Research
Design, Construction and Testing of Hydraulic Oil Press for Groundnut Oil Extraction
This paper presents the design, construction and testing of a hand operated hydraulic oil press for groundnut oil extraction. The device consists of a pressure cylinder, pressure plates, hand operated hydraulic press and oil collector. The maximum design pressure of the device is put at 16.2N/mm2 with groundnut holding capacity of approximately 1kg per batch. Materials for the construction of the device were selected to meet the design, safety, cost and service requirements of the device. Stainless steel was used for pressure cylinder, pressure plates and collector to avoid contamination of the oil while mild steel was used for constructing the frame. Other tools like steel rule/measuring tape and hacksaw for taking measurements and cutting of materials while vanier caliper for measurement of internal and external diameters of the pressure cylinder, plates and collector. The drilling and lathe machines were employed for drilling finishing, boring, and turning operations. The joining of parts was achieved using electric welding. Roasted groundnut seed is place between the layers of the pressure plates and the driven hydraulic press is used to compress the groundnut in the pressure cylinder to extract the oil which is then collected through the collector. The pressure cylinder consists of holes in which the extracted oil flows out of the cylinder. The press is released and the cylinder is taken away from the collector and the residual is removed with a press rod when the oil stops coming out. Test result show that an average weight of 0.2049kg oil is obtained from appropriately 1kg weight of roasted groundnut seeds which gives 21.8% of oil yield efficiency and extraction efficiency of 48.3% with an extraction loss of 0.33%. Considering the oil content of groundnut as 45%, it indicates that the simple hydraulic press could be effective in the oil extraction process with minimum extraction loss. It is recommended that it could be produce in relatively large number for usage in rural and semi-urban areas with no electricity to replace the traditional method while an electrically operated hydraulic press could facilitates small to medium scale businesses with improve capacity and efficiency.
Fuel Wood Systems: Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Fuel wood systems offer significant possibilities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions when bio-energy replaces fossil fuel in energy production. This research paper provide analysis of calorific value, wood density, moisture content and ash content of commonly used fuel woods in Girei local government area of Adamawa state-Nigeria to determine the fuel-woods which are suitable as energy source. Nine (9) commonly used wood species of interest were selected for test evaluation. Test result show that Tamarindus Indica, Dalbergia Melanoxylon and Prosopis African have relatively high wood density, high calorific value and low percentage ash content when combusted. Their low ash content is also desirable as fuel since only non-significant part of the volume cannot be converted into useful energy. These wood species should be planted as a source of fuel-wood while efficient wood burning stoves should be develop and adopted in local communities. It is recommended that thermal test performance and emission characteristics of these wood species should be conducted.
Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the Federal Capital, Abuja, Nigeria
Municipal solid waste management has emerged as one of the greatest challenges facing environmental protection agencies in developing countries. This paper presents a characterization study of the municipal solid waste generated in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. The characteristics of the municipal solid waste were determined in terms of the components, average mass (kg) and percentage generated per district. It was found that 56.20%/52.0% of the solid waste generated in the area is made up of food/ petrucsible; rubber 10.20%/3.56%; paper 10.00%/ 12.46%; glass/ceramics 7.60%/1.42%; plastics 7.4%/2.85%; metals 2.60%/0.71% and other forms of waste 5.60%/25.62% (dust particle, Ash, stones) for wet and dry seasons respectively and the waste generation rates ranged from 0.59 to 0.79 kg/capita/day. The AEPB is faced with constraints like lack of institutional framework, inadequate budgetary provision, lack of institutional framework, inadequate bylaws and regulations and insufficient information on the quantity and composition of the solid waste. It is suggested that adequate financial provision, proper waste legislation, training and re-training of staffs and community full participation in waste management be encourage while formal composting and recycling facilities should be setup.
