•Preparation and characterization of clay.•Detailed predictive modeling of the EBT adsorption process utilizing RSM, ANN and ANFIS models.•Critical comparative analysis of the three ...models.•Evaluation of mechanistic modeling of the adsorption process.•Optimization using genetic algorithm.
The application of artificial neural network (ANN), response surface methodology (RSM), and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) in modeling the uptake of Eriochrome black-T (EBT) dye from aqueous solution using Nteje clay was the focus of this work. Acid activation with hydrochloric acid (HCl) was used to prepare the adsorbent while Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized in the characterization of the adsorbent. The ANN, RSM, and ANFIS models were analyzed by considering the adsorbent dosage, contact time, solution temperature, and pH of the adsorption process. Sensitivity analyses involving six statistical error functions were further used to compare the acceptability of the models. Four mechanistic models (Weber and Morris, Film diffusion, Bangham, and Dummwald-Wagner models) were used to determine the mechanism of the EBT uptake. The result showed that the activation process enhanced the adsorption capacity of the clay. The ANFIS, ANN, and RSM models gave a high accuracy in predicting the adsorption of the EBT dye with correlation coefficients of 0.9920, 0.9910, and 0.9541, respectively. Further statistical indices lent credence to ANFIS as the best predictive model and RSM the least in adsorption of EBT dye. Process optimization using genetic algorithm gave optimum adsorption efficiency of 95.8%. Mechanistic modeling indicated film diffusion as the rate-limiting mechanism. The maximum amount of EBT adsorbed was 24.04 mg/g. The HCl-modified clay could be utilized as an efficient adsorbent in EBT uptake from wastewater.
This work focuses on the application of activated biomass as an alternative to conventional adsorbents for the removal of Pb2+ from wastewater. The biomass was carbonized at 800 °C before chemical ...activation. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and UV/VIS Spectrophotometer were used in characterizing the adsorbents. Batch adsorption studies were carried out to determine the effect of process conditions on the percentage removal. The kinetic studies were carried out using Pseudo-first order, Pseudo-second order, Elovich and Weber morris kinetic models while the thermodynamics studies were carried out using Gibbs free energy equation. SEM characterization revealed that micro porous space on the surface of the adsorbents (biomass wastes) increased significantly after activation. The composites maintained high surface area after chemical activation. pH of point zero charge revealed negative charge predominance on the surface of the adsorbents and adsorption was found to be very fast due to strong electrostatic force between Pb2+ and ion diffusion on the biomass surface. Cassava peel demonstrated highest potential for lead (II) ion removal from solution with 96.83% removal after 80 min with 50 mg/l lead concentration and adsorbent/liquid ratio of 0.3 g/30 ml at 60 °C and pH of 7.6. The highest adsorption capacities recorded with cassava peels, groundnut shell and yam peel at initial concentration of 50 mg/g were 50. 1 mg g, 46.6 mg/g and 38.5 mg/g ΔH, ΔS and R2 values for the adsorption with cassava peels are: 12762 J/mol, 67.2 J/kmol.K and 0.945; for groundnut shell adsorbent, the ΔH, ΔS and R2 values are; 36756 J/mol, 130 J/mol.K and 0.997; while for yam peels adsorbent, the ΔH, ΔS and R2 values are 12163 J/mol, 46 J/mol.K and 0.9278. Thus, the sorption process was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic. Adsorption of Pb2+was rapid and showed high kinetic performance. The experimental data were well fitted with pseudo second order kinetic model. However, the present approach has the advantage of simplicity, less time consuming and most importantly, low cost.
•Biofertilizer was produced by aerobic composting method.•Actinomycetes isolated was found to be good agents for biofertilizer synthesis.•Organic matter and Carbon content of the composts was found ...to be decreasing.•Nitrogen contents increased significantly with time.•Leaf area index revealed 10th week as the optimum growth period for Maize and Okra.
