Browsing by Author "Atiah Kofi"

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Moringa Oleifera Seeds as a Low-cost Biosorbent for Removing Heavy Metals from Waste Water
(University PIM, Banja Luka, 2020-05) Obeng Apori Samuel; Atiah Kofi; Hanyabui Emmanuel; Byalebeka John
Heavy metals are considered to be one of the major contaminants of water in recent years due to their non-biodegradable property; hence making them toxic and bioaccumulate to living organisms. Conventional methods such us chemical precipitation, physical treatment through ion exchangeare used for removing heavy metal ions from water. These methods are expensive and attributed to incomplete metals removal and high cost of treatment. In recent years, researchers have found alternative low cost and effective method for remova lof toxic metals through biosorption process using biologicalmaterials. Moringa oleifera seeds is oneof the biological materials which has effective adsorption capacity for removal of heavy metals from water and wastewater.In this article, the seeds of Moringa oleifera seeds as a low-cost biosorbent for removal of heavy metals is presented.Moringa oleifera seeds is inexpensive material that contains amino acids. The amino acid is a major constituent of the functional groups that aids in greater ability of heavy metals removal through metal ion exchange or complexation, which is mainly affected by pH, biosorbent dosage, and contact time. Moringa oleifera seeds residues have a greater capacity to absorb heavy metals in a single solution compared to multi ion solution.
Phosphorus Sorption in Tropical Soils
(AIMS Press, 2020-09) Hanyabui Emmanuel; Obeng Apori Samuel; Agyei Frimpong Kwame; Atiah Kofi; Abindaw Thomas; Ali Muhammed; Yeboah Asiamah Joshua; Byalebeka John
Phosphorus is an important primary nutrient required by plants in large quantities. The various forms of P that plants can take up are the primary monobasic phosphate ion (H2PO4−), secondary dibasic phosphate ion (HPO42−) and phosphate ion (PO43−). In tropical soils, phosphorus adsorption is a major process that controls its availability to crops.Soils with low phosphorus adsorption capacity are often unable to supply adequate phosphorus to the growing crops thereby affecting their yields.This paper reviews the phosphorus adsorption phenomenon in a tropical soil. The review showed that Langmuir isotherm, Freundlich isotherm, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) isotherm, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Temkin isotherm are the mostly used isotherms models for describing phosphorus adsorption. From the review, soil acidity and alkalinity,soil temperature and the electrical potential of clay surface are the main factors influencing phosphorus adsorption. Also, precipitation was discovered to be the main mechanism of P adsorption in tropical soils.Fertilization practices such as the addition of organic manure, crop residues, rock phosphate, water-soluble P fertilizers and incorporation of phosphorus solubilizing organism are highly recommended to increase P solubility and availability in highly weathered soil.
Potential of Termite Mounds and its Surrounding Soils as Soil Amendments in Smallholder Farms in Central Uganda
(BMC Research Notes, 2020) Obeng Apori Samuel; Murongo Marius; Hanyabui Emmanuel; Atiah Kofi; Byalebeka John
The low fertility of highly weathered soils has been a major problem for resource-constrained small-holder farmers. In central Uganda, smallholder farmers have been collecting termite mound soils anywhere around the termite mound to improve their soil fertility. However, no studies have been conducted on which sections of the termite mounds consist of high soil nutrients. This study was conducted to assess selected major soil essential plant nutrients of soils collected from the top of the mound (TPMS), and the basal part of the mound (BPMS). The surrounding soil samples were collected from five, fifteen, and thirty meters away from the mound (TMSS1, TMSS2, and TMSS3 respectively), covering ten termite mounds in five different maize fields in central Uganda.Results:TPMS and BPMS had significant (P-value < 0.05) higher N, P, K, OC, Ca and Mg levels than TMSS1, TMSS2, and TMSS3. However, OC levels in BPMS was higher than TPMS. On the whole, termite mounds are beneficial as a source for essential plant nutrients. It will be best if smallholder farmers could collect the termite mound soils from the top and the basal part of the mound to improve the fertility of their soil.