INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS

Phosphorus is usually present in natural water as phosphate and is an essential element of life, phosphate can come from fertilizers, human or animal wastes, soaps or detergents and industrial waste.[1] When too much phosphorus becomes available, plant grows rapidly.[1] Phosphate that enter a stream may cause algae to multiply and grow quickly, this may result in an algae bloom. Algae bloom are thick layers of green slime that cover the surface of ponds or slow moving stream, algae bloom are harmful to most aquatic organisms.[1] They cause a decrease in the dissolved oxygen level of the water, by preventing waves and surface of the water from coming into contact with the air which provides the main source of oxygen for the water.[2] Their dark colour absorbs more heat energy from sunlight causing the water temperature to rise.[2] Plants which grow fast, die fast and sink to the bottom, of the water body; are decomposed by bacteria increasing the biological oxygen demand (BOD). All these factors combined to cause oxygen level in the water to decrease rapidly. This can result in fish kill and the death of many aquatic organism.[2]

This precious natural resources initially was used as a means of illumination and lubrication of machine parts against friction but ever since the invention of the automobile industry and the internal combustion energy, the demand for this product has increased rapidly. Currently, there are many challenges associated with the transportation, stockpiling, distribution and production of this raw materials and its various fractions. In an attempt to make this commodity reading available for usage, various pollution activities has sufficed ranging from the contamination of both water and soil environment either by deliberate vandalizing of oil pipeline used for the transport of crude oil, to the fallout of ships transporting crude oil from an on-shore to the jetty thereby creating an unbalanced and stressed aquatic environment.

Cassava processing produce large amount of waste (cassava peel as the major by-product) and is generally considered to contribute significantly to environmental pollution. In spite of all the important agricultural and nutritional roles played by cassava, its food value and waste (cassava peels) is greatly compromised by the presence of endogenous cyanogenic glycosides; linamarin and lautrstralin which under several prevailing tropical condition is readily hydrolysed to liberate hydrogen cyanide,transferred into a solution and subsequently deteriorate the ground water and crop quality. Hence the need to investigate the effect of cassava peels compost on the macronutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) content of agricultural soils on which they are dumped using composting.

Crysophylum albidum oil was extracted from its seed. The percentage yield was 2.56%. The characterization of the oil showed showed that the refractive index is 1.487, peroxide value is 45.4mg/kg, iodine value is 50.76g, saponification value is 105.188, free fatty acids 47.46 and acid value is 94.92. The Punched Ager Diffusion Method was used to assay for the antimicrobial and anti fungal properties of the oil in the test isolate. The antimicrobial and anti fungal activity showed some inhibitory effects against test organisms; Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, B. subfilis, C. albican and A. flavons, but non for S. pyogens. The minimum inhibitory concentration of these test organisms are as follows; Staphylococcus aureus0.16, E. coli 0.06, B. subfilis 0.14, C. albican 2.50and A. flavons 0.40.

The sample of Mistletoe leaves was collected from an orange tree at Ururo in Umunze Anambra State. The leaves was extracted by using some solvent like ethanolic solvent, aqueous solvent n-hexane solvent and ethyl acetate solvent. The extracts was further analyzed which helps in determining the presence of phytochemical compounds in the Mistletoe plant leaf, such as alkaloids, flavonoid, phenol, tannins, steroid and saponins. These phytochemical compounds are found to be antimicrobial active agents. The efficiency of this plant in the treatment of various diseases necessitated the present work in order to identify the classes of natural products present in the leaf of the plant. These pharmacological values of this plant in herbal medicine and as base for the development of new drug.

The Citrus sinensis popularly known as sweet orange seed in Igbo of Nigeria is of the Rutaceae family. The seed is best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe after thoroughly rinsing it, sow stored seed in March in a greenhouse, germination usually takes place within 2-3 weeks at 130C. seedlings are liable to damp off so they must be watered with care and kept well ventilated. Citrus sinensis

Phytochemical and antimicrobial screening analysis of Mangifera indica indicated that the presence of the following moisture content 12.33% +0.0556%, Alkaloid 7.35% +0.0291%, Tannins 18.22% +0.0070%, Saponic Glycoside 3.82% +0.0264%, Flanonoid 6.11% + 0.0158%, Phenolic glycoside 0.010% + 0.0012%, Terpenoids 5.71% + 0.01%, Antrachionic 10.59% + 0.0158%, pH 3.84% + 0.0529%. Cardiac Glycoside 7.90% + 0.0234%. Extracts of Mangifera indica were investigated for its antifungal and antibacterial activities. The aqueous extract did not inhibit any of the test fungi, the ethanolic extract produced zones of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus, S. pyogens, Escherichia coli, Bacilus subfilis, while C. albican and a. flavus were not inhibited.

Insecticide is a substance or a mixture of substances used for killing insects[1]. It is well known fact that many protozoal bacteria diseases are transmitted from man to man by insects. One may combat these diseases not only by means of prohylactic drugs but also by the destruction of the insects carriers.

The study looked into the production of starch from cassava and formulation of its cross-linked derivatives, various tests were carried out in the starch produced such as ash content, moisture content, pH value, and gelatinization temperature of the native starch produce which is higher than the cross-linked derivatives. This is as a result of reduced cohesion, rubbery elastic characteristics of starch paste to a smooth salve like and creamy past of the cross-link starch.

Velvet bean was introduced in planes de Hicaque near Tela. A Handuran brother-in-law of theirs is credited with introducing the seed into Sanfrancisco de Saco. It grooved wild there, unnotified for a number of years. A few farmers observed the plant’s ability to control weeds and improve maize yield in fields were it dominates. In the 1920s, Nigeria grew Mucuna spp as an improved fallow and as a relay crop, with a view to intensify small-scale shifting agriculture system. Velvet bean seed was sold by seed companies in the state under the name ‘banana field bean’ and was later distributed as velvet bean through out the tropics by the USDA. The plant was probably introduced as a forage crop in Mesoametrica in 1920s. some species are used in Malawi as manure for maize and tobacco. In India, it is used as cover crops punjab in particular.