E. A. OYEDOH

This study investigates a plant-based surfactant alternative as a result of the growing need for surfactants that are both economical and ecologically friendly for enhanced oil recovery. Using alkali from corn cobs, this study explores the synthesis of a natural surfactant from Aloe vera for possible use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Corn cobs were calcined for eight hours at 450°C to produce the alkali, which was then extracted using distilled water. Aloe vera leaves were macerated with 62.5% ethanol to extract saponins, which were then filtered and the
solvent evaporated. To create the surfactant, the isolated saponins were mixed with the alkali solution that had been created under controlled conditions.
Several tests were carried out to assess the surfactant's effectiveness. Tests for emulsification and foam stability were carried out to evaluate the characteristics. The surfactant's functional groups were also compared to those of the synthetic surfactant Tween 80 using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed using Box-Behnken Design to optimize the experimental variables and produce surfactant.
The research results showed that the aloe vera-derived surfactant proved a viable alternative for conventional synthetic surfactants due to its foaming ability and emulsion formation. The existence of functional groups typical of surfactants was confirmed by the FTIR analysis which was similar to that of tween 80. The surfactant produced had an optimum volume of emulsion of 2.52 ml which was achieved with saponin concentration of 0.0587 g/ml, 0.0186g/ml alkaline concentration at the duration of 53 mins. The RSM model was seen to be quite effective in
optimizing surfactant production because of the R2 of 0.9719. This study demonstrates the viability of using agricultural waste (corn cobs) with locally produced aloe vera to create an affordable and sustainable surfactant, supporting environmentally friendly industrial processes.

For its bio- and environmentally friendly properties, low cost, and relative abundance, clay has become increasingly relevant and used. Based on their components and layer patterns, clay minerals have a variety of morphological and physicochemical characteristics., in addition to its well-established uses in adsorbent development, water treatment, and construction. In order to determine whether clay samples from the Ikpeshi town in the Akoko-Edo LGA could be used in an industrial process, its physical and chemical characteristics were examined. The study involved the analysis of elemental content, mineral constituent, functional groups of compounds content, surface morphology, and thermal stability with EDXRF, XRD, FTIR, SEM, BET and TGA respectively. Results revealed that the sample was kaolinite with SiO2 45.116 wt%, and Al2O3 20.39 wt% as the most predominant elements. Wave numbers of 909.47043cm-1 to 998.92654cm-1 with bold peaks revealed the presence of SiO4 -4 . The overall study revealed kaolinite characteristics and strong thermal stability thus possesses properties for clay suitable for lining furnace kilns.

This study focuses on the production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil (WCO) using calcined cow bone as a heterogeneous catalyst through the transesterification process. The research aimed to promote sustainable energy production by converting waste oils into biodiesel while utilizing animal bone waste as a low-cost, environmentally friendly catalyst. The WCO was pretreated and characterized to determine its physiochemical properties, which included an acid value of 1.4025 mg KOH/g, free fatty acid (FFA) content of 0.7012%, peroxide value of 16 meq/kg, iodine value of 44.1 g I₂/100 g, viscosity at 40 °C of 53.5 cP, saponification value of 362.667 mg KOH/g, moisture content of 2.678%, and density of 0.9176 g/cm³. These results confirmed that the feedstock required pretreatment before transesterification to minimize soap formation and enhance biodiesel yield. Characterization of the catalyst was performed using analytical techniques such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to confirm the presence of CaO and evaluate its surface properties.The transesterification reaction was carried out using methanol and cow bone-derived catalyst under optimized conditions. The resulting biodiesel was washed, purified, and analyzed for key physiochemical properties. The biodiesel exhibited an acid value of 0.561 mg KOH/g, density of 0.901 g/cm³, viscosity at 40 °C of 8.86 cP, and a flash point of 115 °C. These results were within acceptable limits prescribed by ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 standards, indicating that the produced biodiesel possesses good fuel properties suitable for use in diesel engines. The study concludes that waste cooking oil can serve as an efficient feedstock for biodiesel production, and cow bone ash is a promising, sustainable, and economical catalyst. This dual utilization of waste materials not only reduces environmental pollution but also supports circular economy practices and sustainable energy development.

This study aims to optimize the extraction of bioactive compounds from guava leaves using the Soxhlet extraction method to investigate the impact of key variables such as mass of the solvent, temperature and extraction time (hours) on the bioactive extraction yield, to characterize the extracted bioactive compounds to identify key functional groups, and to optimize the bioactive yield. The study employed a central composite design (CCD), with 19 experimental runs where Response Surface Method (RSM) was utilized to optimize extraction conditions, evaluating the effects of mass (1.00-10.00 g), extraction time (30-300 min), and temperature (50-90°C). ANOVA and quadratic regression models assessed the influence of these variables on the yields of terpenoids and flavonoids. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of extracted compounds was conducted using colorimetric chemical tests and FTIR spectroscopy. Statistical validation included model significance testing (p-values), R², adjusted R², predicted R², and adequate precision. The qualitative analysis of guava leaf extract identified flavonoids (yellow), terpenoids (reddish- brown), saponins (froth), alkaloids (reddish-brown precipitate), and tannins (greenish-black). Quantitative results showed the highest percentages in flavonoids (15%) and terpenoids (16%), followed by saponins (2%), alkaloids (1.75%), and tannins (0.183%). Extraction efficiency was highest at intermediate conditions, with significant quadratic effects observed for all three independent variables. The regression models yields for the two major extract, terpenoid and flavonoid, demonstrated high accuracy with R2 is 0.7915 for terpenoid and R² = 0.8957 for flavonoid, with ANOVA confirming model significance (F-value = 0.17, p = 0.9585) and (F- value = 8.59, p = 0.0019) for terpenoid and flavonoid respectively. Also, the extraction yield was significantly affected by mass, time, and temperature. Terpenoid yield declined beyond 55 g and 165 min due to solvent saturation, while flavonoids degraded above 70°C. Optimal conditions enhanced solubilization and diffusion, but excessive parameters caused thermal degradation, volatilization, poor solvent penetration, and reduced extraction efficiency. These findings support guava leaves as a rich source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anti- v | P a g e inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties, valuable for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.