydrate and energy values of the biscuit ranged from 2.90 -3.92%, 0.99 - 1.57%, 11.19 - 14.59%, 16.24 - 20.30%, 0.97 - 4.85%, 56.04 - 66.96% and 457.68 - 470.80 Kcal/100g respectively. However, with an increase in maize flour (Mf), a significant increase in fibre contents was observed while moisture content decreased drastically. Additionally, the protein, fat and energy contents of supplemented samples were found to be higher than the control but decreased with an increase in maize flour levels. The weight, length, width, thickness and spread ratio of the biscuit samples differed significantly (p<0.05) ranging from 15.25 - 17.36g, 51.70 - 53.03mm, 50.54 - 52.36mm, 9.57 - 11.27mm and 4.48 - 5.47mm respectively. The spread ratio and overall acceptability of biscuit samples decreased with the increased level of maize flour although the sensory evaluation showed that most values obtained are closer to the control. This shows that the acceptance level of the biscuits samples was higher except for sample Wmc 8 ( sample produced from wheat, maize and cashew nut flour at the ratio of 20:70:10). In conclusion, the production of biscuits supplemented with cashew nuts and maize flour increased protein, energy contents and taste, which could be used to address protein-energy malnutrition prevalence.

Production and Evaluation of the Physiochemical and Sensory Property of Biscuits From Wheat-Maize-Cashewnut Flour Blends

T. E. Ndahi — 2023-09-01

The consumption of fruit and vegetables contribute significantly to nutrient intake. However, the concentration of nutrients in whole fruits, rinds and seeds of a produce may differ. The objective of this study was to determine the proximate composition, minerals and phytochemical contents of guna (Citrullus vulgaris) whole fruits, rinds (peels) and seeds. The proximate composition (moisture, ash, protein, fat, fibre and carbohydrate), mineral contents (Ca, Mg, P, Fe, Na, K, and Zn) and Phytochemical contents (flavonoids, phenols, tannin, alkaloid, saponin, glycosides and steroids) of whole fruit, rinds and seeds of guna were determined using standard methods. The results show that moisture, ash, protein, fat, fibre, carbohydrate and energy contents ranged from 11.44-82.69%, 1.43 - 2.64%, 0.52-21.82%, 0.45-26.58%, 8.15-18.21%, 5.32-19.31% and 33.37 - 403.74Kcal/100g respectively. Additionally,guna seeds sample recorded the highest value in ash, protein, fat, fibre, carbohydrate and energy contents.Similarly, guna seeds was observed to have the highest Ca (5.52mg/100g), Mg (349.52mg/100g) and P (155.66mg/100g) contents while it has the least Fe (0.117mg/100g) and Na (18.74mg/100g) contents respectively. The phytochemical contents of whole fruits, seeds and rinds samples of guna differed significantly (p<0.05). The flavonoid, phenol, alkaloid, tannin, saponin and glycoside contents ranged from 6.23 - 55.18mg/100g, 4.61 - 38.11mg/100g, 642.69 - 785.12mg/100g, 0.52 - 44.79mg/100g, 15.75 - 131.79mg/100g and 0.068 - 0.255mg/100g respectively. Furthermore, guna seeds recorded the highest flavonoid, phenol, tannin and saponin contents and the least in glycoside content. The steroid content of guna seeds (62.05mg/100g) was higher than in the whole fruits (8.97mg/100g), and was not detected in guna rinds samples. Therefore, it could be concluded that guna seeds contained high protein, fat and energy values for nutrition compared to the whole fruits and rinds as well as relative high amount of mineral and phytochemical contents. Thus, guna seeds could be used for nutritional and therapeutic purposes.

Development of a Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) for a Chicken Feather Plucking Machine.

S. A. Alim — 2023-09-01

Feathers are epidermal growths or flat appendages that form a unique exterior covering, or plumage, on (avian) birds, some non-avian and possibly other archosauromorphs. They are regarded as the most complicated skin structures observed in vertebrates. The traditional method of manually plucking the feathers with the hand is still the common practice in Nigeria for both private and commercial use. For both manual and machine plucking, the chicken must have undergone scalding. In an attempt to add some form of intelligence to the design of the mechanical chicken feather plucking machines, a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) is developed for this system. Compared to conventional control techniques, FLC has been best applied in complex ill-defined problems, which can be controlled by an efficient human operator without knowledge of their underlying dynamics. In the design of the FLC, two input parameters were considered namely scalding temperature and weight of the chicken. While the output parameters considered were the rotating speed and rotating time of the plucker. Nine rules were developed to effect the control process. For a chicken of 2.0kg weight and temperature of 80°C, the rotating speed and plucking time are 402rpm and 20.3secs. It shows the proof of concept that the chicken feather plucking process can be automated.

