Non-phosphate builders which are environmentally friendly are required for use in detergent formulation to replace the sodium tri-poly phosphate (STPP). Phosphates are excellent fertilizer for algae, bacteria, and other flora and fauna in rivers, lakes and oceans, making them bloom at very rapid rates. This exhausts the oxygen supply both in the surface and in the bottom layers of water bodies, and leading the death of fishes. Sodium metasilicate a non-phosphate builder from Lokoja Quartzite was used to formulate a non-phosphate biodegradable synthetic detergent using 25%, 50% and 75% sodium hydroxide concentrations. The critical micellar concentration (CMC) of a non-phosphate detergent was determined via measurement of surface tension. This method is rapid, reliable and cheap compared to the fluorescence polarization method which required a sophiscated materials such as 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene as fluorescence probe. The detergents formulated with 75% and 50% sodium hydroxide concentrations have CMC values of 8.6685 mM and 6.9348 mM respectively. From this study, a non phosphate builder synthesized from Lokoja Quartzite has potential of protecting aquatic animals when compared with the conventional STPP currently used in our detergent formulation. Also, the simple and economical approach for determination of detergent's CMC has demonstrated it's potentials. These values agree well with the literature value ranges between 7 to 10 mM.

Noise is an unwanted sound which is mostly produced by the machines, transportation systems, engines, aircraft, etc. Noise pollution is the third pollution resource that has greatly placed an adverse effect on the environment, human health economy. As a result, it became imperative to develop a sound absorption medium that could minimize the aforementioned effects. In this study, orange peels and sachet water bags were used to develop a composite material. The materials (i.e. orange peel and sachet water bags) were prepared into six samples (that is 280g of orange peels and 120g of sachet water bags respectively). These samples were transferred into a two-roll mill (compounding machine), where they were melted at about 150°C temperature before transferring them to a compressing machine which was already set at a temperature of 130°C. This procedure was repeated on the rest of the samples respectively. The composite panel was coupled together to form a box. Three speakers were connected to MP3 and inserted into the box. Test was carried out to check for the sound absorption of the composite using a sound level meter. Various readings were obtained which include: maximum and minimum readings at frequency weighing of “A” and “C” and the sound level drastically reduced after coupling the box, this indicates that the composite board is a good sound absorber. The reduction level of the noise should be quantified.

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Improper handling of wastewater from various industries causes environmental pollution. Hence, this study involved using a reactivated spent FCC catalyst, a cheap and reliable adsorbent for Pb2+ removal from refinery-based simulated wastewater. In contrast, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the optimum operating condition. The adsorptive capacity of the reactivated spent FCC catalyst was observed using different parameters such as temperature, pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. At the end of the study, it was found that the optimum condition for removing Pb2+ was at pH of 7, adsorbent dose of 1.75 g, contact time of 75 mins, and temperature of 117 oC. At this condition, the maximum removal efficiency of Pb2+ was found to be 100 %. A quadratic model equation via central composite design under the RSM was developed to predict the Pb2+ removal from all the input parameters. Based on the F-statistic values, the temperature had the greatest influence on the removal of Pb2+ while adsorbent dosage and contact time were also significant.

Silica powder with approximately 96% purity was extracted from rice husk (RH) and used as a silica source for the synthesis of zeolite Y by hydrothermal process. The effect of synthesis parameters such as pH, temperature of burning the rice husk, acid leaching prior to formation of rice husk ash (RHA) on the properties of final product were studied. The acid-leached rice husk calcined at 650 °C for 6 h produced rough powder of rice husk silica, light brown in colour. The silica purity of the rice husk ash (RHA) calcined at 400, 450 and 500 0 C were 95.6wt%, 96.1wt% and 95.89 wt% respectively. The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern of the silica obtained show that the silica was amorphous with traces of crystalline phase. The amorphous nature of the RHA and the relatively high purity of silica content in it make it a suitable source of silica for zeolite synthesis.