DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

Air and water pollutants are often treated with activated carbon. This project inspects this sorbent for heavy metal or inorganic compound removal. Production of activated carbon. Physical and chemical activation and raw material pyrolysis are discussed. Biochar has a surface areaof226.380m2/g and a modified Biochar of 248.650m2/g, pore volume of 0.134cm3/gand0.150cm3/g, pore size of 2.08nm and 2.118nm distribution, and chemical surface structure. Biochar and modified biochar FTIR spectra were analyzed for functional groups. Spectrum intensity enhanced with acid alteration. Peaks at 3200-3550 cm−1 indicate O-H stretching vibrations, as well as C=C stretching vibrations of alkane functional group at 1600-1660cm−1and -=CH3 group at 1430-1470 cm�� Modified biochar improved wastewater treatment and soil remediation by increasing specific surface area, pore volume, and pore size. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a rough modified biochar structure, increasing adsorption sites. Modification increased FTIR intensity, indicating functional group changes. Adsorption testing indicated that modified biochar eliminates Pb and Cd from water. Adsorption efficiency depended on initial concentration, pH, dose, and contact time. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm model fit the data better than the Freundlich model, implying monolayer adsorption onto a homogeneous surface. These studies demonstrate that acid-modified biochar can remove heavy metals from water.

Ascorbic acid plays a critical role in various metabolic activities such as the absorption of iron from nonheme products and negates the formation of reactive oxygen, a major product responsible for oxidative stress and recent studies has shown that it is thermally labile. The effect of heat on its content in fruit juices has been successfully investigated. Fresh fruit samples were obtained from New Benin market and the juice extracts were obtained using mechanical press after which temperatures of 40,
60, 80, and 100°C were applied and the ascorbic acid contents of the fresh juice extracts and after treatment were determined using iodimetry at interval of 24 hours for five days. From the results obtained, the ascorbic acid content was found highest for
mango juice extract with a value of 11.40mg. The values obtained for grape, lemon, and tangerine are 10.42, 5.86, and 4.98mg respectively. From the values, it was obvious that heating played a major role in the ascorbic acid content of the extracts. This was demonstrated by plotting the contents in mg as functions of time from where it was seen that Lemon fruit juice had the highest correlation coefficient of 0.9918 at 60°C while the least was found for grape fruit juice at 40 and 80°C with a value of 0.9205.

This study focuses on the development and characterization of biodegradable packaging films produced from acetylated cassava starch reinforced with kaolinite and plasticized with ethylene glycol. Cassava starch was extracted, chemically modified through acetylation, and confirmed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The acetylated starch spectrum displayed a distinct absorption peak around 1740 cm⁻¹, attributed to the carbonyl (C=O) stretching vibration of ester groups, confirming acetylation. An additional peak at 1230–1260 cm⁻¹ corresponds to C–O stretching of the acetyl ester linkage. The observed decrease and narrowing of the O–H stretching band intensity around 3400 cm⁻¹ reflects the replacement of hydroxyl groups by acetyl moieties, reducing intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Slight intensity variations in the 1000–1150 cm⁻¹ region also indicate modifications to the starch backbone. Acetylation lowered the gelatinization temperature from 65 °C to approximately 51 °C, indicating reduced structural order and enhanced thermal processability. Bioplastic films were formulated using varying concentrations of ethylene glycol (2–5 g) and kaolinite filler (0–1 g) through a solution casting technique. The physicochemical analysis shows that the extracted starch had a high yield (62.3%), a moisture content of 12.3%, and a gelatinization temperature consistent with high-quality cassava starch. Film characterization revealed notable variations in colour, thickness, solubility, and absorption behaviour across formulations. Water, moisture, and acid absorption increased with higher plasticizer content (2g – 5g), while kaolinite reduced uptake due to its barrier-enhancing layered structure. All samples were soluble in 1 M NaOH, confirming the susceptibility of acetate ester linkages to alkaline hydrolysis, but remained insoluble in ethanol