In this work, biofertilizer was synthesized by mixing sawdust and other nitrogenous agricultural wastes into composites in the following ways: S1 (sawdust + chicken litter + vegetable waste), S2 (sawdust + sewage sludge + vegetable waste) and S3 (sawdust only as the control) respectively using actinomycetes as the microbial inoculums. In-vessel method of composting was employed with 120 L capacity polyethylene (PET) container as the bioreactor for the pilot scale study. Microorganisms were isolated from landfill extracts. Aeration was accomplished through turning of the compost twice weekly. Nitrogen, Carbon, Organic Matter and pH were determined at 5days intervals till the end of composting exercise. Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (FAAS), was used for determination of the mineral composition of the raw materials and end products. American Society for Testing and Materials was used in the Analysis of Nitrogen, Carbon, and Organic Matter contents. Biofertilizer was analyzed more for activeness as organic fertilizer in the field studies using two crops (Maize and Okra). Biochemical test revealed that six genera of Actinomycetes were isolated. Inorganic salt starch agar medium was noticed to be effective isolation media for Actinomycetes. Actinomycetes were found to be good agents for biofertilizer synthesis due to their ability to mineralize nitrogen during composting. Preliminary investigation revealed that Rothia spp gave the highest percentage degradation of cellulose (21.6 %) as well as highest percentage mineralization of nitrogen (6.87 %) after 21days of incubation. Dosage ratio of 2:1:1 w: w, moisture content of 50–60 % and 25 days was found to be the optimum condition for nitrogen mineralization. Organic matter content of composts S1 and S2 decreased significantly with time while total kjeldahl nitrogen (TkN) content of the composts increased except compost S3 which on the contrary, reduced. The maximum temperature achieved at the end of 25 days compositing of substrate S2 was 64.6 ℃. Analysis of the leaf area index (LAI) revealed 10th week after transplant to be the period of optimum growth for both crops. In addition to, all the analysis conducted pointed to the fact that influence of biofertilizer on Okra and Maize growth performance is equivalent to the growth performance of chemical fertilizer on the same crops, affirming that organic fertilizer can comfortably replace chemical fertilizer in future.
Banana peel fiber adsorbent (BPF) with well-arranged substructure of pores was fabricated via esterification reaction with organic acid and biomass. The emerged adsorbent (BPF) was employed in taking ...away crude oil from water surface. Three machine learning tools such as RSM, ANN and ANFIS was employed for the modelling and optimization of the process. From results, the optimal oil layer removal of 98.2% was achieved at oil water ratio of 0.2 g /100 cm3. For now, BPF displayed high adsorptive prospect at a very low pH of 4 with 96.8% oil removal. On the other hand, the activation energy, enthalpy change and entropy change of the system are (18.56, 25.44, −0.751 KJ/mols) and (25.77, 29.16, −0.813 KJ/mols) designating a non-spontaneous system. The process of removal by BPF really matched the Langmuir isotherm model as proved by statistical error analysis with highest adsorption capacity of 49.33 mg/g as shown through equilibrium modeling. RSM displayed the optimum conditions of the key variables such as temperature, oil concentration, adsorbent dosage, pH and time as 100 °C, 0.2 g/100 cm3, 1.5 g, 2 and 75 mins, respectively. Analysis of the three generic algorithm indicated significant oil removal prediction with quite remarkably similar coefficient of correlation of 0.999. Additional statistical analysis suggested that RSM was marginally better than ANN and ANFIS for the modelling of crude oil removal via esterified banana peels fiber.
The electrification rate in sub-Saharan Africa, standing at 45% in 2018, is significantly lower when compared with global benchmarks. The 600 million individuals lacking access to electricity ...constitute over two-thirds of the worldwide aggregate of the population lacking electricity. Limitations of power grids have placed a disproportionate burden of the lack of energy access on rural populations. The cheapest approach to achieving universal electricity access in numerous regions seems to be rooted in renewable energy. The diminishing cost of small-scale solar photovoltaic technology for solar home systems and mini-grids is expected to play a pivotal role in facilitating the provision of affordable electric power to millions. This study aims to elucidate the techno-economic benefits of augmenting photovoltaic mini-grids with the overarching goal of advocating for the adoption of photovoltaic mini-grid solutions in rural electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior research endeavors on rural electrification and photovoltaic mini-grids were meticulously curated and examined, with some attention also given to assessing the feasibility of grid integration. The findings showed that grid extension is the most cost-effective means of electricity delivery within a limited proximity, contingent upon topographical considerations. However, beyond this limited zone, mini-grids have proven to be more apt for providing affordable electricity to clustered customer populations. But mini-grids are not without challenges. High initial cost of installation, intermittency of energy source, energy storage problems, grid integration challenges, are some of the identified problems of photovoltaic mini-grids. The way forward must begin with the mitigation of these challenges. Some of the highlighted solutions include implementation of advanced energy storage systems, the formulation of renewable energy policies geared towards enhancing affordability in rural settings, integration with smart grid technologies, and adherence to grid codes to ensure compliance.
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•The electrification rate in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), standing at 45% in 2018, is significantly lower when juxtaposed with global benchmarks.•The 600 million individuals lacking access to electricity constitute over two-thirds of the worldwide aggregate of the population lacking electricity.•The cheapest approach to achieving universal electricity access in numerous regions seems to be rooted in renewable energy sources.•Contingent upon topographical considerations, grid extension, where viable, is the most effective means of electricity delivery.
This study investigates the potential of cobalt ferrite-doped mango seed shell (CoFe
2
O
4
-MSS) as an innovative and eco-friendly approach for the treatment of crude oil-polluted water. CoFe
2
O
4
...-MSS was synthesized by impregnating carbonized mango seed shell with cobalt ferrite nanoparticles through thermal precipitation. The study systematically evaluated the adsorption capacity, kinetics, and isotherm behavior of the developed material using standard equations. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the cobalt ferrite-doped mango seed shell in adsorbing crude oil components, with high removal efficiency of 98.3% at 80 °C after 50 min. The crystallite sizes of raw mango seed shell and CoFe
2
O
4
-MSS are 31.8 nm and 21.3 nm, respectively. The calculated adsorption capacity stood at 55.50 mg/g, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of CoFe
2
O
4
-MSS was 1007.4m
2
/g with a porosity distribution of 1.685
η
while the volume and pore diameter are 3.104m
3
/g and 7.212 nm, respectively. FTIR analysis revealed the presence of aliphatic, aromatic, and silicon compounds. The isotherm data matched well with Langmuir isotherm model while kinetic data fitted well with Bhattacharya–Venkobachar model. The unique properties of cobalt ferrite, a magnetic and iron-based material, combined with the abundant and biodegradable nature of mango seed shells, make this composite an attractive adsorbent for removing crude oil contaminants. This research contributes to the development of sustainable and cost-effective solutions for addressing environmental challenges posed by crude oil pollution. Also, this research has contributed immensely to the sustainable development goals of the united nation (UN-SDG) regarding environmental protection.
This research aimed to optimize and model the adsorption process of oil layer removal using activated plantain peels fiber (PPF), a biomass-based material. The adsorbent was activated by thermal and ...esterification methods using human and environmentally friendly organic acid. Effects of process parameters were examined by one factor at a time (OFAT) batch adsorption studies, revealing optimal conditions for oil removal. Also, RSM, ANN and ANFIS were used to adequately predict the oil removal with correlation coefficient > 0.98. RSM modelling revealed the best conditions as 90 °C, 0.2 mg/l, 1.5 g, 6 and 75 mins, for temperature, oil–water ratio, adsorbent dosage, pH and contact time respectively. Under these simulated conditions, the predicted oil removal was 96.88 %, which was experimentally validated as 97.44 %. Thermodynamic studies revealed the activation energy, change in enthalpy and change in entropy for irreversible pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order model as (15.82, 24.17, −0.614 KJ/mols) and (33.21,40.31, −0.106 KJ/mols) respectively, indicating non-spontaneous process; while modeling studies revealed that the adsorption process was highly matched to Langmuir’s isotherm, with maximum adsorption capacity of 50.34 mg/g. At the end of the overall statistical modelling, ANFIS performed marginally better than the ANN and RSM. It can be concluded from these results that our biomass-based material is an efficient, economically viable and sustainable adsorbent for oil removal, and has potentials for commercialization since the process of adsorption highly matched with standard models, and its capacity or percentage oil removal also compares favorably to that of commercially available adsorbents.
