Akakuru Obinna Chigoziem | FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, OWERRI (FUTO) (original) (raw)

Papers by Akakuru Obinna Chigoziem

Arabian Journal of Geosciences

Non-carcinogenic health risk assessment and predicting of organic and heavy metal pollution of gr... more Non-carcinogenic health risk assessment and predicting of organic and heavy metal pollution of groundwater around Osisioma, Nigeria, using Artificial Neural Networks and Multi-Linear Modeling Principles has been done. 30 groundwater samples were collected systematically and analyzed for organic and heavy metal pollutants. The results of the analysis showed that the heavy metals and organic pollutants within the study area contributed to the pollution of groundwater resources in the locality. However, copper, ethylbenzene, xylene and toluene were within the recommended standard, whereas arsenic, iron, chromium, lead, and benzene were above the recommended standard for drinking water. Correlation matrix and principal component analysis assessment indicated weak correlation and that organic pollutants were major contributors to the loadings. The Contamination factor, Pollution load index, Metal pollution index, Geoaccumulation index, Potential ecological risk index, Elemental Contamina...

Chromatographia, 2005

This work focuses on problems regarding empirical retention modelling and optimization of separat... more This work focuses on problems regarding empirical retention modelling and optimization of separation in ion chromatography. Influences of eluent flow rate and concentration of eluent competing ion (OH)) on separation of seven inorganic anions (fluoride, chloride, nitrite, sulphate, bromide, nitrate, and phosphate) were investigated. Artificial neural networks and multiple linear regression retention models in combination with several criteria functions were used and compared in global optimization process. It can be seen that general recommendations for optimization of separation in ion chromatography is application of chromatography exponential function criterion in combination with artificial neural networks retention model.

Biochemistry & Pharmacology: Open Access, 2018

Chitin and chitosan are among the most commonly used natural polymers in nanomedicine because the... more Chitin and chitosan are among the most commonly used natural polymers in nanomedicine because they display very attractive characteristics for drug delivery and have proven very effective when formulated in nanoparticle forms. Properties such as the cationic character and the solubility of chitosan in aqueous medium have been reported as determinants of the success of this polysaccharide. However, its most attractive property relies on its ability to adhere to mucosal surfaces, leading to prolonged residence time at drug absorption sites and enabling higher drug permeation. This is because chitin and chitosan are able to interact with anionic agents and form water-soluble barriers which participate in drug release. The wide nanomedical applications of chitin and chitosan are due not only to their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity, ordourless nature and economic efficiency but also due to their distinct chemical structure with high percentage of primary amino groups and acetamido groups in chitosan and chitin respectively, for easy binding to bio-molecules such as DNAs and proteins. This review highlights the properties and modifications of chitin and chitosan which are responsible for the wide range of applications of these materials, particularly in nanomedicine for drug delivery and gene therapy, thereby encouraging more research into the exploration of their properties and modifications for improved applications.

International journal of energy and water resources, Mar 31, 2022

Journal of Sedimentary Environments

International journal of energy and water resources, Mar 22, 2022

Social Science Research Network, Feb 26, 2018

Determination of water quality index and suitability of groundwater sources in parts of Coastal A... more Determination of water quality index and suitability of groundwater sources in parts of Coastal Aquifers of Eastern Niger Delta Nigeria has been done to ascertain the suitability of the groundwater sources for domestic and agricultural (irrigation) purposes. Forty five (45) water samples were collected within the study area and were subjected to chemical analyses. The results of the investigation revealed that Calcium concentration (mg/l) ranged between 0-0.22, Magnesium concentration (mg/l) ranged between 0.2-4.6, Sodium concentration (mg/l) ranged between 1.2-7.3, Chlorine concentration (mg/l) ranged between 6.0-17.0, Bicarbonate concentration (mg/l) ranged between 17.9-56.3, Arsenic concentration (mg/l) ranged between 0-1.35, Copper concentration (mg/l) ranged between 0-0. 95, Iron concentration (mg/l) ranged between 0-0.09, Mercury concentration (mg/l) ranged between 0-0.014, while Lead concentration (mg/l) ranged between 0-0.4. The Water Quality Index (WQI) in the study area was calculated using eight (8) parameters, and it gave an overall WQI value of 509.9,impling that the samples in this study were grossly unsuitable for drinking purposes, based on the WQI standard. From the result of the Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR), the values of the entire water samples were below 3.5meq/l, indicating predominance of excellent water for irrigation purposes. This study therefore, recommends that the groundwater sources in the study area require treatment before use for domestic purposes, but is suitable for irrigation purposes.