Effects of Diboron Trioxide on Zinc Silicate-Based Glass-Ceramic Derived from Waste Soda Lime Silica for Potential Phosphor Materials Application

I. M. Alibe — 2023-09-01

Over the last few decades, researchers have developed great deals of interest focusing on the fabrication and synthesis of zinc silicate-based glass-ceramic. However, using waste materials as precursors for the fabrication is yet another milestone in waste management. Thus, in this study, zinc silicate glass-ceramic was fabricated using sola lime silica (SLS) glass waste as a source of silicon. The series of precursor glass in the system was prepared by the conventional solid-state melt-quench technique through a controlled crystallization process. The physical, structural, and optical properties of the glass system were obtained by density measurement, X-Ray diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, respectively. The density of the glasses series was observed to be decreasing with the increment of content. The XRD spectra of the samples with 0 and 0.01 wt.% , exhibits major diffraction peaks attributed to the ZnO phase in the glass matrix. However, as content increased, the precursor glass sample shown by the XRD spectra depicted a broad halo characteristic, which reflected the properties of amorphous glass that were observed at the composition of 0.05 wt.% From FTIR spectra, the bands at 500, 688, 902 and 1243 can be associated with stretching vibrations of ZnO₄ and Si-O-B bending vibrations, stretching vibration of the B–O bonds in the units, and modes of boron–oxygen triangular units. The intensity of the IR band increases with increasing percentage of . The UV-Vis analysis of the samples with 0 and 0.01 wt.% demonstrates crystalline hump and varies at 370 nm. It was observed that the addition of B₂O₃ to the ZnO-SLS glass network caused the glassy amorphous state with an absence of a sharp absorption edge at 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15 wt.% B₂O3.The system shows increase in band gap when the composition of increased. When serves as a modifier, the number of NBOs will increase, and this will cause the expansion of glass network. The zinc silicate-based glass-ceramic produced has been classified to be a semiconductor due to the wide optical band gap energy obtained and may have key potential applications for future LED and other optoelectronic lighting devices.

Evaluation and Comparison of some Infiltration Models on Agricultural Soils of Bosso Local Government Area, Niger State, Nigeria

J. J. Musa — 2023-09-01

Over the last few decades, researchers have developed a great interest in fabricating and synthesising zinc silicate-based glass ceramics. However, using waste materials as precursors for the fabrication is yet another milestone in waste management. Thus, this study fabricated zinc silicate glass-ceramic using sola lime silica (SLS) glass waste as a silicon source. The series of precursor glass in the the conventional solid-state melt-quench technique prepared system through a controlled crystallisation process. The glass system’s physical, structural, and optical properties were obtained by density measurement, X-Ray diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, respectively. The density of the glasses series was observed to be decreasing with the increment of content. The XRD spectra of the samples with 0 and 0.01 wt.% , exhibits major diffraction peaks attributed to the ZnO phase in the glass matrix. However, as content increased, the precursor glass sample shown by the XRD spectra depicted a broad halo characteristic, which reflected the properties of amorphous glass that were observed at the composition of 0.05 wt.% From FTIR spectra, the bands at 500, 688, 902 and 1243 can be associated with stretching vibrations of ZnO₄ and Si-O-B bending vibrations, stretching vibrations of the B–O bonds in the units, and modes of boron–oxygen triangular units. The intensity of the IR band increases with increasing percentage of . The UV-Vis analysis of the samples with 0 and 0.01 wt.% demonstrates crystalline hump and varies at 370 nm. It was observed that the addition of B₂O₃ to the ZnO-SLS glass network caused the glassy amorphous state without a sharp absorption edge at 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15 wt.% B₂O3.The system shows the increase in band gap when the composition of increased. When serves as a modifier, the number of NBOs will increase, and this will cause the expansion of glass network. The zinc silicate-based glass-ceramic produced has been classified as a semiconductor due to the vast optical band gap energy obtained and may have vital potential applications for future LED and other optoelectronic lighting devices.

