Potential of lignocellulosic fiber reinforced polymer composites for automobile parts production: Current knowledge, research needs, and future direction.

In recent years, there has been a notable surge in research focusing on the use of natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites (NFRPCs) in the automobile industry. These materials offer several advantages over their synthetic counterparts, including lightweight properties, renewability, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness. This increasing research interest in NFRPCs within the automotive sector is primarily aimed at overcoming the challenges that have thus far limited their industrial applications when compared to conventional synthetic composites. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the potential applications and sustainability of lignocellulosic-based NFRPCs in the automobile industry. It examines the current state of knowledge, identifies research needs and existing limitations, and provides insights into future perspectives. This review shows that, while lignocellulosic fibers hold great promise as sustainable, high-performance, and cost-effective alternatives to traditional reinforcing fibers, continuous research is needed to further address issues such as fiber-matrix compatibility, processing techniques, long-term durability concerns, and general property improvement. These advancements are essential to meet the increasing performance demand for eco-friendly, renewable, and energy-efficient materials in automotive design.

A narrative review of the synthesis, characterization, and applications of iron oxide nanoparticles.

The significance of green synthesized nanomaterials with a uniform shape, reduced sizes, superior mechanical capabilities, phase microstructure, magnetic behavior, and superior performance cannot be overemphasized. Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are found within the size range of 1-100 nm in nanomaterials and have a diverse range of applications in fields such as biomedicine, wastewater purification, and environmental remediation. Nevertheless, the understanding of their fundamental material composition, chemical reactions, toxicological properties, and research methodologies is constrained and extensively elucidated during their practical implementation. The importance of producing IONPs using advanced nanofabrication techniques that exhibit strong potential for disease therapy, microbial pathogen control, and elimination of cancer cells is underscored by the adoption of the green synthesis approach. These IONPs can serve as viable alternatives for soil remediation and the elimination of environmental contaminants. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the research conducted on different types of IONPs and IONP composite-based materials. It examines the synthesis methods and characterization techniques employed in these studies and also addresses the obstacles encountered in prior investigations with comparable objectives. A green engineering strategy was proposed for the synthesis, characterization, and application of IONPs and their composites with reduced environmental impact. Additionally, the influence of their phase structure, magnetic properties, biocompatibility, toxicity, milling time, nanoparticle size, and shape was also discussed. The study proposes the use of biological and physicochemical methods as a more viable alternative nanofabrication strategy that can mitigate the limitations imposed by the conventional methods of IONP synthesis.

Recent advances in green processing technologies for valorisation of eggshell waste for sustainable construction materials.

Eggshell waste is among of the most abundant agro-waste material discharged from food processing industries. Despite the exceptional properties and several applications, eggshell is castoff in huge quantity without any further use. This review paper focuses on appraising the potential uses of eggshell waste as a feedstock for production of sustainable construction materials. The emphasis is on the need to exploit extensively eggshell waste as a partial cement replacement material in clay and cement-based construction materials. The physical-chemical properties of eggshell powder which describe its unique characteristics are discussed. The exploitation of eggshell waste in various construction materials have resulted into an overall improvement in the physical-mechanical properties. The results from reviewed work show that, the incorporation of 5-30 % of eggshell powder has developed green sustainable construction materials with properties that are within the range for the established engineering standards. In the current paper, it was indicated that the valorisation of eggshell waste has a potential to replace cement material for production of cheap and sustainable construction materials with improved engineering properties. Based on circular economy, valorisation is regarded to be a cost-effective solution to provide eco-friendly industrial raw materials while ensuring a waste free environment in the future.

Barite as an industrial mineral in Nigeria: occurrence, utilization, challenges and future prospects.