International Journal of Energy and Water Resources, 2022

Sustainable Water Resources Management

A study was conducted in a coastal region of Port Harcourt, Niger Delta, Nigeria, to identify the... more A study was conducted in a coastal region of Port Harcourt, Niger Delta, Nigeria, to identify the hydrogeochemical processes influencing groundwater chemistry. The major geological units of the study area are sand, silt and shale of Oligocene–Pleistocene of Benin Formation. For the purpose of this study, a total of 18 groundwater samples were measured for major ions. Findings from this showed that areas underlined by high electrical conductivity values indicate areas with poor groundwater quality. Results from hydrogeochemical facies analysis plotted in Piper diagram showed a trend of Na+ + K+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > Cl− > SO42¯ > HCO3¯. Further findings from hydrogeochemical analysis revealed that groundwater is of the same origin, deductions from Chadba plot revealed that saline water intrusion influenced hydrochemical composition of groundwater it was reflected by Na–Cl type waters. Results from Gibbs plot revealed that precipitation is major hydrochemical process that influence groundwater, salt water intrusion may also be connected to anthropogenic impacts; such as sewage disposal from septic tanks. In summary, abstraction of groundwater in the area should be reduced, spetic tanks should be built far from where borehole are sunk. Finally government should ensured water purification plant are installed while drilling borehole, to further reduce the current level of salinity in groundwater. Moreso, good hygiene and good sanitary habit should be inculcated by the inhabitant of the study area.

Geosciences Journal

The hydrogeochemical evolution and irrigation suitability assessment of groundwater in selected p... more The hydrogeochemical evolution and irrigation suitability assessment of groundwater in selected parts of Asaba, Nigeria, has been conducted. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the hydrogeochemical relations and interactions of groundwater with rocks, and also assess the usefulness of the groundwater for irrigation purpose. Twenty (20) groundwater samples were analyzed for physical and chemical compositions. All tested water parameters were within the WHO (2017) recommended standard for drinking water except for Fe2+, which showed worrisome amount. Furthermore, hydrogeochemical plot with Piper trilinear diagram showed that groundwater samples in the study area is sodium bicarbonate and mixed water types and Schoeller semi-logarithmic plot showed an ionic trend of HCO3− + CO32− > Na+ + K+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > SO42− > Cl−. Langelier and Ludwig diagrams reveal that the hydrogeochemical evolution trend is towards the Cl−-SO42−-Na+ + K+ compositions. The indices of Chloro-Alkaline (CA) and Index Base Exchange (IBE) shows that the CA1 and CA2 are negative, implying that there is an exchange between (Na+ + K+) in the groundwater and (Ca2+ + Mg2+) of rocks. For the irrigation suitability, the SAR, %Na+, RSC, and MR ranged between 0.5 to1.49, 44.6 to 81.5, 0.48 to 2.02, and 9.61% to 98.8%, respectively. These imply that most of the tested groundwater could be used for irrigation purposes, while some are considered unfit for such. Therefore, regular routine assessment of the groundwater is recommended to ascertain its suitability for agriculture (irrigation) and domestic uses.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

The aim of the study was to assess the status of groundwater quality of Owerri and environs, for ... more The aim of the study was to assess the status of groundwater quality of Owerri and environs, for drinking and irrigation purposes. Twenty-two (22) groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for both chemical and physical compositions. The result of the study showed that groundwater in the area is of good quality for drinking purposes, except for pH and Fe, which had higher concentrations in some areas. A weak correlation matrix within the sampled parameters of the groundwater was observed. Hydrogeochemical studies revealed that 91% of the samples are within the geochemical zone of 4 (strong acids (SO4 + Cl) exceed weak acids (CO3 + HCO3)), while 9% are of the geochemical zone of 3 (weak acids (CO3 + HCO3) exceed strong acids (SO4 + Cl)). The study shows an ionic trend of Cl− > Ca2+ > HCO3− > Na+ + K+ > Mg2+ > SO42− and hydrogeochemical facies of Na-Cl, Ca–Cl, Ca-CO3, Mg-Cl, and Mg-HCO3 of 45.5%, 36.4%, 4.5%, 4.5%, and 9.1% respectively. Chloro-alkaline values were negative except for B4 which was positive. The water quality index (WQI) revealed water quality status of excellent (4.5%), good (27.3%), poor (40.9%), and very poor (27.3%). Contamination factor (CF) reveals that the groundwater is slightly polluted while the pollution load index (PLI) revealed no noticeable pollution. Gibbs diagram revealed that the entire samples are within the rock dominance zone. Irrigation suitability studies showed that SAR of the groundwater was of excellent quality; %Na had good quality (27.3%), permissible quality (45.4%), and doubtful quality (27.3%); MH had 86.4% of the groundwater suitable, while 13.6% are not suitable; KR had suitable groundwater (59.1%) and unsuitable (40.9%); while the Wilcox diagram had 72.7% excellent water for irrigation and 27.3% permissible for irrigation. A routine check of groundwater in the study area is recommended.

