Journal of The Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers

The effects of alkaline treatment on the strength and hydrophilicity of pineapple leaf fibre-reinforced polyethylene (PLF-P) and local sponge fibre-reinforced polyethylene (LSF-P) composites were investigated. Composite plates (10–50 wt% fiber) were produced using the hand lay-up method and analysed for water absorption, density, tensile, compressive, and impact strength. Water absorption increased with fiber content, and the PLF-P exhibited higher absorption than the LSF-P. The composite density also increased, reaching 1.561 g/cm³ (PLF-P) and 1.906 g/cm³ (LSF-P). Tensile and compressive strength peaked at 30 wt% for PLF-P (~60 MPa) and 40 wt% for LSF-P (~60.24 MPa). However, impact strength declined after alkali treatment due to reduced fiber pull-out, as it decreased by 21.46% (PLF-P) and 16.24% (LSF-P) at 30 wt%. SEM and FTIR analyses confirmed improved composite properties.

: This study developed kaolin–quartz–ash ceramic composites for reactor wall linings. Kaolin was mixed with quartz (optimal 50/50 ratio) and partially substituted with rice husk ash (RHA) or timber ash (TA) to reduce porosity and enhance vitrification. Composites were fired at 900–1200 °C with soaking times of 0–30 min. XRF analysis showed TA contained higher fluxing oxides, promoting mullite formation, whereas RHA offered higher refractoriness. The 50/20/30 kaolin–quartz–ash formulation achieved the highest flexural strength and low porosity, while full quartz replacement with ash (50/0/50) yielded the weakest composites. Flexural strengths were slightly below the ISO 13006 B1a standard (35 MPa). Both TA and RHA are effective additives, with TA improving mechanical strength and RHA enhancing thermal stability. These findings highlight the potential of converting organic wastes into functional fluxing agents for high-temperature porcelain production

This work was undertaken to study the application of keratin from chicken feathers (K-CF) in the adsorptive removal of brilliant green dye (BGD) from the dye-simulated wastewater. The K-CF adsorptive performance tests were studied using the sorption parameters such as pH, dye concentration, temperature, adsorbent dosage, and contact time in a batch process. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized K-CF were studied using standard methods: SEM/EDX, FTIR, XRD, and XRF tests. The adsorbent's major compositions are SiO2, Al2O3, K2O, Fe2O3, and TiO2 from analyses. From the batch adsorption study, the percentage removal of the BGD using K-CF at pH 8 was 87.6% at 40℃. The kinetic studies were analyzed using several kinetic models. It was established that the PSO model gave a good fit. Also, the isotherm study showed that the Langmuir isotherm was the best fit. The evaluation of thermodynamic parameters showed a feasible, exothermic, and spontaneous reaction. Error function result shows that RSM and ANFIS models were suitable in predicting the adsorptive process. This study reveal that K-CF can be used for adsorptive treatment of wastewater.

A novel clay-doped ionic liquid (CD-IL) heterogeneous catalyst was synthesized via calcination at 600 °C for four hours and applied in the transesterification of linseed oil to biodiesel. The catalyst was characterized using Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer– Emmett–Teller (BET), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), while linseed oil suitability was confirmed by FT-IR and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. Process optimization using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) produced a quadratic polynomial model with R² = 0.9843, adjusted R² = 0.9557, and predicted R² = 0.8389. Optimal conditions for a maximum biodiesel yield of 92.24% were obtained at 2.188 wt.% catalyst loading, 6.064:1 methanol-to-oil molar ratio, 1.74 h reaction time, 64.3 °C temperature, and 396.83 rpm agitation speed. To validate RSM predictions, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) models were developed. The ANN achieved R² = 0.999 with an MSE of 0.0210, while ANFIS provided R² = 0.99 with a lower MSE of 0.00070, confirming superior predictive accuracy. The biodiesel produced satisfied ASTM D6751 standards, demonstrating the efficiency of the CD-IL catalyst and the robustness of the hybrid optimization and modelling approach.