Barite is a non-metallic mineral which is simply barium sulfate (BaSO4) and is largely used by the oil and gas industry as a weighting agent in drilling mud during drilling operations. The specific gravity of barite should range from 4.1 to 4.6 to be applicable as a drilling mud additive. This study considered the occurrence, utilization and challenges facing the mining of barite in Nigeria. It also discussed the global reserve, production and consumption of barite and types of barite ores and associated minerals in Nigeria. With the use of data from various ministries, departments and agencies involved in the records of operations within the Nigerian solid minerals sector, the nature of occurrence of barite in Nigeria has been reviewed. The various reported deposits areas have been elucidated while the associated minerals along with the quality reserve estimates have been discussed. Reported geochemical and geological studies of the barite mineralization in Nigeria show cream to grey, reddish-brown, whitish and pinkish varieties. The quality of the Nigerian barite is moderate to high. It is often associated with dolomite, fluorite, quartz, calcite, etc. The major impurities found in the mineral are iron oxide (goethite), quartz, and carbonates of magnesium, iron and calcium. Enumeration of the challenges facing the exploitation of the mineral has been revealed to include poor infrastructural development, safety and security, insufficient geophysical and geoscience data information and crude mining techniques. The barite production industry still has a huge potential for growth if these challenges are addressed.

Plasticity characterization of certain Nigeria clay minerals for their application in ceramic water filters.

Plasticity is an essential property of clay that determines its suitability for water filtration. There are no published works on the plastic behavior of clays from the study locations. The plastic behavior of seven Nigerian clays was examined using plasticity indices and compressive stress parameters in relation to chemical compositions and moisture content. The objective is to determine plastic behavior of some Nigerian clays and their suitability in production of Expanded Clay Aggregates (ECA) for water filters. Compressive stresses and deformation parameters were determined experimentally and compared theoretically. Atterberg limits (D 4318) were used to determine the plasticity indices. Chemical compositions of the samples were examined with XRF and correlated with plasticity and mineral contents of the clays. The clays are aluminosilicates with SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of 1.61 to 3.03 and plastic indices of 8 to 49. Low plastic indices (8-11) and low compressive stresses parameters were observed for kaolinite clays (0.002 MPa) due to their low affinity for water while zeolite rich clays showed high plastic indices (46 and 49) for Obowo and Minna and sharp difference in their compressive stresses parameters (0.15 and 0.03 MPa) at optimum moisture contents of 57% and 53%, respectively. Despite varying moisture content, chemical and mineral compositions, all curves showed similar trends apart from kaolinites at 40% moisture content. Relationships exist among microstructural properties, chemical composition, moisture content, compressive strength, and plasticity indices of the clays. The plastic behaviors show they are suitable for development of ECA for water filters.

Assessment of stability of a Himalayan road cut slope with varying degrees of weathering: A finite-element-model-based approach.

Slope stability assessment is essential for safe and sustainable development widely applied in mining, civil, and environmental engineering projects around the world. This study aimed to conduct a stability analysis of a selected Himalayan road cut slope from two different sections, named sections (A) and (B). The strength reduction factor (SRF) based on the finite element method was used to simulate the slope sections using Phase2 software. A mesh pattern of six node triangle elements was used during the numerical simulation. The Mohr-Coulomb parameters and other inputs used in the numerical modelling of the investigated slope were estimated by different geotechnical tests, namely, the direct shear test, density analysis test, rock hardness test, and Brazilian test. The results indicated that the critical SRF of the completely weathered slope profile section (A), with a relatively low overall angle, was found to be 1.25, which is approximately 50% lower than the value obtained in the moderately to highly weathered profile section (B), equal to 2.53. These results are in agreement with other published studies, which revealed that the geometry of a slope influences the weathering grade, which in turn destabilizes the slope. The results of this study will help in engineering slope design considering the influence of weathering.

Characterization of certain Nigerian clay minerals for water purification and other industrial applications.

Seven Nigerian clays and clay minerals were characterized by multiple means with respect to their potential application in water purification and other industrial areas. The morphology was determined by means of SEM while chemical/mineral compositions were quantified using EDX, XPS and XRD. FT-IR and UV methods were employed to investigate the functional groups, inter alia the physical and chemical behaviours of adsorbed species. The stability in aqueous solution was determined by zeta potential measurements. The combined results revealed that the clays are mostly kaolin and illite, while clay minerals are predominantly gibbsite and quartz, although other clay-associated minerals and elements were also observed. Two out of the characterized samples will find suitable application in filter media production for water purification due to the possession of exchangeable cations and electrophoresis properties, while the others possess potential industrial applications for refractory linings, ceramics, medical, beauty and cosmetics products. This outcome implies a utilization increase in local content and a value addition to minerals in Nigeria. The results of the study are being used to design and facilitate expanded clay aggregate production to be used for the development of low-cost water filters to address the challenge of poor access to potable water in Africa and other developing continents.