Impact of biomass burning activities on physicochemical properties of nitisol in Southwestern Ethiopia

Burning of biomass for charcoal production and land preparation is common in Ethiopia. However, the analysis of the impacts of these practices on soil physical and chemical properties is seldom examined. Therefore to investigate the impact of biomass burning on selected soil properties, composite and core soil samples were collected at a depth of 0–20cm […]

Screening of PHA (poly hydroxyalkanoate) producing bacteria from diverse sources

Synthetic plastics are non-degradable and cause waste disposal problems leading to environmental pollution. Bioplastics (polyhydroxyalkanoates) are considered good substitutes for petroleum derived synthetic plastics because of their similar physical and chemical properties. Main advantage of bioplastics is that they are of biological origin and can get degraded completely to CO2 and water under natural environment […]

Effect of anthropogenic activities on an ecologically important wetland in Ghana

The objective of this research was to assess the level of pollution in the Sakumo wetland with emphasis on heavy metals contamination and their distribution in the wetland, which is being polluted from industrial, domestic and sewage effluents. Samples of water, sediment and fish were collected and analyzed for the concentration of heavy metals (arsenic, […]

Solid waste management in Minna, North Central Nigeria: present practices and future challenges

This review presents a brief trend in Minna Municipal solid Waste (MSW) management. Municipal solid waste is a major environmental problem in Minna as in many developing towns. Although strict regulations on the management of solid waste are in place, primitive disposal methods such as open dumping and discharge into surface water are still being […]

Comparative determination of trace elements from Allium sativum, Rheum australe and Terminalia chebula by atomic absorption spectroscopy

In present study the bulb of Allium sativum, root of Rheum australe and fruit of Terminalia chebula were selected for trace elements analysis by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The plant samples were digested with concentrated Nitric acid (HNO3) and concentrated Perchloric acid (HClO4). The analysis for trace elements in the sampled plants indicated that Sodium, Potassium, […]

Genetic variability study for yield and associated quantitative characters in mutant genotypes of Dianthus caryophyllus L.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the nine Dianthus genotypes, including normal and mutagen treated, to assess the magnitude of variability and to pick up the heritable component of variation present in the quantitative traits. The analysis of variance revealed highly significant (P< 0.05 or 0.01) differences for all the characters studied, indicating the […]

Management consequences and diseases transmission potentials of dredge sediments from Nworie River, Owerri, Eastern Nigeria

Improper disposal of Nworie River dredge sediments can serve as source of pathogenic organisms to the inhabitants of Owerri, eastern Nigeria. This study aimed at determining the bacterial quality of the sediments to help ascertain its diseases transmission potentials to the environment. Five grams of 20 sediment samples (10 at each side and each about […]

Bioavailability of potentially toxic elements (PTES) in soil from a former industrial site using EDTA/acetic acid

Pseudo total Potentially Toxic Elements concentration is a useful guide in evaluating the pollution level in the environment. Samples of soils from a former industrial site have been analysed for potentially toxic elements (Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Nickel, Lead and Zinc) using EDTA and HOAc. The accuracy of the microwave digestion and ICP-MS analysis was […]

Seasonal influences on levels and eutrophication potential of nutrients in Imo River, Nigeria

Water eutrophication is one of the most challenging environmental problems in fresh water systems. Effects of seasonal changes on levels of nutrients in Imo River and possible environmental consequences have been determined. Water samples were collected seasonally at major points and subjected to standard chemical analysis. The result showed significant variations in seasons (P < […]

Pollution studies on Nigerian rivers: heavy metals in surface water of warri river, Delta State

Surface water samples from Warri river in Delta State of Nigeria were analyzed quantitatively for the concentration of nine heavy metals, namely: Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Lead, Manganese, Nickel, Vanadium and Zinc, using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Iron (Fe) recorded the highest mean value of 1.9304mgl-1 while Lead (Pb), had the least mean concentration of 0.0001mgl-1. […]