Analysis of Field Characteristics for Irrigation System Design: A Case Study

U. E. Uche — 2023-09-01

The determination of field characteristics is key to the successful installation of irrigation because the water use efficiency depends on the soil infiltration rate, storage capacity, permeability, and plasticity. The shear strength of the soil was also determined for the purpose of construction of water abstraction systems. The applicability of irrigation for paddy rice cultivation in the Igwu River Basin was assessed as a case study using secondary data from the Igwu River World Bank Rice Project and Abia State Ministry of Agriculture. Primary data was generated by field and laboratory soil tests. The soil survey and project land classification were based on the United State Bureau of Reclamation general land classification standard on limiting factors to irrigation. Field and laboratory tests were used to generate data on the specific gravity of soil particles and the compaction characteristics to determine the dry, moist, saturated, and buoyant unit weight of the soil. Consistency limits, plasticity, shear, and compressive parameters as well as coefficient of permeability, infiltration characteristics and soil storage capacity were also determined. The result showed that the soil profile is well drained to a depth of about 1m and of characteristic agricultural nature, rich in mineral nutrient and having a pH of 6.7. The soil is of good workability, with largely fine to medium texture, characterized by dull orange. (7.5yrs 6/4 dry, brownish black (10yrs 3/2) wet topsoil. The topsoil is made up of sandy loam of weak angular structure, few fibrous roots and, of mixed humous, with few fine and continuous pores. It was further, observed that erosion was minimal because of forest cover and the area holds a high potential for irrigated agriculture. It is therefore the opinion of the authors that the study site is suitable for paddy rice irrigation.

Delignification Trends in Pretreatment of Musa Paradisiaca Pseudo-Stem and the Production of Bioethanol

F. K. Owofadeju — 2023-09-01

This study was conducted to assess the potential of pre-treated Musa paradisiaca pseudo-stem as an alternative source of raw material for ethanol production. The pseudo-stem was pre-treated with NaOH and NaOH-AQ at varying time and liquor concentrations using a digester. Cellulose yield (CY) was determined gravimetrically, Residual Klason Lignin (RKL) was evaluated in accordance with TAPPI T236 standards and the effect of the pre-treatment variables were examined. Acid hydrolysis using dilute solutions of HCL and H₂SO₄ followed pre-treatment, while fermentation was achieved by the addition of an active yeast strain (Saccharomyces cerevisae). The ethanol produced was distilled, qualitative analysis was conducted using the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and other standard methods. There was a general decrease in CY and RKL with increasing pulping time and alkali charge, using both NaOH and NaOH-AQ. CY ranged from 2.4 – 4.2g and 3.2 - 5.0g while RKL ranged from 2.46%-3.9% and 1.94-3.00% for both NaOH and NaOH-AQ pre-treatments respectively. However, there was significant difference between the effects of liquor concentration and time on CY at p=0.05. The addition of 0.1% anthraquinone to soda pulping liquor significantly increased CY and decreased RKL. The difference in glucose yields between the two dilute acid hydrolyses was not significant. Various qualitative tests on bio-ethanol showed traits very similar to the laboratory grade ethanol while FTIR confirmed the presence of ethanol. It is therefore proven that NaOH and NaOH-AQ are suitable pretreatment methods in the production of bioethanol from Musa paradisiaca.

Technology Awareness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Application for Public Procurement Process in Nigeria

