Ladoke Akintola University of Technology

About: Ladoke Akintola University of Technology is a education organization based out in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Adsorption. The organization has 2786 authors who have published 3066 publications receiving 36850 citations. The organization is also known as: Oyo State University of Technology & LAUTECH.

Enhanced adsorption of ciprofloxacin from aqueous solutions using functionalized banana stalk

Abstract: Activated carbon from banana stalk, an eco-friendly agricultural waste, was prepared and investigated for its absorptive potentials in removing ciprofloxacin (CIP), an antibiotic from aqueous media. Orthophosphoric acid was used to modify the agricultural waste. The textural characteristics and adsorptive properties of the activated banana stalk (BSAC) were investigated using SEM, FTIR, Boehm titration (BT), and pHpzc analytical techniques respectively. Image from the SEM of BSAC showed well-developed pores, supporting the trapping of CIP molecules to the surface, while the FTIR revealed notable bands associated with specific functional groups responsible for enhanced and efficient uptake of CIP. The Boehm titration revealed the total acidic group to be 0.699 mmol/g and the basic group to be 0.1582 mmol/g, suggesting the predominance of acidic groups, and this was supported by the pHpzc value of 4.5. The most favorable interaction between the BSAC surface and the CIP molecules were in the in zwitterionic form of the CIP. The adsorptive uptake in this study was optimum at pH 8. Experimental data were studied using five different models of adsorption isotherm, namely, the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, D-R, and Sips. The Langmuir isotherm (R2 = 0.9824) best described the experimental data with an optimum monolayer capacity for adsorption of 49.7 mg/g at 323 K. The D-R isotherm showed that the mean free energy ranged from 1.29 to 3.54 kJ/mol, suggesting that the mechanism of adsorption for the uptake was physisorption in nature. The adsorption process was best explained by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model with R2 values between 0.9103 and 0.9995. Thermodynamic results obtained proved that the sorption of CIP antibiotics onto BSAC was endothermic, spontaneous, and thermodynamically favored (ΔH = + 106.561 kJ/mol, ΔS = + 0.44797 kJ/mol, and ΔG = − 36.265 kJ/mol). BSAC prepared in this study is about six times cheaper than the commercially available activated carbon indicating the cost-effectiveness of this work. This study, therefore, establishes that the modification of banana stalk waste into activated carbon is efficient for the adsorptive uptake of ciprofloxacin antibiotics from aqueous media.

Comparative Assessment of the Efficiency of Rice Husk Biochar and Conventional Water Treatment Method to Remove Chlorpyrifos from Pesticide Polluted Water

Abstract: Nigeria is currently the largest rice producing country in Africa. High volumes of waste such as rice husk are inevitable with high production. Also pesticides used to rid of pests, diseases and improve crop yield find their ways into available surface water that serves domestic purpose. This study therefore determined the efficiency of conventional water treatment procedure for pesticide/pesticide residue removal and evaluated the performance of rice husk-based biochar as adsorbent to remove chlorpyrifos from domestic water supply with a view to manage solid waste (rice husk) for treating pesticide polluted water. Batch adsorption studies were carried out to assess the adsorption efficiency of rice husk biochar (RHB) for chlorpyrifos pesticide removal from surface water. Adsorbent dosage, initial concentration, contact time and dosage were optimized during simulation experiment. RHB and commercial activated carbon (CAC) were used for the removal of chlorpyrifos from surface water sample using the optimum condition from the simulation experiment after which the concentrations were determined using Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry detector. Both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms were investigated. RHB gave percentage moisture (5.27±0.94), carbon yield (39.44±0.47), ash (41.96±0.96), fixed carbon (35.24±0.55), volatile matter (35.67±1.01 mg/g), Iodine number (85.57±0.81), surface area (97.20 m2/g), pH (7.90±0.14) and Electrical conductivity (298.8±1.14). Of the elements present in the char, Carbon has the highest percentage of 59.14%. Best adsorption conditions for RHB in this study were 2.8 mg/L initial concentration; 0.8 g of adsorbent dosage; pH of 5 and contact time of 30 min. The data fitted Freundlich than Langmuir model (R2 0.996 and 0.8315 respectively). Percentage removal of chlorpyrifos for CAC and RHB was 93.7±3.96 and 94.5±5.23 respectively for the surface water sample. Results concluded that RHB was efficient for removal of chlorpyrifos present in water and could be used as alternative for CAC in water treatments.

Nitrite-induced testicular toxicity in rats: therapeutic potential of walnut oil.

Abstract: Objective To determine the impact of walnut oil on nitrite-induced testicular toxicity in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Available evidence suggests that walnut oil contains high levels of important unsaturated fatty acids including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and omega-3; nitrite is a reproductive toxicant that causes the loss of germ cells in the seminiferous tubules and generates oxidative stress in the testes, thus reducing sperm counts and affecting sperm morphology. Methods This study included 24 male and 24 female adult SD rats. The male rats randomly assigned to Group A (controls) were given normal saline 2 ml/kg. The rats in Groups B, C, and D were given 50mg/kg body weight (bwt) of walnut oil, 0.08 mg/kg bwt of nitrite, and 0.08 mg/kg bwt of nitrite + 50 mg/kg of walnut oil respectively for 28 days via gastric gavage. Tested parameters included: testicular histology, sperm parameters, reproductive hormones, fertility, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione, and catalase (CAT). Results A severe decrease in spermatogenic cell series, hypocellularity, tubular atrophy, decreased sperm quality, and increased MDA levels were observed in the rats given nitrite only when compared to controls. Rats given 50 mg/kg of walnut oil had significant growth of seminiferous epithelium compared to controls. The rats given walnut oil and nitrite had significant growth of seminiferous epithelium, improved sperm quality, and had decreased MDA levels. Conclusion Walnut oil attenuated the deleterious effects of nitrite to the testes, reduced oxidative stress, and promoted spermatogenesis.

Competitive adsorption of dye species from aqueous solution onto melon husk in single and ternary dye systems

Abstract: Polluted water may contain more than one dye species. Consequently, the behavior of a particular dye in a water system may be affected by the presence of the others. In this study, the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) in single dye system (SDS) and in ternary dye system (TDS) comprising of MB, congo red and methyl orange onto formaldehyde-treated melon husk (FMH) was investigated as a function of pH, contact time and species concentra- tions. Surface studies of FMH were investigated by Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscopy. The dye species adsorption equilibria were rapidly attained after 60 (SDS) and 90 min (TDS) of contact times. The adsorption kinetics were analyzed using pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order and intraparticle diffusion models and the adsorption data were well described by the pseudo second-order model. The equilibrium adsorption data were interpreted in terms of the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, Dubinin-Radushkevich, Harkin-Jura and Halsey isotherm models and the goodness of fittings were inspected using linear regression analysis (R 2 ). Our results indicated that the Langmuir model was best fitted, suggesting monolayer adsorption. Thermodynamic study showed that the adsorptions in SDS and TDS on FMH are favourable. The change in entropy (DS) and heat of adsorption (DH )o f dye species on FMH in TDS were estimated as 82.2 J/ mol K and 17.95 kJ/mol. respectively while in SDS, they were respectively -43.76 J/mol K and -21.84 kJ/mol. The sorption process in both systems was thermodynami- cally feasible with negative DG values.