Ficus capensis, a wild fig tree remains the most readily available remedy to many of human problems. The free oxygen we breathe in comes from plants and many more nutritional and health benefits which are yet to be discovered. This is why the proximate analysis, phytochemical screening, mineral content and the ethanol isolate of Ficus capensis stem bark extracts were investigated. The proximate analysis, phytochemical screening and mineral content analysis were carried using standard methods and the Ethanolic extracts were obtained by maceration technique. The proximate analysis of the stem bark extracts revealed; 60.12%,
20.35% and 8.37% for carbohydrate, crude fibre and moisture content respectively. The presence of active phytochemical constituents such as alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, phenolics and eugenols were detected in the stem bark. Among the minerals present in the stem bark was potassium which gave the highest concentration of 17.7ppm respectively.
Others were Na (12.60ppm), Ca (5.62ppm), Mg (1.63ppm), Fe (5.30 ppm) and Cr (0.05 ppm). This study suggests that the plant samples have useful phytochemicals and minerals which can have useful pharmacological effects and also serve as nutritional supplement. The results of the ultraviolet-visible, gas chromatography spectral and infra-red analysis reveals the presence of
carboxylic acid and nitro functional group in the UV-VIS, for GC-MS spectra the compound detected were benzoic acid, 2-nitroso, acetic acid e.t.c and for IR analysis reveals the presence of Amines, alkyl group and alcohol functional group.

This study investigates the medicinal properties of the leaf extract of Morinda Citrifolia, commonly known as Noni, with a particular focus on its anti-diabetic potential, antioxidant activity, and biochemical composition. The research encompasses an in-depth analysis of the Morinda Citrifolia extract phytochemical composition, antidiabetic activity, elemental composition, heat-induced hemoglobin inhibition, and alkaloid and amino acid profiles. After
identifying bioactive components by phytochemical screening, the extract was tested in vitro for its potential as an antidiabetic and its capacity to prevent hemoglobin denaturation. In addition to
analyzing the alkaloid and amino acid profiles, elemental analysis was used to ascertain the concentration of both beneficial and detrimental components. An inhibitory assay was used to
measure the antidiabetic action, and absorbance measurements were used to identify heat-induced hemoglobin inhibition.
The extract contained alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, glycosides, terpenoids and phenolic chemicals, according to phytochemical screening. With a maximal inhibitory activity of 49.10%
at a dosage of 0.5 mg/mL, the antidiabetic activity demonstrated a dose-dependent rise in inhibition. Significant action was shown by the heat-induced hemoglobin inhibition, which peaked
at 84.07% at 300 mg/mL. Essential elements including calcium, magnesium, zinc, and potassium were found by elemental analysis; dangerous elements like lead and chromium were not found in
any discernible amounts. The total protein or amino acid content in the extract was 111.58840, and there was 0.2 g of total alkaloids.
Morinda Citrifolia extract has significant biological properties, such as antioxidant and antidiabetic actions, as well as the capacity to prevent hemoglobin denaturation. The extract's possible therapeutic applications are further supported by the presence of vital components and bioactive phytochemicals. The presence of protein and amino acids, however, raises the plant’s nutritional and medicinal value. These results lay the groundwork for additional research into
Morinda Citrifolia’s active ingredients and potential medical uses

This work entails extraction, characterization and thermal stability studies with tigernut(Cyperus esculentus) oil. The Tigernut used in this work was obtained from an open market in Benin city. Oil extraction was carried out by soxhlet extraction using n-hexane as a solvent. Parameters studied were free fatty acid (FFA) content giving 0.48% as result, peroxide value(PV) with results of 1.96meq/kg and 7.80meq/kg for the raw oil and treated oil respectively, refractive index (RI) test- 69% and 69.5% brix for both raw and treated oil respectively and measurement of absorbance of the raw and treated oil at 234nm and 270nm. Additionally, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to identify the functional groups present in the oil. Findings indicate that the oil is thermally stable when treated with heat. Due to the highly nutritional properties of this oil, it has found wide usefulness in culinary arts, pharmaceutical products and even cosmetics

Particulate matter (PM) are basically released into the environment through anthropogenic activities such as combustion processes which includes vehicular emissions, combustion of fossil fuel, metal smelting, which significantly pollutes the environment, thereby having negative effects on man and its environment. Particulate matter comprises of different particles size, ranging from ultrafine particles to total suspended particulates and various composition, the major components are the organic and the inorganic (metals) and these are the once that have cause for health concern. Metals have divers of adverse effects on the environment and on the human body In this study, PM2.5 and TSP were collected during the dry and wet season using APEX2IS Casella standard pump coupled with conical inhalable sampler (CIS) head at a flow rate 3.5L/min for a sampling period of 8 hours per day. The weight of the sample collected were determined gravimetrically and analyzed for heavy metal concentration in PM2.5 and TSP using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) method. The results obtained were subjected to Statistical analysis such as principal component analysis (PCA) for source identification, cluster analysis and correlation matrix.