M. A. Yamusa — 2023-09-01

The public procurement process of acquiring goods, works and services has been observed to be suffering from inefficiencies in the forms of corruption cases, absence of transparency, faulty procedures, and dysfunctional bureaucratic ties. In Nigeria, it was discovered that the public procurement process has the potential of reaping the benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, the level of awareness of the public procurement practitioners of the significance of incorporating AI in procurement is yet to be studied. This study assessed the awareness of Artificial Intelligence application for public procurement processes in Nigeria. Data was collected using questionnaire survey. The questionnaire was distributed to public procurement practitioners with at least 5 years of experience in procurement. Data was analysed using Mean, Standard Deviation, and Relative importance index. Analysis of variance and Independent t-test was then used to ascertain the level of awareness of the respondents based on their attributes. The study discovered information about Artificial intelligence is quite vast as the parameter ‘I have heard about AI’ got the highest ranking with mean score of 3.63 and RII of 72.58%, while ‘I use AI for procurement processes’ to be the lowest ranking attribute with mean score of 1.50 and RII of 30.00% meaning even though information is available, the usage of AI for procurement is quite low. Additionally, the results show that while AI is a popular concept within procurement organisations, majority of the procurement practitioners have little knowledge of its application in public procurement. The research recommends that, public procurement organisations should develop the capacity of their employees on the utilisation of AI in procurement process.

Modular Cryogenic Energy Storage System: Simulation and Techno-Economic Analysis.

Z. M. Sarkinbaka — 2023-09-01

Sustaining economic growth while reducing reliance on fossil fuels for environmental protection is a global challenge. Efforts are made to decrease energy utilization by enhancing energy efficiency and discovering clean renewable energy sources. Cryogenic energy storage (CES) is a grid-scale energy system where electricity is stored in the form of liquefied gas. It is regarded as a solution because it allows for increased electricity generation while also providing economic benefits by avoiding costly operational consequences. The CES was modeled and simulated in Aspen HYSY V8.8 using three system confirmations: standalone adiabatic, waste heat integration, and combustion integration. Unlike in the conventional CES, Dowtherm-Q was used as the thermal fluid due to its thermal stability, non-corrosiveness, and high temperature resistance. The results indicated that the higher the adiabatic efficiency of the turbine, the greater the power generated; also, increasing the turbine inlet temperature enhanced the performance of the system configuration by lowering the pressure and increasing the power of the turbine. The economic analysis revealed that the waste heat-based system has both the lowest operating cost, capital cost, utility cost, and higher energy savings. Waste heat integration produces the most power (653.70 kW) and saves the most energy (69.58%), with lower capital costs, operating costs, and utility costs due to the increased adiabatic efficiency of the turbine. It implies that CES with waste heat integration is economically more promising compared to adiabatic standalone and the integration of combustion.

Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Film as Vacuum Packaging Material for Dried Fish

I. A. Mohammed — 2023-09-01

This study investigated the mechanical properties of three sets of polypropylene packaging films and existing dried fish packaging films and the quality of dried fish packaging in Nigeria... The polypropylene packaging films were produced in three batches A, B and C with thicknesses of 130µm, 150µm and 180µm respectively. The results showed that samples A, B and C had tensile strengths of 48N/mm², 51.8N/mm² and 61N/mm² with Elongation at Break of 690.2%, 729.8% and 760% respectively. Also, the Dart Impact Strength of the samples were observed to be 191g/130µm, 208g/150µm and 231g/180µm respectively. Additionally, samples N and K (existing fish packaging films) had tensile strengths of 34.6N/mm² and 31.2N/mm² and Elongation at Break of 279.2% and 267.2% respectively. Furthermore, it was revealed that sample N exhibited better mechanical properties than sample K, while the produced polypropylene packaging films had the best mechanical properties among the samples tested. Using modern systems such as vacuum packaging and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) techniques, fish packaging and storage was improved. This research is important in light of the significant increase in aquaculture activities in Nigeria due to increased fish production and government intervention in developing the sector, since it offers good moisture barrier properties, transparency and sealability with good cost efficiency and recyclability.It helps to preserve and protect the product’s quality, flavor and shelf life while providing a visually appealing package for consumers.

Partitioning nutrients cycling in a constructed subsurface wetland treating piggery wastewater for pollution control

