School of Infrastructure Process Engineering and Technology (SIPET)
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School of Infrastructure Process Engineering and Technology (SIPET)
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Item Electrochemical Characterization of Stainless-Steel Mesh and carbon-felt Electrodes for Enhanced Power Generation in Terrestrial Microbial Fuel Cells.(School of Physical Sciences, FUTMINNA, 2024-04-24) Simeon, Meshack Imologie; Alaka, Amarachi C.; Daniela, P.; Olalekan, D. AdeniyiTerrestrial Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) represent a promising avenue for sustainable energy production, leveraging microbial metabolism to convert organic matter in the soil into electricity. Crucial to MFC performance is selecting electrode materials, which directly interface with electroactive microbes for electron transfer. This study conducts a comparative analysis of surface-modified stainless-steel mesh (SMS) and carbon felt (CF) electrodes in terrestrial MFCs, evaluating their performance metrics and impedance spectroscopy. The SMS electrode, fabricated using the pasting and reinforcement process, demonstrated superior performance with a maximum power of 859 µW compared to the 234 µW power of the commercially available CF electrode. This better performance of the SMS electrode was attributed to its pseudocapacitive behavior, enhancing internal charge storage capacity and overall MFC efficiency. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed a substantially higher charge transfer resistance (Rct) in the CF electrode, impeding electron transfer processes. Conversely, the SMS electrode exhibited lower Rct and improved diffusion characteristics, facilitating efficient electron transfer and mass transport. Notably, the Rct of the CF electrode was over 40 times higher, while its diffusion coefficient was approximately six times greater compared to the SMS electrode. These findings underscore the significance of tailored electrode materials in optimizing MFC performance and emphasize the utility of impedance spectroscopy in elucidating complex electrochemical processes within MFC systems, thus guiding future advancements in sustainable power production in terrestrial MFCs.Item Estimation of Pavement Temperature in Nigeria’s Climatological Zones(Proceedings of the Third International Civil Engineering Conference (ICEC, 2024), 2025) Ibrahim, A. I.; Abdulrahman, H. S.; Abubakar, MahmudItem Influence Of Roadcem Content on Mechanical Properties of Lateritic Soil for Pavement Applications(Proceedings of the Third International Civil Engineering Conference (ICEC, 2024), 2025) Illo, N. A.; Abubakar, Mahmud; Abdulrahman, H. S.; Kolo, D. N.Studies on lateritic soil had been carried by numerous researchers across the globe with a view of improving it for the purposes of road pavement and other civil engineering constructions. The main aim of this paper is to examine the impact of varying Roadcem (RC) content on the mechanical properties of lateritic soil for pavement applications which was found to be an A-7-5 soil according to AASHTO. The soil sample was treated with RC at 0, 1,2,3,4, and 5%. Laboratory test such as particles size distribution, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test for the treated and untreated samples was carried out. Three samples on each dosage were compacted and molded in cylindrical molds and cured two of each sample for 7 days, one each for 28 days. X-ray Diffraction Analysis (XRD), was also carried out on the two samples to reveals their crystalline phases and shows high intensity of CaO and Quartz on the two samples respectively. The UCS results shows insignificant variations in the dosage of RC even at 28 days. The study concluded that A-7-5 soils does not respond to treatment with RC beyond 1% due to its high plasticity and poorly graded and therefore recommend the use of the RC as an additive, at lesser percentage, or on cohesionless soils like sand for road pavement applications.Item The applicability of the Maximum Power-point of Microbial Fuel Cells: Influence of Potential Scan rate and real-time external Load(international Society for microbial Electrochemistry amd Technology-ISMET, 2021-09-15) Simeon, Meshack Imologie; Freitag, RuthPerformance evaluation of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) is usually done with linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) [1] at a given potential scan rate (PSR) [2]. This evaluation does not often reflect the long-term performance of the MFC under real-time external loads [1]. In this study, the performance of a single-chamber MFC was evaluated with three external loads (1206, 470, and 270 Ohms) calculated from LSV maximum power point (MPP) with three PSRs (0.1, 0.5, and 1 mV/s). The estimated power from the MPP in ascending order of