The global monetary projection of neem oil necessitates its extraction for economic emancipation. A 50 kg/day capacity scale–up plant was used for extracting neem oil from neem seed using ethanol as a solvent. The qualities of the extracted neem oil were 4.20 mg KOH/g, acid value; 60.10 gI2/100 g, iodine value and 210.0 mg KOH/g, saponification value. The projected cost price of #1,000 per kg was used against the current price of #3,471 per kg for the cost estimation. The scale–up plant needs a total capital investment of #6 627 889 with a payback period of 2.77 years and a 36.13% rate of return. These investment figures are highly attractive to business entrepreneurs, and the neem oil will be more available and accessible to households and industries at a cheaper rate; thereby serving as a source of economic emancipation. The quality of the extracted neem oil agreed with current literature values; therefore, it favoured its industrial application after pre-treatment for a particular application.

Among the staple foods in Nigeria, cassava fufu is one of the most consumed among the most vulnerable and poor Nigerian populace, hence large scale production of fufu from cassava starch using the wet milling process technology could enhance food security in Nigeria. This research designed a cassava fufu production reactor that could produce 5 Tons of cassava fufu per day. 181,441 small reactors operated batch wise and distributed evenly as 235 Small reactors per Local Government Area in Nigeria are used. A heat generation of 434, 661, 1 562.50 kJ/kg shows that much heat is lost from the reactor, hence the need for use of suitable lagging material such as foam glass to enhance heat conservation. The fundamental dimensions of the reactor are: 0.07716 m3 volume; 0.3 metre diameter; 1.0914 metre height; 0.09 metre impeller diameter; 0.25 metre length of jacket; 0.108 metre vertical distance between adjacent stirrer blades and 0.075 metre height of hemispherical head. High profitability rate is expected as sales of cassava fufu ₦ 453,602,500 000.00 is higher than the cost of the reactors ₦ 3,628,820,000.00. The Nigerian Government and the private investors are therefore encouraged to invest in the cassava fufu production reactors as much profit could be made from the investment.

This study focuses on the simulation, validation, and performance evaluation of a Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU) using real refinery data. The objectives were to validate the FCCU simulation model, conduct exergy analysis under base and alternative scenarios, and perform economic and sensitivity analyses. Simulation results showed a percentage error of 0–16% for key product properties, confirming reliability. Exergy analysis revealed total exergy destruction of 22.84 MW; 22.66MW physical exergy, and 0.182 MW chemical exergy. Chemical exergy accounted for only 0.8% of physical exergy, rendering it negligible. Economic evaluation of the base case showed a total plant cost of 1.01 billion USD, operating cost of 381 million USD, annual net profit of 116.5 million USD, exergy loss cost of 30.01 million USD/year, rate of return of 11.49%/year, and a pay-out period of 8.69 years. Across other scenarios, total costs ranged between 1.013–1.014 billion USD, with operating costs, profits, and exergy losses showing comparable variations. Scenario 4 is the most preferred because it favors operations at a lower temperature, better overall efficiency, as well as lower total annual cost.

This study explores the drying behaviour of cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) slices using both convective and microwave-assisted drying methods. Freshly harvested cocoyam with an initial moisture content of 66.93% (wet basis) was subjected to convective drying at 50°C to 80°C and microwave drying at power levels ranging from 280W to 700W. The drying process was characterized by a non-linear falling rate period, with a secondary falling rate phase evident at elevated temperatures and microwave powers. Microwave drying reached the critical moisture point more rapidly and achieved a lower final moisture content (2.43% wb at 700W) compared to convection drying (7.70% wb at 80°C). The effective moisture diffusivity values ranged from 4.90×10⁻¹⁰ to 1.89×10⁻⁹ m²/s for convective drying and from 1.69×10⁻⁸ to 6.00×10⁻⁸ m²/s for microwave drying. In terms of energy use, microwave drying demonstrated considerably lower specific energy consumption (0.22–0.32 J/g) than convection drying (7.46–8.34 J/g). Among the models evaluated, the Midili model best described the drying kinetics in both methods. Microwave-assisted drying was found to be a more energy–efficient and time-saving approach for preserving cocoyam slices.