With increasing crude oil contamination scenes reported around the globe, highly promising materials are important to remove crude oil from water bodies for safeguarding the public health, aquatic ...life and sustaining agricultural activities. In this work, we have prepared agro-based material (Cocos nucifera husk) composite with high surface area and well-ordered framework of porosity for crude oil removal. Material characterization was carried out to expose the nature of the composite prepared and its affinity to oil sorption. Adsorption studies were evaluated in batch mode with the function of oil-water ratio, temperature, time and pH as well as reuse with suitable eluent. High adsorption efficiency was exhibited by the composite at low pH as the surfaces were predominantly positive at 0.05 mol/dm3 and 0.10 mol/dm3. Differential thermo gravimetric analysis (DTA) revealed that esterified coconut husk (CHs) was thermally stable at 432.7 °C. In addition, the composite demonstrated good potential as adsorbent with 96.4% crude oil removal after 50 mins at 0.2 g/100cm3. The adsorption isotherm data were well fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model as expected from the structural homogeneity of the conjugated material with maximum adsorption capacity of 69.86 mg/g. The experimental kinetic data were adequately matched by pseudo-second order kinetic model (R2≥ 0.99). Crude oil was eluted from the composite with ethanol and regenerated to the original pattern. The regenerated material exhibited the same functionality and was used successively in several adsorption -elution-reuse-cycle. Therefore, the newly developed composite material is an interesting, efficient and economic sustainable material.
The optimization of key process parameters for the transformation of agro wastes into biofertilizer has been demonstrated using response surface methodology (RSM). Biofertilizer was produced by ...composting using 120 L capacity drum made of polyethylene as the composter. Composting time (X1), dosage ratio (X2) and moisture content (X3) were the independent factors while percentage nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N.P.K) were the response factors. The outcomes exhibited that composting time, dosage ratio and moisture content all significantly affects the mineralization of N.P.K at probability value of 0.0001. The coefficients of determination also called regression coefficients of 98.60%, 99.79% and 97.80% for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium observed between the predicted and the real value are obvious that the developed regression models can fit the experimental data well. It was seen from the optimization studies that the pinnacle value of N.P.K from the ideal conditions are 9.62%, 8.97% and 5.62. Characterization of the composite uncovered that biofertilizer produced has a high potential for commercial application on agricultural land. It can be concluded that combination of sawdust, sewage sludge and vegetable waste is a good mixture for biofertilizer synthesis. Also, the nutrients release by the compost materials during the process of composting may be maximized when process conditions are circumspectly managed within the reported optimal value.
•Alternative wastes management apart from burning has been investigated.•Composting was found to be a good approach for waste recycling.•The biofertilizer produced was found to be releasing nutrients.•RSM was found to be a good statistical tool for experimental design.•Time, dosage ratio and moisture content were the significant factors.
The acceleration of the energy transition away from traditional energy systems depends on the inclusion of H2 in energy plans. Using biomass to produce hydrogen energy holds significant promise in ...the field of renewable energy. This article explores the history of biomass as a sustainable energy source and highlights the important role of hydrogen energy. Various biomass hydrogen conversion technologies, including thermochemical, biological, electrochemical, and hybrid processes, are discussed and compared to other renewable energy sources. Given hydrogen energy inclusion into the energy mix, comparisons are made between methods of biomass-to-hydrogen conversion in terms of cost per kg of H2, power consumption in kWh as well as feedstocks utilized for hydrogen production, and their strengths and weaknesses. Case study applications of these conversion methodologies are highlighted and their strengths as well as limitations are addressed in the course of discussion. This article provides an in-depth look at the prospects and challenges of biomass hydrogen production, providing a review of the research literature, insights into efficiency improvements, level of advancement technology, and catalyst development. The role of catalysts, machine learning, and artificial intelligence along with other factors for improving hydrogen production were discussed. Challenges such as food supply, techno-economic constraints, environmental impact, and energy consumption have all been examined. The article concludes by highlighting current applications, prospects, and the overall importance of biomass hydrogen in transportation, business processes, and policy changes.
•Using biomass to produce hydrogen holds significant promise as renewable energy.•History of biomass as a sustainable energy and role of hydrogen energy was explored.•The article concludes by highlighting current applications of biomass hydrogen energy.
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