Adama University

About: Adama University is a education organization based out in Nazrēt, Ethiopia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Adsorption. The organization has 840 authors who have published 1010 publications receiving 5547 citations. The organization is also known as: Adama Science and Technology University & ቴክኖሎጂ ዩኒቨርሲቲ, አዳማ ሳይንስና ቴክኖሎጂ ዩኒቨርሲቲ.

Synthesis of furfural from bagasse

Abstract: Bagasse is a waste product from the sugar industry, which is usually used as energy source in factory at present. However, the amount of bagasse left is still high enough for more value-added product for example furfural. Bagasse is a good source of pentosan and containing about 25 to 27%. The main objective of the research was to produce furfural from bagasse. The main raw material for the production furfural was bagasse and some chemicals/ingredients were used (H 2SO 4, water, NaCl). Furfural is an important organic chemical, produced from agro industrial wastes and residues containing carbohydrates known as Pentosans. It is a basic chemical, which can be utilized in a variety of industries such as chemical industry, refining oil industry, food industry and agricultural industry. In its pure state, it is a colourless or yellow oily liquid with the odour of almonds, but upon exposure to air it quickly becomes yellow then brown and finally black, it is commonly known as furfuraldehyde.

Anti-mycobacterial, Antimicrobial and Phytochemical Evaluation of Pulicaria crispa and Scoparia dulcis Plant Extracts

Abstract: Aim: To examine the antimicrobial activity and evaluate the anti-mycobacterial potency of Pulicaria crispa and Scoparia dulcis whole plant extracts in solvents of different polarities (n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol. Study Design: Assessing the anti-microbial and anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity of two Nigerian medicinal plants which have been reported according to folklore for treatment of various Original Research Article Adebiyi et al.; JAMPS, 7(4): 1-11, 2016; Article no.JAMPS.25199 2 ailments including respiratory tract infections. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted at the Chemistry Department of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria and at the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Abuja, Nigeria between November 2014 and September 2015. Methodology: The standard pan sensitive tuberculosis reference strain (H37Rv), eleven bacterial and four fungal clinical isolates were used. Methanol, Ethyl Acetate and Hexane extracts of Scoparia dulcis and Pulicaria crispa (whole plants) were tested at 0, 20 and 40 μg/ml using the Microplate Alamar Blue Assay. The minimum inhibitory, minimum bactericidal and minimum fungicidal concentrations of each solvent extract were assessed. Phytochemical analysis was also performed. Results: Phytochemical compounds obtained in the methanol extract fractions where alkaloids, balsams, cardiac glycosides, glycosides, phenols, steroids and tannins in Scoparia dulcis (Linn), while extracts of Pulicaria crispa showed the presence of alkaloids, balsams, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, tannins and terpenoids. Saponins were detected in the n-hexane fractions for both plants but only appeared in the semi-polar fractions of Scoparia dulcis (Linn). Microplate Alamar Blue Assay (MABA) used for sensitivity study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with 10 μg/ml rifampicin revealed that the n-hexane extract of Puliaria crispa and Scoparia dulcis gave 48.44±0.75, 12.14±0.02 mm zones of inhibition respectively, whereas the methanol and ethyl acetate extracts gave a 24.10±1.35 mm and 17.00±0.91 zones of inhibition for Puliaria crispa and Scoparia dulcis respectively in comparison to 33.70±0.64 mm obtained from the control. The minimal inhibitory content (MIC) of the methanol and n-hexane extracts for Pulicaria crispa were recorded at 8.01±1.70 and 10.03±1.33, while the MIC values for the ethyl acetate and n-hexane extracts of Scoparia dulcis was 12.03±0.86 and 20.40±0.24. The MIC value recorded for rifampicin was 0.38±1.40. Conclusion: The results obtained suggested that the studied plants possess anti-tuberculosis and selective antimicrobial activities with the major activity tailored to the phyto-constituents.

A novel poly (vinyl alcohol)-aided ZnO/Fe 2 O 3 nanocomposite as an ascorbic acid sensor

Abstract: The application of zinc oxide-based nanocomposite is one of the novel approaches utilized for the development of electronic devices. The sol-gel and auto combustion procedures were employed to synthesize porous PVA aided ZnO/Fe2O3 nanocomposite (PBNC). The n-type iron (III) oxide was successfully coupled with n-type ZnO. The characterizations conducted to explore the significant changes in the physical properties of as-synthesized materials revealed that the surface area, porosity, and charge transfer capability improvement on the PBNC, compared to ZnO. Using the DTG analysis, 500 °C was confirmed to be the optimal calcination temperature to degrade the PVA polymer after acting as a capping agent and impurities that have a boiling point of less than 500 °C. The XRD pattern and TEM image analysis validated the nanometer range size of the materials (10–70 nm). The SEM image and BET spectral analyses confirmed the porous nature of the PBNC, supporting results obtained from the HRTEM (IFFT) and SAED pattern analysis. The EDXS, XPS, and HRTEM analyses were appliedapplied for Zn, Fe, and O elemental composition and certainty of ZnO. The presence of improved charge transfer property for PBNC, compared to ZnO, has been evidenced by CV and EIS studies. The PBNC also showed enhanced ascorbic acid detection capability compared to ZnO.