The qualitative evaluation and hydrogeochemical attributes of groundwater in Owerri Capital Terri... more The qualitative evaluation and hydrogeochemical attributes of groundwater in Owerri Capital Territory Owerri was investigated to assess the quality for human consumption and agricultural purposes. A total of sixteen (16) groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for physicochemical and biological properties. The range of temperature (oC), colour (Hz), and turbidity of groundwater in the study area are between: 20-28.3, 5-15, and 1-50 respectively. The average of pH , conductivity (us/cm),TDS (mg/l), and hardness (mg/l) are: 7.66, 0.135, 34.64, and 7.94 respectively. The result also reveals that the concentration of Na+(mg/l), K+(mg/l), Ca2+(mg/l), Mg2+(mg/l), Fe+(mg/l), Pb2+(mg/l),Cd2+(mg/l), Cu+(mg/l),and Zn2+ (mg/l) range between: 3.33-7.6, 0.2-6.8, 2.4-8.3,1.02-3.44, 0.001-0.59, 0.001-0.01, 0-0.16, 0.06-2.88 and 0.01-2.18 respectively. Water Classification result of the groundwater samples show the predominance of alkali bicarbonate water type (Na+ + K+) - HCO3- that is lar...

Reactive and Functional Polymers

Abstract Slow drug release from swellable matrices has attracted attention among researchers due ... more Abstract Slow drug release from swellable matrices has attracted attention among researchers due to its target-specificity and the economics of slow release strategy. For this purpose, we synthesized chitosan (CS) and modified same by grafting with polyethylene glycol (PEG). The CS-g-PEG was blended with starch (ST), crosslinked with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) and loaded with clotrimazole (CTZ) as a model drug. These microparticles (beads) were characterized by FTIR, TGA, and SEM. The swelling rates of the beads in acidic and basic media which decreased as pH increased were better described by second-order kinetics. The amounts of CTZ released from the beads increased as the ST composition increased but generally decreased for the TPP-crosslinked beads. Cumulative CTZ release of 61.72 and 34.31% were obtained for the uncrosslinked and TPP-crosslinked 0.5:0.5 CS-g-PEG:ST beads in 60 min, respectively. Their release rates were best described by zero-order kinetics while the release mechanism followed less-Fickian diffusional release, with release exponents ranging from 0.08 to 0.39. Hitherto, there is no literature on the release of CTZ from uncrosslinked and/or TPP-crosslinked CS-g-PEG:ST beads. Our findings show that these novel CS-g-PEG:ST beads can be utilized for the in vitro slow release of CTZ, with potential for in vivo application.

Journal of Geological Research

Hydrochemical studies was carried out within two geological groups of the Albian to Turonian in ... more Hydrochemical studies was carried out within two geological groups of the Albian to Turonian in age to evaluate factors that influences hydrochemistry of groundwater. To achieve this, 30 groundwater samples were collected. Parameters such as pH, Electrical Conductivity (Ec), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Hardness (TH) and hydrochemical characteristics (Na2+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, HCO3¯, NO3¯, Cl¯, CO23¯ and SO42¯) of groundwater were determined. Findings revealed that pH value for Asu River Group ranges from 5.3 to 7.5, and that of Eze Aku Group ranges from 4.1 to 7.9. It was observed that areas around the mines had low pH value. Analyzed results that was obtained were interpreted using various hydrogeochemical models. Parson plots showed that groundwater within the two geological groups fell within Ca˗Mg˗SO4 and Ca˗Mg˗Cl. Results from End˗member plots revealed that 96 % groundwater samples analyzed were categorize under carbonate weathering, 4 % fell under silicate weathering. Ded...

International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials