Reckson Kamusoko | Chinhoyi University Of Technology (original) (raw)

Papers by Reckson Kamusoko

Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining

Performance of Jatropha in sub-Saharan Africa was evaluated. Analysis based on agronomic, economi... more Performance of Jatropha in sub-Saharan Africa was evaluated. Analysis based on agronomic, economic, social, and environmental factors. Major challenge is low yields, usually less than 2 t/ha and poor economic returns. Evidences show that most of the claims about Jatropha have not been realised.

CLEAN - Soil, Air, Water, 2017

Contamination of water resources by organic and inorganic pollutants emitted from industrial and ... more Contamination of water resources by organic and inorganic pollutants emitted from industrial and non-industrial activities is a global concern. The availability of toxic pollutants in high concentrations may be lethal to humans and the natural ecosystem. Established technologies that range from biological to chemical methods are available to ameliorate polluted environments. Traditional remediation technologies including physical, chemical and thermal processes have several drawbacks. The key point is that the fate of most of their products is not known. Recently, phytoremediation has gathered momentum and has attracted the interest of many scientists. It has more advantages than traditional methods. Phytoremediation uses plant mechanisms to remodel contaminated environments. The technologies include phytoextraction, rhizofiltration, phytostabilization, phytodegradation and phytovolatization. These approaches differ in purposes and goals which can be remediation, detoxification, management of water movement, and leaching of contaminants, containment and stabilization. Jatropha has now emerged as a plant that can be exploited for phytoremediation. The plant is able to survive on degraded land, often poor and fragile soils. Jatropha has the ability to facilitate sequestration, uptake, translocation and detoxification of pollutants. The objective of this paper is to provide a review of the utility of Jatropha for phytoremediation of heavy metals and emerging contaminants. Phytoremediation is a new area undergoing extensive scientific research and development. Thus, amalgamation of trends in research and development is essential in order to shape and guide future work.

Cogent Engineering, 2017

The paper analyses the generation of electricity from biomass sources in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)... more The paper analyses the generation of electricity from biomass sources in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) between 2003 and 2012. The electrification rate in SSA was 32% as compared to 92, 70 and 94% in China and East Asia, South Asia and Latin America, respectively. This is a serious issue that affects development. An estimated 620 million people in SSA have no access to electricity. Yet SSA abounds in biomass resources, it produces less than 1% of its electricity from biomass. The structure of electricity production in SSA shows that generation mix is dominated by hydropower (23%) and fossil fuels (73.3%). There has been a significant temporal variation in the quantum of electricity produced from biomass in SSA between 2003 and 2012. The trend has been rather static. Only 13 countries in SSA produce electricity from biomass sources. However, there are significant spatial variations with Eastern and Southern Africa producing more electricity from biomass sources than Western Africa.

Waste and Biomass Valorization, 2017

Energy Sources, Part B: Economics, Planning, and Policy, 2016

ABSTRACT This paper provides an analysis of life-cycle assessment (LCA) of Jatropha biodiesel wit... more ABSTRACT This paper provides an analysis of life-cycle assessment (LCA) of Jatropha biodiesel with a view to outline the environmental quality norms of Jatropha biodiesel. The underlying issue is that biofuels need to mitigate the effects of climate change and provide sustainable energy alternatives to fossil fuels. Thus, there is need for empirical evidence on the sustainability of Jatropha biodiesel in order to inform both biofuels policies and development of options for technical intervention to improve the environmental footprint of Jatropha biodiesel. Ten LCAs of Jatropha biodiesel are analyzed in this paper. The paper considers impact categories, which include energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) balance, land-use impact, acidification, and eutrophication. The general trend emerging from this analysis is that although Jatropha biodiesel has positive energy and GHG balances, there are site-specific variances and numerous opportunities for improvement.

Heavy metals are of significant bioimportance as trace elements. However, the biotoxic effects of... more Heavy metals are of significant bioimportance as trace elements. However, the biotoxic effects of heavy metals to man and his environment are of great concern. The study was conducted to assess the levels of physicochemical parameters and heavy metals in both fresh water supplies and wastewaters. Fresh water supplies and wastewater samples from Chinhoyi (n=7) and Harare (n=8) were collected and analysed for the presence and concentrations of heavy metals: Atomic absorption spectra (ZF-9, Japan) was employed to analyse trace elements of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and lead (Pb). Analyses of elements were done following calibration and equilibration of the equipment by known standard procedures. Temperature and pH were determined during sampling using Mettler Toledo universal Pocket Meter (USA). The mean concentrations of samples from each of these two cities were computed using simple descriptive statistics. The characteristics for samples from Chinhoyi were p...

Keywords Abstract Fruit processing Formulation Food products Communal Farmers The paper presents ... more Keywords Abstract Fruit processing Formulation Food products Communal Farmers The paper presents formulation for a nutritious citrus punch ready to drink. The aim was to find a way of adding value to communally produced citrus fruits in Rusitu Valley, where the farmers are facing postharvest losses which are greater than 30%. Three trial recipes were developed by mixing juices from oranges, lemons, and naartjies. In all recipes, fruit juice proportions were varied and other ingredients (water, sugar, citric acid, preservatives, and colours) were held constant. The recipes were presented to ten trained panellists for sensory evaluation. The nutritional content was determined using a lacto-scan machine. Consumer acceptance tests were conducted within the Chimanimani district. The product had 5 % protein content, 7% carbohydrates, 1.3% ash, 86 % moisture content and 0% fat content. The drink had an average consumer acceptance of 80%, density 49.19, and pH 3.37. Yeasts and moulds were n...

The potential impact of effluent (from treated and semi-treated sewage) discharged from Crowborou... more The potential impact of effluent (from treated and semi-treated sewage) discharged from Crowborough Sewage Treatment Works on water quality of Marimba River and Lake Chivero was investigated. This was done by monitoring levels of selected physical and chemical water quality parameters in sewage and its effluents sampled over a period of eight months (from January to August). Samples were collected from: raw sewage; digesters; seepage effluent (final effluent from farm to the river), and pond effluent. The sewage quality parameters monitored were ammonia, phosphates, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR) and selected heavy metals: lead (Pb); zinc (Zn); copper (Cu); cadmium (Cd), and chromium (Cr). The variation in mean levels of these pollutants in sewage sludge and seepage effluent were computed using one way Analysis of Variance (p<0.05). The overall quality status of the sewage effluents was evaluated by comparison with the ...

The Open Renewable Energy Journal, 2015

Jatropha is largely a semi-wild plant under domestication. There is wide variation in morphologic... more Jatropha is largely a semi-wild plant under domestication. There is wide variation in morphological and agronomic traits of Jatropha. There are several endeavours to improve the genetic quality of Jatropha. Various seed yield ranges have been reported for Jatropha, for example, 0.4-12 t ha-1. Proper identification and characterisation of the plant's germplasm is central in genetic improvement of the plant. This paper evaluates the utility of markers for determination of genetic diversity in Jatropha. Several marker techniques are available for genetic characterisation of Jatropha. These include morphological and DNA-based markers. DNA-based markers such as RAPD, AFLP, RFLP, SSR and ISSR have been applied in evaluation of genetic diversity in Jatropha. Each of these techniques has its own advantages and limitations that determine its applicability in plant genetic diversity studies. This paper recommends application of a combination of markers as a reliable approach for determination of intra-specific genetic diversity in Jatropha.

Journal of Animal Science Advances, 2013

A total of 8 fish species (n=465) were caught by gill nets from December 2009 to May 2010 to inve... more A total of 8 fish species (n=465) were caught by gill nets from December 2009 to May 2010 to investigate fish ecology in Insukamini dam. The species were identified as: Serranochromis robustus (n=18), Micropterus salmoides (n=36), Clarias gariepinus (n=72), Oreochromis mortimeri (n=192), Oreochromis macrochir (n=27), Tilapia rendalli (57), Tilapia sparrmanii (n=6) and Oreochromis niloticus (n=57). The largest catches of fish were recorded in February (n=210). O. mortimeri reported the most abundant fish species of 41.29 %. The least abundant fish species of 1.29 % was found in T. sparrmanni. C. gariepinus had the highest mean standard length and weight of 40 cm (ranged from 31.5 to 51.0 cm) and 1082.8 g (ranged from 506 to 1 220 g) respectively. T. Rendalli showed the lowest mean standard length and weight of 16.4 cm (ranged from 12.4 to 25.0 cm) and 215.8 g (ranged from 180 to 350 g) respectively. The diets of S. robustus, M. salmoides and C. gariepinus comprised of fish, snails, insects and worms. Fish were the most dominant food for the predators accounting for 94 % of the stomach contains in M. salmoides. The stomach of C. gariepinus contained 78.8 % unidentified digested material while S. robustus had 11.8 % empty stomachs. The total numbers and sizes of fish caught were mainly affected by predation, poaching, inter-and intra-specific competition and gill nets of the same inch size that were used.

