E. A. Oyedoh

The process of enzymatic hydrolysis of cassava bagasse is a potentially effective method of producing biofuel, as cellulase and pectinase are essential for the conversion of biomass. The goal of this work was to compare the hydrolysis effectiveness of cellulase in isolation and in combination with pectinase over a range of time periods (6 and 24 hours). Separately, under controlled conditions, cassava bagasse was used to incubate both cellulase alone and the cellulasepectinase combo. The yield of fermentable sugars was determined by analyzing the resultant hydrolysates, which gave information about how well each combination of enzymes worked. In the first six hours, the yields of cellulase by itself were higher than those of the cellulasepectinase combination. This is explained by the greater starting activity of cellulase in hydrolyzing cellulose, the main ingredient in cassava bagasse. But compared to cellulase alone, the cellulasepectinase combination showed better hydrolysis efficiency over the longer 24-hour period, producing more fermentable sugars. Pectinase was added to help break down pectin barriers, which improved cellulase access to cellulose fibers and eventually raised hydrolysis efficiency. These findings emphasize the significance of reaction time and enzyme synergy in biomass conversion processes. The combination of pectinase and cellulase maximizes the yield of fermentable sugars from cassava bagasse over extended periods of time, despite the fact that cellulase alone may produce larger initial yields. By providing insightful information on how to best utilize enzymatic hydrolysis processes for producing biofuel, this work advances the creation of efficient and sustainable bioenergy technology.

This research project looks into the viability of using agricultural waste (coconut shells) as a source of biochar, a porous carbon material with excellent CO2 adsorption capabilities, for carbon capture. This will involve preparing biochar from coconut shells, characterizing the prepared biochar sample, and using this biochar sample to adsorb CO2, in a bid to demonstrate the possibility of using agricultural waste for carbon capture. The biochar was prepared by carbonizing coconut shells. The residue obtained was activated in batches using NaOH and Phosphoric acid to obtain biochar samples with slightly different properties. A 1:1 coconut shell and palm kernel shell blend was prepared to test the effect of blending. Preliminary characterization was carried out to select the biochar sample with the highest adsorption potential for further characterization. An iodine number test was carried out to determine the adsorption capacity of the biochar samples, indicating their level of activation. The CO2 capture test involves measuring the amount of CO2 adsorbed by the biochar sample in a fixed-packed bed adsorption column to determine the adsorption capacity. This was achieved by measuring CO2 concentrations at the bottom and top of the column to determine the amount of CO2 adsorbed by the biochar adsorbent. The analysis of the final biochar sample (sample 3) showed promising characteristics, making it suitable as an adsorbent material with a micropore surface area of 719.886 m2 /g and a micropore volume of 0.256 cc/g. These values are within typical ranges found in commercial adsorbents. For the first run of CO2 adsorption experiment using 30g of biochar an adsorption capacity of 16.28 mg CO2/g of biochar was obtained. Subsequent runs with smaller amounts of biochar resulted in decreasing adsorption capacities, demonstrating that using greater amounts of biochar increases the performance. These results are consistent with previous research on CO2 capture. Overall, the biochar sample derived from coconut shells showed sufficient adsorption capacity for use in CO2 capture systems, despite the simple production process without sophisticated equipment. The research findings suggest that coconut shell-derived biochar shows promise for carbon capture applications.