PSR was 61.96, 87.88, and 166.68 mW/m2 at 116.5, 229.6, and 403 mA/m2, respectively. The average power obtained with 1206, 470, and 270 Ohms in the first two hours of operation was 73 + 16.7, 36.3 + 42, and 88.5 + 120.1 mW/m2 at current densities of 124.6 + 14.3, 121.2 + 73.4, and 232.6 + 176.2 mA/m2, respectively. The result showed that overestimation was more pronounced at higher PSRs. Although the MFC was initially underestimated at 0.1 mV/s, this PSR more accurately reflects the true and applicable estimate of the long-term performance of the MF vC. These results are explicitly beneficial for ethe lectrochemical estimation of the actual performance of MFCs under real-time external loadsItem Bio-electrochemical response to selected experimental treatments of a soil-type microbial fuel cell for sustainable bioelectricity generation(International conference on sustainable development and technology-Elsevier, 2021-11-02) Simeon, Meshack Imologie; Alfons, R. Weig; Freitag RuthThe need to protect the environment has triggered a search for alternative and sustainable energies to replace or drastically reduce the world's dependence on fossil fuels. Bio-electrochemical systems (BES) are among the leading research topics in alternative energy sources due to their multi-functional potential. However, their low energy production rate limits their application in the real world. Therefore, architectural and biological optimization is required to take BES beyond laboratory-scale experiments. In this study, we investigated the interactive influence of electrode materials, electrode spacing, and frequent substrate feeding on microbial community diversity and electrochemical behavior of a soil BES for sustainable power generation. Two electrode materials (carbon felt (CF) and stainless steel/epoxy/carbon black composite (SEC) were tested in a soil microbial fuel cell (S-MFC) under three levels of electrode spacings (2, 5, and 8 cm) and treatment frequencies (4, 6, and 8 days). After 30 days of operation, all MFCs achieved an Open-circuit voltage of 782+12.2 mV regardless of the treatment. However, the maximum power of the CF-MFCs was 12.19 + 1.6 mW/m2 at a current of 15.8 mA/m2, while the SEC-MFCs produced 125.69 + 9.3 mW/m2 at a current of 277.4 + 19.3 mA/m2 under the same experimental conditions. The overall best and sustainable performance (145.3 + 8.03 mW/m2) during the 66-day operating period was obtained with SEC-MFC at 5 cm electrode spacing and treatment frequency of 8 days. 16S rDNA gene amplicon sequencing of DNA samples from the anode, cathode, and point of maximum power (MPP) revealed complex microbial diversity that showed significant compositional changes at the electrodes and MPP. The results showed that too small or too large electrode spacing and frequent substrate loading were not suitable for the MFC configuration in this study, and the electrode material had the greatest impact on S-MFC performance.Item Modelling Groundwater Recharge Estimation Using Modified Soil Moisture balance Approach in Otukpo Basin, Nigeria(2nd International Civil Engineering Conference (ICEC 2020), 2020-04-28) Asogwa E.O; Adesiji A.R; Adaudu I. I; Musa J. JABSTRACT In this paper, groundwater recharge in Otukpo basin is estimated using a modified daily soil moisture balance based on a single soil water store for a climate classified as tropical with distinct dry and wet seasons in the Middle Belt part of Nigeria. Soil properties like field capacity, permanent wilting point, readily available water, actual and potential evapotranspiration, soil moisture deficit were all estimated and deployed in the model which algorithm was developed using Python programming language, hence the name modified soil moisture balance model. Runoff is estimated using runoff matrix and runoff coefficients which depend on rainfall intensity and soil moisture deficits. A new component, near surface storage, is used to represent continuing evapotranspiration on days following heavy rainfall even though the soil moisture deficit is high. Groundwater recharge is estimated for cassava and yam which are commonly cultivated vegetable crops in the study area. Meteorological data for the periods of 2008 to 2018 were used in the model analysis. The model recorded annual groundwater recharge which varied from 38.119 mm in 2017 water year (just 3.6% of annual rainfall for the year) to 333.35 mm in 2009 water year which is 20.01% of annual rainfall for the year). The highest annual rainfall depth was also observed in the year 2009 as 1665.4 mm, with the lowest annual rainfall depth, 1062.4 mm also observed in the year 2017. The annual runoff ranged from 322.04 mm in the year 2015, a 32.16 % of annual rainfall for the year to 935.56 mm in the year 2008 a 58.17 % of annual rainfall for the year. The lowest actual evapotranspiration AE was also observed in 2017 as against the highest in 2012. The AE ranged from 583.84 mm in 2017 to 721.39 mm in 2012. The model gave a simplified method of groundwater recharge estimation as well as runoff depth coupled with rainfall-runoff relationship.Item Characterization of Bottled water quality using water quality index in Minna Metropolis of Niger State Nigeria.