Biofuel Research Journal, 2015

HIGHLIGHTS Performance of Jatropha in sub-Saharan Africa was evaluated. Analysis based on agron... more HIGHLIGHTS Performance of Jatropha in sub-Saharan Africa was evaluated. Analysis based on agronomic, economic, social, and environmental factors. Major challenge is low yields, usually less than 2 t/ha and poor economic returns. Evidences show that most of the claims about Jatropha have not been realised.

Biofuel Research Journal

HIGHLIGHTS ➢The biomethane potential (BMP) provides baseline data for the performance of AD. ➢Bot... more HIGHLIGHTS ➢The biomethane potential (BMP) provides baseline data for the performance of AD. ➢Both experimental and theoretical methods to determine BMP have been reviewed. ➢The BMP test is the most widely used method and is credited for reliability and validity of its results.

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a geographical region consisting of 49 countries, out of which at lea... more Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a geographical region consisting of 49 countries, out of which at least 39 countries have experience with the cultivation of Jatropha curcas L. Since the year 2000, jatropha production escalated in SSA and peaked around 2007/2008. The major drivers of this trend were initial claims made about jatropha including its ability to grow on marginal lands, high seed and oil yields and being drought tolerant, amongst other attributes. This chapter describes the experience in SSA with jatropha cultivation. The objective is to outline how jatropha has performed in the region with a view to promote development work on the crop. It is now clear that the initial claims about jatropha have not been realized. Evidence in SSA has shown the major challenges as low seed yields, vulnerability to pests and diseases and low economic viability. This has been due to lack of elite planting materials, poor agronomic practices and inadequate crop management systems. These hindranc...

The quest to pursue alternative options to fossil fuels on the African continent has been trigger... more The quest to pursue alternative options to fossil fuels on the African continent has been triggered by well-known contemporary imperatives. Biofuels are now an established alternative to fossil fuels. The increasing focus on bioenergy has been buttressed by various policies in many countries in Africa that encourage production and consumption of biofuels. With annual gross domestic product growth rates reaching 5% during the past decade, more than twice that of the 1980s and 1990s, Africa has become one of the fastest growing continents. Access to modern and sustainable energy will be critical to sustain these positive signals. Biomass is by far the most important renewable energy resource in Africa. Bioenergy represents almost 50% of the total primary energy supply for the African continent. Africa is second to Asia supplying and consuming 26% of global bioenergy. Between 2005 and 2012 there was a 22% increase in bioenergy supply in Africa. However, most of this energy is used as h...

Methods in Molecular Biology

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a popular molecular tool for detection of bacteria. PCR allows... more Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a popular molecular tool for detection of bacteria. PCR allows millions of copies of a target segment of DNA to be produced. The DNA is extracted from overnight grown cultures of pure bacterial isolates using either the organo-solvent method or a commercial DNA extraction kit. The quality and purity of the DNA is determined by performing gel electrophoresis on 0.8% agarose gel. The DNA is amplified by performing PCR assay. Bands of approximately 1.5 kb in size are obtained from the amplified products of DNA. The PCR products run on 1.5% agarose gel are visualized with UV light and imaged by gel documentation system. This chapter outlines the protocol for isolation and amplification of DNA from cellulolytic bacteria. Cellulolytic bacteria are considered a potential source of cellulases for pretreatment of crop residues during biogas production. PCR is considered a very powerful, sensitive, specific, fast, and reliable tool in molecular detection and diagnostics.