Please read abstract in the article. | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. | https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/17424658 | hj2023 | Plant Production and Soil Science

An interesting electrochemical potentiodynamic ampero- and potentiometric heavy metal concentration monitoring system, based on overoxidized polypyrrole, has been proposed. A model, describing the electrochemical behavior in the constant-voltage mode of this system has been developed and analyzed by means of linear stability theory and bifurcation analysis. It has been shown that the oscillatory behavior may occur more probably in this system than in the similar ones, due to the cyclical electrode surface impedance change. Nevertheless, this system may be efficient for heavy-metal concentration monitoring in vitro and in vivo.

Air Pollution is one of the major global problem in the world and has a great health hazard. Polluted air that penetrates deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system, cause diseases including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and respiratory infections. Air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate and affects economies and people’s quality of life. Therefore, air pollutions control is vital and should be on the top of priority. Construction Industry is one of the major sources of air pollution due to its nature. Activities like road construction, excavation and backfilling, other earth work, block work, plaster work, concrete work, fixing of tiles and marbles, grinding, and cheeping of wall and floors, gas cutting, welding, and painting etc. are major cause of air pollution. Study on outdoor and indoor air quality monitoring of IGI airport terminal -1 during some construction work at airport has been carried out manually at three different location of airport terminal building through “Smiledrive Air Quality Pollution Monitor” equipment which is a portable meter detector. The main objective of the study is to find out the concentration of air pollutants of PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and TVOC. The location was Forecourt area as outdoor environment, Hall area as partial outdoor environment and Basement area as Indoor Environment. At each location data was observed at different time interval between 1000 hours and 18000 hours.

The effect of adsorption on anthracene biodegradation in contaminated soil was studied by conducting kinetic batch tests in soil with varying degrees of commercial activated carbon (CAC) and in soil-free solution. The effect of CAC dose on the simultaneous adsorption-biodegradation of anthracene was evaluated. Adsorption-biodegradation model was adopted from the modification of a two-site kinetic numerical model by combining the elements of adsorption and biodegradation models and the validation of the model was carried out through the application of batch adsorption-biodegradation equilibrium and kinetic experimental data.  The Result obtained showed that the model predictions of the anthracene concentrations are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data. For simultaneous adsorption-biodegradation of anthracene by CAC, both adsorption rate coefficient and biodegradation rate coefficient increased with increased in CAC dose. The adsorption-biodegradation model is therefore a reasonable tool for simulating the adsorption-biodegradation behaviours of aromatic hydrocarbons in activated carbon.Keywords: Adsorption, Anthracene, Commercial Activated Carbon, Simultaneous Adsorption-Biodegradation.

Broad crested semicircular weirs are usually used for flow measurement in open channel hydraulics. Since the corresponding theoretical equations of broad crested weirs are not adequate for practical purposes, empirical models are employed as alternative. In this work, the flow parameters of broad crested semicircular weir models were investigated experimentally using a laboratory flume. The crests of these weir models were ‘inverted’ with semicircle geometry. Discharge and water heads over the weir models were determined for various crest radii of 5 cm, 7 cm and 10 cm with the corresponding weir heights of 20 cm, 18 cm and 15 cm respectively. These models were coated with surface roughness using soil particles of diameters 1.18 mm, 2.36 mm, 4.75 mm and a normal weir model as control. It was discovered that, increase in the particle size results in an increase in discharge coefficient of the weir models given an overall increment of 45% as hydraulic performance of the weirs. The model with radius 5 cm, coated with an aggregate of diameter 2.36 mm was found to be the most effective model with the highest discharge coefficient of 1.453.

Adsorption of Methyl orange dye from aqueous solutions by carbonized Prosopis africana (CPA) seeds was investigated using a batch system under controlled conditions. The carbonized Prosopis africana (CPA) seed was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) methods. The point of zero charge (PZC) of carbonized Prosopis africana (CPA) was to be 6.10. The kinetic data was best relatively described by pseudo-second order in relation to all the models studied. Adsorption parameters such as effect of pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage and initial concentration were studied for optimization purposes. The adsorption isotherm for the processes was also estimated and established to fit well the Freundlich isotherm model relative to other models tested. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption processes were exothermic and feasible in nature. This indicates that carbonized Prosopis africana (CPA) seed can be employed as a good adsorbent for the treatment of wastewater containing dyes such as Methyl orange.