Smoked beef is a common food sold on the streets in Nigeria, popularly known as ‘suya’. This project evaluates the levels of sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and five heavy metals in smoked beef, aiming to determine PAH and heavy metal concentrations and compare them with regulatory limits. The study employed analytical techniques including gas chromatography for PAH analysis and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) for heavy metal analysis. Samples of smoked beef were collected from various locations around University of Benin axis (Ekosodin, Hall 2 and Maingate) which underwent solvent extraction using a sonic bath, followed by purification with a silica gel column and were analysed via Gas Chromatography/Flame Ionization Detector for their PAH levels. For heavy metals, samples were digested with nitric and perchloric acid and then analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. The results revealed the presence of PAHs and various heavy metals, with concentrations varying among samples showed that the PAH levels were well within the regulatory standards while some of the heavy metals were above the regulatory standards. The findings provide valuable insights into the contamination levels of smoked beef and highlight the importance of monitoring and regulating food processing practices to ensure consumer safety.

The experiment was carried out to produce ginger powder from fresh ginger rhizomes using sun drying technique. The fresh rhizomes were collected from Forestry market, Benin City, Edo State. The ginger was then examined for its proximate, phytochemical and mineral element composition. These tests were carried out on the ginger before and after processing. The phytochemicals examined were alkaloids, glycosides, phenolic compounds, tanins, saponins, terpenoids, flavonoids, quinones and steroids. Specifically, the absence or presence of these phytochemicals were determined. The results from the mineral element test on the fresh ginger showed the following values in mg/L; Magnesium (0.75), Iron (1.0), Calcium (0.50), Zinc (0.80), Potassium (19.70) and Sodium (2.20). The processed ginger powder showed; Iron (1.60), Magnesium (1.08), Calcium (0.30), Zinc (1.20), Potassium (61.10) and Sodium (11.40). MBased on this study, the sun drying technique proved effective in reducing the moisture content of the ginger thereby improving its shelf-life, and its overall consumer desirability. The processed ginger powder is also a good source of the aforementioned minerals.

This study determined and compared the values of exchangeable cations Mg2+,Ca2+,Na+,K+,and cation exchange capacity(CEC) of clay soil samples in Nigeria, using different pH media (4,5,7,8).Two different clay soil were analysed. Ammonium acetate displacement method was used for the analysis. The chemical analysis were performed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry(AAS),to determine the Mg2+,Ca2+content;Flame photometer to determine Na+,K+,content andColorimeter; used to determine ammonium nitrogen content.The result showed that Sample 1,Exchangeable cations (E.C) for Mg 2+had its highest at pH 7(0.198±0.03) and its lowest value at pH 4(0.142±0.04), Ca2+ had its highest at pH 7(2.692±0.08) and its lowest value at pH 5(1.188±0.16), Na+had its highest value at pH 8 (1.884±0.05) and its lowest value at pH 5(0.409±0.03), andK+ had its highest value at pH7(0.926±0.09) and its lowest value at pH 8 (0.415±0.03)The result showed that Sample 2, Exchangeablecations (E.C) for Mg2+, had its highest at pH 5(0.047±0.002) and its lowest value at pH 8(0.032±0.003), Ca2+had its highest at pH 8(1.339±0.08)and its lowest value at pH4(0.349±0.06),Na+had its highest value at pH8(2.185±0.04) and its lowest value at pH 4(1.598±0.08), and K+ had its highest value at pH 8(0.693±0.06) and its lowest value at pH 5(0.415±0.07). Generally there was a decrease in CEC as the pH increased in the acidic media from pH 4 to 5 and an increase in the CEC as the pH approached neutral, and also a decrease when the pH was increased to 8(basic medium).From the results obtained,it is evident that pH is animportant soil property,because when the clay sample was treated at different pH,the values of the cations as well as their exchangecapacity was greatly was affected i.e they had different pH values when subjected to different medium