I. J. Udom — 2023-09-01

Piggery wastewater management is an environmental concern due to the risk of nutrient pollution on surface and groundwaters. In surface and subsurface flow constructed wetlands, nutrient removal show inconsistency, and the contributions of their various partitions remain unclear; making the optimization of Constructed Wetlands (CW) systems difficult. Pennisetum clandestinum plants and sediment in constructed wetlands play important roles in nutrient polishing and reduction but their capacities have not been partitioned. An experimental constructed Horizontal Sub-Surface Flow Wetland (HSSFW) planted with Pennisetum clandestinum was fed from a piggery wastewater source at Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU). Samples of piggery wastewater were collected before and after each six respective days of detention in the wetlands. Nutrient mass balances and effluent qualities of the partitions were evaluated based on World Health Organization (WHO) and Nigeria Environmental Standards Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) benchmarks. Nitrogen detention by sediment, plant uptake, denitrification and water column partitions in planted HSSFCW varied between 4.32-18.3, 8.71- 40.3, 6.6-17.4 and 24-80.37% respectively, while the unplanted HSSFCW nitrogen detention varied between 5.3-24.3, 6.3-16, 59.7- 88.4% respectively. Phosphorus detention in planted HSSFCW varied between 7.2-45.2, 3.5-28.6 and 26.2-89.3% for sediment, plant and water column concentrations respectively, while the unplanted HSSFCW phosphorus equilibrium between sediment and water column fluctuated between 9.8-55.6% and 44.4-90.2% respectively. NESREA benchmarks was generally attained in three days. The result outlined the importance of plant uptake and sediment storage as major nutrient removal pathways in wastewater polishing and improving pollution control. Increasing the proficiency of these compartments would also improve removal efficiency and reduce nutrient impact on land and water.

Development and Design of a Microcontroller-Based Gas Weight and Leakage Detection System

O. Fagbohun — 2023-09-01

This paper presents the design and development of a prototype system for monitoring gas leakage and weight in residential and semi-commercial. Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) installations LPG is widely used as a fuel source, but its leakage can lead to devastating fires, posing a significant threat to life and properties. Traditional methods of gas management based on natural nasal detection and estimation of usage are considered unsafe. The proposed system incorporates the MQ-5 sensor for gas leakage detection and the HX711 IC device for weight sensing. It includes a user alert system with a buzzer and LED for timely notifications of gas leakage and low gas levels. The control system, driven by the ATMega328p microcontroller, receives data from the sensors and triggers alerts accordingly. The power unit utilizes a 3.7-volts amplified lithium polymer battery stepped up by the MT3608. The results show that through week-long testing, the prototype demonstrated its effectiveness in monitoring weight and gas leakage, with constant monitoring of sound, LED, and display readings. This paper offers insights for replication as students projects, and suggests the need for more testing and calibration to ensure safety and the need for IoT-enabled features for smarter deployment and management. Furthermore, the prototype had contributed to promoting safety and preventing accidents in LPG installations by addressing the critical issue of gas leakage.

Effect of Water Stress on Yield and Water Productivity of Drip Irrigated Cassava (Manihot esculenta) in Ibadan, Nigeria

A. F. Awoyode — 2023-09-01

Cassava (Manihot esculentus) is an important staple tuber crop in many regions of Africa. It is a cash crop with wide domestic and industrial applications. Hence, there is a need to sustain its production during water scarcity. This study examined the effect of available soil moisture on phenological parameters and drought resistance of four improved varieties of cassava, TMS (30572, 980505, 920326 and 090581) using water productivity. The water management regimes (T75 maximum water regime - 75% of Evapotranspiration (ET); T50, 50% ET, T25 - 25% ET and Control, zero irrigation). The varieties and water regimes were applied and the treatment was arranged using a Latin Square design with four replications. Lynne's model was used in calculating the irrigation water requirements. The amount of water supplied to each treatment varied with the duration of irrigation. The results show that TMS 980505 at T75 had the highest tuber, stem and leaf productivities of 2.76, 1.66 and 2.05 kg m^-3 respectively while TMS 30572 on the control regime had the least tuber, stem and leaf productivities of 0.16, 0.21 and 0.21 kg m^-3 respectively. The TMS 980505 can be grown in regions where substantial crop water requirements for cassava could be met during the dry season through irrigation while TMS 090581 could be grown in water-scarce regions with a guaranteed 370 mm of water with an average yield of 4.5 t ha^-1. The TMS 090581 at T75 had the highest plant height of 128 cm while TMS 30572 on control had the least height of 56 cm. TMS 920326 at T75 had the highest stem girth of 21.4 mm while TMS 30572 at T50 had the least stem girth of 10.7 mm. Therefore, full irrigation is recommended for the cultivation of TMS 980505 during the dry season. The TMS 090581 has the highest drought resistance. Therefore, it is recommended for cultivation in water-scarce regions.