Heavy metal polluted soil has turn out to be of global environmental concern that has involved significant unrestricted responsiveness. This study seeks to assess the effect of calcium oxide-carbonized lophira alata sawdust nanocomposite (COCLASN) in immobilizing cadmium and lead contaminated soil from Evbareke spare parts market. Contaminated soil samples were collected from Evbareke spare parts market, Benin City, Edo state Nigeria. Calcium carbide waste was collected from a panel beating workshop located at Isiohor, Edo State. The soil was physicochemical characterization. The lead and cadmium ion in soil sample was verified using Fractionation procedures. COCLASN was prepared by co-precipitation procedure. The COCLASN was characterized using FT-IR, SEM and XRD. The optimum amount of COCLASN composite for the remediation of the contaminated soil was at 3% w/w for lead contaminant and <1% w/w for cadmium contaminant. The COCLASN effectively reduced the lead and cadmium ions in the soil by insitu adsorption and complexation remediation pattern, thereby making it less accessible for uptake by plants hence reducing its transmission to man and animals. The immobilization efficiency and immobilization capacity of the COCLASN composite indicated its effectiveness in reducing lead and cadmium ions accessibility in the contaminated soil to plants.

AbstractZinc Aluminum and Mild steel are some of the metallic materials highly used in construction of different materials of economic importance, though susceptible to corrosion at different environment exposed. Control of this corrosion inhibition is done through the help of some inhibitors. This study used density functional theory DFT parameters and molecular dynamic simulation energy parameters to study the mechanism of the corrosion inhibition of 2,3-bis-phenylamino-but-2-enedioc acid diethyl ester on Zn (110), Fe (111) and Al (110). The low adsorption/binding energy values for Zn and Al indicated mild inhibition and Physisorption. While the adsorption value obtained by Fe surface indicated mild steel mechanism was chemical. From the bond angle calculation, the molecule is expected to have exhibited sp2 hybridization with much of p-orbital on the metal surface hence the calculated bond angles for the inhibitor molecule for both surfaces is trigonal planer (±180 or ±0°)

The inhibition action and adsorption behavior of Azadirachta indica bark extract was studied on zinc in 0.25 M HNO3 solution using weight loss, FT-IR and SEM analysis. The result of the findings show that inhibition efficiency of the extract increases with increase in inhibitor concentration and decrease with rise in temperature. Corrosion rate was found to increase with rise in temperature and decrease with increase in inhibitor concentration. FT-IR and SEM analysis shows that there is adsorption of inhibitor molecules on metal surface which lead to decrease in corrosion rate. Adsorption isotherm study shows that experimental data obey Freundlich isotherm and the mechanism of adsorption follow physisorption. Adsorption thermodynamic study indicates feasible and spontaneous process from the large negative value of free energy. The value of enthalpy are all positives indicating endothermic nature of adsorption. The result of activation energy was found to be higher in the presence of inhibitor than its absence indicating the decrease in energy barrier of zinc dissolution process.

Copper ferrite activated carbon nanocomposites (CFACNC) has been used as adsorbent for the removal of mordant black 11 dye from aqueous solution and real tannery effluents. The nanocomposites was characterized using Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR), Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET), Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM). Batch adsorption experiments were investigated and the effects of various parameters were studied and their optimum conditions were then applied on the selected real tannery effluents. The study showed that the maximum adsorption capacities for dye onto CFACNC at pH 4 were found to be 0.73 and 4.13 mg/g for tannery A and B respectively. Langmuir isotherm described the adsorption of dye onto CFACNC while kinetic studies followed pseudo second-order.Keywords: Adsorption, tannery, effluents , dye