Capacity building in porous materials research for sustainable energy applications.

The project aimed to develop porous materials for sustainable energy applications, namely, hydrogen storage, and valorization of biomass to renewable fuels. At the core of the project was a training programme for Africa-based researchers in (i) the exploitation of renewable locally available raw materials; (ii) the use of advanced state-of-the-art techniques for the design and synthesis of porous materials (zeolites and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)) for energy storage; and (iii) the valorization of sustainable low-value feedstock to renewable fuels. We found that compaction of the UiO-66 MOF at high pressure improves volumetric hydrogen storage capacity without any loss in gravimetric uptake, and experimentally demonstrated the temperature-dependent dynamic behaviour of UiO-66, which allowed us to propose an activation temperature of ≤ 150°C for UiO-66.

Solvothermal synthesis of organoclay/Cu-MOF composite and its application in film modified GCE for simultaneous electrochemical detection of deoxyepinephrine, acetaminophen and tyrosine.

An organoclay/copper-based metal-organic framework (MOF) composite was synthesized using a solvothermal method by growing a Cu-BTC (copper(ii) benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate) MOF from a mixture of the MOF precursor solution in which various amounts of organoclay had been dispersed. The organoclay was obtained by intercalating a cationic dye, namely thionin, into a natural Cameroonian clay sampled in Sagba deposit (North West of Cameroon). The organoclay and the as-synthesized composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) techniques.

Optimization of biodiesel synthesis from oil using kaolin derived zeolite Na-X as a catalyst.

Biodiesel is an alternative renewable green fuel obtainable from the reaction of plant or animal oil with a low molecular weight alcohol in the presence of a catalyst. However, the cost of its production remains high due to costly feedstock, the majority of which is competitively also used as food, and the use of homogeneous catalysts, which pose difficulties in product purification and resulting environmental pollution. The aim of this study was to explore the production of biodiesel through transesterification of non-edible and cheap (JC) oil using a zeolite Na-X catalyst obtained from naturally occurring kaolin clay.

Synthesis and characterization of FSB@FeO composites and application in removal of indigo carmine dye from industrial wastewaters.

The syntheses and characterization of fish scale biochar magnetic composites (FSB@FeO) and their applications in the removal of indigo carmine dye from effluents are described. Preparation of the fish scale biochar magnetic composites, FSB@400 °C-FeO, FSB@600 °C-FeO, and FSB@800 °C-FeO, was done following the chemical co-precipitation method. The adsorbents were characterized using peak optical absorbance, functional groups, magnetic strength, surface morphology, particle size, elemental compositions, surface charge, surface area, thermal stability, and crystalline phase, using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis spec), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), transmission electron microscopy/scanning electron microscopy (TEM/SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), point of zero charge pH (pH), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), and powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) techniques, correspondingly.

Preparation, characterization of fish scales biochar and their applications in the removal of anionic indigo carmine dye from aqueous solutions.

The preparation and applications of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fish scale biochars (FSB) as an adsorbent in the removal of indigo carmine dye (ICD) from aqueous solutions is described. The biochars were prepared through pyrolysis over a temperature range of 200 °C-800 °C and characterized for surface charge, functional groups, thermal stability, particle size and morphology, elemental composition, crystallinity, and surface area by using pH, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy/scanning electron microscopy (TEM/SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) techniques, respectively. Batch experiments were carried out to determine the variation of adsorption process with initial dye concentration, contact time, initial solution pH, adsorbent load, temperature and adsorbent pyrolysis temperature on the removal of the dye.

Trace Elements in Crustaceans, Mollusks and Fish in the Kenyan Part of Lake Victoria: Bioaccumulation, Bioindication and Health Risk Analysis.

This is the first comprehensive report on the accumulation of Cr, Ni, As, and Ag in the fish species Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus and Nile perch Lates niloticus from Lake Victoria, complemented with recent data on Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb. This also is the first report on Cr, Ni, As, and Ag levels in invertebrates: the shrimp Caridina nilotica, gastropod Pila ovata, and bivalve Mutela bourguignati. The study was conducted at five sites in the Kenyan part of Lake Victoria: four sites in Winam Gulf influenced by various anthropogenic pressures, including a site near Kisumu City, and one in the main lake, with lesser direct anthropogenic influence.

Distribution of arsenic, silver, cadmium, lead and other trace elements in water, sediment and macrophytes in the Kenyan part of Lake Victoria: spatial, temporal and bioindicative aspects.

This is the first detailed report on the distribution of Ni, As, Sr and Ag in water, sediments and macrophytes from Lake Victoria, complemented with recent data on the heavy metals Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb. The study was conducted over an 11-month period at five sites in the Kenyan part of Lake Victoria: four sites in the Winam Gulf influenced by various anthropogenic pressures including a site near Kisumu City, and one in the main lake, perceived to have lesser direct anthropogenic influence. Compared with the main lake site, the water in Winam Gulf had significantly higher values for electrical conductivity and concentrations of dissolved components: organic carbon and bound nitrogen, as well as major and most trace elements.