Trihalomethanes (THMs) are formed when excess chlorine during chlorination of water reacts with organic material in water. They have mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. Moringa oleifera (MO) has found wide acceptance by many people in Nigeria who have used it for food for both humans and fauna, for health purposes, and as a coagulant for water treatment. However, the seed husks are currently discarded as waste and they have not been used as adsorbent to remove THMs from water. The physicochemical properties of both the treated and raw surface water were determined using standard methods, and the concentration of THMs was determined from the water treatment plant at different stages of treatment using gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Recovery experiments were carried out to validate the procedure. The efficiencies of activated carbon of Moringa oleifera seed husk (MOSH) adsorbent for the removal of THMs in the water and as a coagulant for water treatment were also assessed. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out, and different parameters such as pH (5, 7, and 9), adsorbent dosage (0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 g), contact time (30, 60, and 90 minutes), and initial concentration (0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 mg/l) were optimized for the removal of trichloromethane and tribromomethane using the MOSH activated carbon. Experimental adsorption data from different initial concentrations of trichloromethane and tribromomethane were used to test conformity with Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The percentage recovery from our procedures ranged from 96.0 ± 1.41 to 100.0 ± 0.00 for trichloromethane while for tribromomethane the range was 60 ± 2.82 to 100.0 ± 0.00. The mean percentage adsorption efficiencies for the simulation experiment ranged from 34.365 ± 1.41 to 93.135 ± 0.57 and from 41.870 ± 0.27 to 94.655 ± 0.41 for trichloromethane and tribromomethane, respectively. The optimum conditions for both trichloromethane and tribromomethane were pH 9, 0.8 g adsorbent dosage, 60-minute contact time, and 0.6 mg/l initial concentration. The optimum values of these parameters used for the adsorption of the two THMs in the surface water serving the treatment plant gave an efficiency of 100.00 ± 0.00%. The turbidity values for the coagulation experiment reduced from 9.76 ± 0.03 NTU in the raw water before coagulation to 5.92 ± 0.13 NTU after coagulation while all other physicochemical parameters of the surface water decreased in value except conductivity and total dissolved solid which increased from 104.5 ± 3.54 to 108.0 ± 2.83 μS/cm and 63.00 ± 11.31 to 83.0 ± 8.49 mg/l, respectively. The experimental data best fit into Langmuir than Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The study concluded that MOSH activated carbon could serve as an adsorbent for the removal of THMs, calcium, and sulphur from water samples.

The present study aims to evaluate the use of chicken feather waste (CFW) as an absorbent for the removal of crude oil from crude oil polluted water (CPW) in comparison with commercial activated carbon (CAC) ) in Nigeria. Oil pollution, can be as a result of natural disaster like earthquake, volcanic eruption, hurricane etc., or as a result of man’s interference for example terrorism, oil bunkering, tanker and oil rig accidents. CAC have been use as adsorbent for crude oil removal from the water environment but very expensive, hence the need to develop cheaper and environment friendly adsorbents from some agricultural waste which could constitute nuisance in the environment. The pulverized chicken feathers were characterized using Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometer (RBS) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) for elemental composition and the determination of surface morphology, respectively. The agricultural wastes used for this study was chicken feathers. The CFW was sourced from a local market at Ile-Ife, Osun State Nigeria, while commercial activated carbon was purchased from Uche-El Water Limited Company. The pulverized CFW was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Particle-induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). Elemental composition of the CFW showed the presence of Na, Mg, Al, P, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, Zr, Cd, Sn, Pb and Si within the range 12.8 - 22566.3 ppm with agglomeration of particle. The results of the scanning electron microscope clearly showed the surface texture and morphological characteristics of CFW. The efficiencies of adsorption increased with increasing initial concentration for the two adsorbents except initial concentration of 20/30 which decreased in the case of CAC. The adsorption efficiencies for all the initial concentrations for the adsorbents is significantly different (F=16.114; P=0.000) at confidence interval of 0.05. CFW showed greater adsorption efficiency of 99.95%, followed by CAC which showed an adsorption potential of 95.08% (P=0.577 > C.I=0.05). The adsorption efficiencies obtained for the chicken feather compare very well with the activated carbon and even better as the dosages of the chicken feather increased. The result of the study shows that chicken feathers is an efficient sorbent for the mopping of crude oil spill in water.

This study assessed the various effects of variability in climatic conditions to the means of livelihood and assessed the impacts of climatic conditions like temperature and rainfall on the livelihood assets of the indigenes of Baringo County, which include: livestock, health, agricultural and tree crops, water bodies. A multi-stage sampling technique was applied, using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. Primary data was collected using a well-structured questionnaire while secondary data was obtained from the Meteorological Department Nairobi, Kenya. Data obtained were analysed using frequency distribution, trend analysis, percentage and means, as well as multiple regression analysis. A total of 338 respondents were sampled. Variability in rainfall and temperature significantly affected the livelihood assets of the rural populace. It was observed that 78.7% of the respondents in are informed of climate change, mostly through the media (34.62%). Climate variability to a high extent results in drought (X=3.78), crop pests and diseases (X=3.65), livestock pests and diseases (X=3.70) and cases of human diseases (X=4.01). 94.38% of the rural populace in Baringo County experience food insecurity due to climate variability. Climate variability in temperature and rainfall affected general economic activities of the counties at every level of statistical significance even as high variability in climate conditions affected the rural population in Kenya majorly in the areas of drought 60%, the quantity of meal 31.7% and income 29.6 %. This study, therefore, concluded that climate variables will affect the ecosystems and most likely will alter the economic and physical factors including income, general health and well-being of the rural populace in Baringo County, Kenya.  

No abstract

his study assessed water sources (treated water, pond water and harvested rain water) and effluents discharge from a bottling company, Aba, Abia State. A single factor experiment in randomized complete block designs with three replications was used to assess the physicochemical properties of water at various sources. The result shows that pond water and rain water gave significantly the highest and least N and P contents respectively (N: 33.60-5.60 mg/L; P: 12.40-10.30 mg/L). The K contents of the various water point sources were significantly higher as follows: Pond water > Effluent water > Rain water > Treated water (6.50 > 0.30 > 0.20 > 0.20). Pond water was statistically highest in Mg contents when compared to other sources. The Fe contents were significantly higher as follows: Effluent water > Rain water > Treated water > Pond water, while Fe content in pond water wasn’t significantly higher when compared to its content in Rain water. Pond water and treated water were significantly the highest and least (P<0.05) in organic matter (OM) and Organic Carbon (OC) contents respectively. No significant differences existed between color intensity and turbidity values of the various water point sources. Effluent water from the industry and pond water were significantly the least in DO values respectively. Rain water and pond water were significantly the least in BOD concentrations. Effluent water was significantly the highest in TSS values, while the least TSS values were significantly recorded for Treated water and Rain water.