(2nd International Civil Engineering Conference (ICEC 2020), 2020-08-29) Asogwa E.O; Umar B.M; Adesiji A.R; Gbadebo A.O; Mangey J.ARandom samples of bottled drinking water in Minna metropolis were collected and analyzed using water quality index. This study was carried out to characterize the bottled drinking water using water quality index so as to assess the suitability of bottled drinking water from different sources with the study area. Ten samples were purchased at the sources of production for four consecutive months of April, May, June and July 2019 and analyzed for pH, Calcium, Total Hardness, Total Alkalinity, Chlorides, Magnesium, Sulphate, Nitrate, Iron, and Manganese. The results show that all the parameters analysed were all within the permissible limits of World Health Organization. The results obtained for the WQI from the different bottled water products were found to be varied from 4.96 to 21.65. These results indicate that the all the bottled water samples analyzed are safe for human consumption and for other domestic purposes. Effort should, however, be made to ensure the sustainability of the current method of bottled water production within the metropolis.Item Effectiveness of Moringa Oleifera as Coagulant for treating Abattoir Waste Water(2nd International Civil Engineering Conference. Department of Civil Engineering Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria, 2020-06-23) Asogwa E.O; Hassan H.M; Adesiji A.R; Musa J.J; Mangey J.AEffectiveness of using Moringa oleifera seed for the treatment of abattoir wastewater was studied for the period of five (5) weeks. Completely randomized design with loading dosages of 10, 12, and 14g of processed Moringa seed was used in the treatment. A control (wastewater from abattoir with no Moringa oleifera treatment) was also included. Physical and chemical properties of abattoir wastewater were investigated before and after treatment. The turbidity value was reduced drastically for the treatments from 16.43 mg/l to 11.20 mg/l for 20g treatment particularly in week 5. Total hardness was reduced from 216.67 mg/l to the lowest value at 137.67 mg/l for 10g treatment in the 5th week. Total alkalinity was reduced from 141.3 mg/l to 66 mg/l for the treatments, conductivity was reduced from 1395.7 mg/l to 670 mg/l for 14g treatments just within the first week. The dissolved oxygen was reduced from 6.7 mg/l to zero for the treatments while the BOD was reduced from 4.33 mg/l to zero. The Calcium value was reduced from 30.53 mg/l to 9.40 mg/l for 18g treatment in the 5th week. The results generally showed that the higher the quantity of Moringa oleifera seed applied to the wastewater as week passed by, the better the wastewater treatment.Item Modelling Groundwater Recharge Estimation Using Modified Soil Moisture Balance Approach in Otukpo Basin Nigeria(2nd International Civil Engineering Conference (ICEC 2020), 2020-04-29) Asogwa E.O; Adaudu I.I; Adesiji A.R; Musa J.JItem Polarization and power density trends of a soil-based microbial fuel cell treated with human urine(2020-03-14) Simeon, Meshack Imologie; Asoiro FU; Aliyu, M; Raji, OA; Freitag, RuthMicrobial fuel cells (MFCs) are bio-electrochemical devices that use microbial metabolic processes to convert organic substances into electricity with high efficiency. In this study, the performance of a soil-based MFC using urine as a substrate was assessed using polarization and power density curves. A single-chamber, membrane-less MFC with a carbon-felt air cathode and a carbon-felt anode fully buried in biologically active soil was constructed to examine the impact of urine treatment on the performance of the MFC. The peak power of the urine-treated MFC was 124.16 mW/m2 and was obtained 24 hours after the first urine addition; a control MFC showed a value of 65.40 mW/m2 in the same period. The treated MFC produced an average power of 70.75 mW/m2 up to 21 days after the initial urine addition; the control MFC gave an average value of 4.508 mW/m2 over the same period. The average internal resistances of the treated MFC and the control MFC obtained after the initial treatment were 269.94 and 1627.89 Ω, respectively. This study demonstrates the potential of human urine to reduce internal losses in soil MFCs and to provide stable power densities across various external resistors. These results are propitious for future advancements in soil MFCs for power generation, utilizing human urine (a readily available source of nutrients) as a substrate.