ARID ZONE JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

440-448

Authors: O. E. Omofunmi, J. G. Kolo, A. A. Alli, A. S. Ojo

It is a popular belief of the people in the Southern region of Nigeria that a land infested with termite usually brings prosperity to the land owner regardless of the type of its usage. Therefore, the present study assessed termite mounds soil properties which are important to crop production. Two soil samples were collected and their physical and chemical properties determined in accordance with American Public Health Association (APHA, 2005). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The textural classes showed that the termite mound soil was sand clay loam while the surrounding soil was clay loam. This results revealed that: Termites’ activity induced significant chemical changes in the soil possible due to the materials used in building their nests. There was increase the concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, Potassium, calcium and magnesium higher in the termite’s mounds, while the micro-nutrients (zinc, iron and copper) except sulphur and manganese lower in the soil infested by termites. There were significant differences (p ≥ 0.05) between termite mound soil and surrounding soil. It showed highly positive correlation between termite mound and surrounding soil (r= 0.92). The concentration of the soil properties around the termite mound are within the range of soil nutrients suitable for arable crop production. Termite mound soil is recommended to be used as an alternative to local farmers who cannot afford to buy expensive inorganic fertilizers.

458-466

Authors: M. O. Afolayan, J. C. Okoroji, A. Agbo

This study is a preliminary effort to build a local reproducible dish washing machine. Hygiene is a nontrivial issue to many people especially in a developing country like Nigeria. All elements of sophistication and automation are deliberately left out and only the main dish washing components (the solid cone nozzle) mounted on a rigare herein presented. The experiment was carried out by spraying pressurized hot water at 55°C on dishes soiled with one of the stickiest local food, specifically Eba or Garri. (The nozzle wash by impinging on the soiled dishes the jet of hot water). The washing operation was completed in 90s. The condition at which very good performance was obtained was found to be 25 psi (172kpa) pressure and temperature of 55°C. At this condition, the water jet had the highest kinetic energy (130.49 J) as indicated by the pressure gauge. The nozzles were set at a distance of 30cm from the dish edge andwerefound to be adequate enough to cover the dish (10cm in diameter) at that distance.

478-488

Authors: A. M. Olaniyan, T. T. Olawale, K. P. Alabi, A. E. Adeleke, S. K. Oyeniyi

Cassava peel and cow dung have constituted to global warming worldwide because it constitutes heaps of agro-wastes that contributes immensely to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Their contributions to environmental hazards are enormous due to high production of methane gas while degrading. A methane gas can be used for domestic and industrial application if produced and refined in a biogas reactor. A biogas reactor of capacity 0.29 m3 was designed and constructed to produce biogas (methane) using dried cassava peel and cow dung biomass as substrate. The simplicity of the design aids easy loading and unloading, air tightness and operated at mesophilic temperature of 32°C and pH of 6.80. The machine consists of agitator for mixing the biomass to prevent the formation of scum, inlet pipes, valves, gas outlet, and stand, crank and pressure gauge. All components were made of galvanized steel except valves outlet and inlet pipes which was made of galvanized aluminum pipe. The criteria considered in the design of the biogas reactor included air tightness of the whole unit, mesophilic temperature, pH, nature of substrate, and substrate retention period. The biogas reactor was tested with 24 kg of dried cassava peel co-mixed with 48 kg of pasty cow dung in ratio 1:2. Daily gas yield was determined; gas pressure in the biogas reactor was measured by pressure gauge, while the ambient temperature was measured using hand held mercury-in-glass thermometer. Results show that biogas was produced after 24 days retention period at average substrate temperature and pH of 32°C and 6.80 respectively. The reactor was designed to accommodate 0.145m3 of substrate equivalent to half of the reactor volume. The reactor has a total production cost of ₦31,360 with all materials being available locally.

502-512

Authors: T. D. Akpenpuun, K. A. Adeniran, B. A. Akinyemi, O. O. Ologun

The research aimed at developing and evaluating a poultry waste management technique using gravity sand filter. Poultry waste slurry prepared in a mixing tank was intermittently applied uniformly to the surface of a filter bed using a spreader as dosing technique. Two different types of configurations were designed for the filter bed. Single media bed consisted of 150mm depth of silica sand with average particle diameter of 0.5mm. Dual media bed consisted of 100mm depth of granulated charcoal with average particle diameter of 1.0mm and 50mm of silica sand with average particle diameter of 0.5mm. Design considerations important to achieving this level of treatment include; pretreatment, media characteristics, hydraulic and organic loading rates and filter dosing techniques. Each sand filter configuration was operated daily for a period of 12days. The following data were collected on a daily basis: Volume of effluents (mm3), hydraulic residence time (Hours), unit filter run volume (m3/m2), filtration rate or filtration velocity (mm/hr). Head loss on the filter was calculated using Carmen-Kozeny equation for uniform sand bed. Laboratory investigations showed that effluent from the filter had biological oxygen demand (BOD5), total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), and turbidity range between1.98 – 12.08 mg/L, 20.75 – 30.20 mg/L, 29.40 – 34.40 mg/L and 5.10 – 6.20 NTU.

523-534

Authors: A. A. Abdulrazaq, A. A. Aboaba, G. M. Yelmis, M. Peter, S. S. Buba, A. K. Jubril

The inherent dependency of home appliances on human for monitoring and control has been found to be mainly responsible for power wastage, and increase in the rate of wear and tear, which invariably implies additional spending on the part of owners. The smart technology provides a way out. This paper presents an automated system which is based on arduino and android device for monitoring and controlling appliances to prevent the wastage of power. The system design is based on the Microcontroller MIKRO-C software, active sensors and wireless internet services which is used in different monitoring and control processes of fan, air-conditioner, light and heater. The system when tested performs efficiently in monitoring and controlling through switching the appliances in the room based on human presence and environmental changes due to light intensity and temperature variation.