Scientific African最新文献

{"title":"Experimental and numerical analysis of a reactor for plastic waste conversion and performance evaluation of pyrolytic fuel blend with diesel in a 1.6 HDi engine","authors":"Jamal Oufkir ,&nbsp;Soumaya Ounacer ,&nbsp;Rachid Cherouaki ,&nbsp;Said Belaaouad","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02595","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02595","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the potential of fuel obtained through pyrolysis of plastic waste as a substitute for traditional diesel in powering diesel engines. For this purpose, reactor optimization was conducted through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) using ANSYS software, minimizing thermal stresses and deformations, thus ensuring the resistance and stability of the pyrolysis unit materials at high temperatures. A maximum yield of 74.3 % by weight of Crude Pyrolytic Oil (CPO) was achieved at temperatures of 380 °C and 390 °C. FT-IR and GC–MS analyses revealed that CPO oil primarily consists of aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds, with carbon chains ranging from C₈ to C₂₈. After filtration and purification of the CPO oil, the PPFO10 blend, consisting of 10 % pyrolytic oil and 90 % diesel, was tested on a 1.6HDi diesel engine installed in a vehicle. The performance and emissions of this blend were contrasted with those of pure diesel. The findings indicated that the PPFO10 blend exhibited performance almost equivalent to that of pure diesel. Full-load tests indicated slightly reduced CO₂ emissions, while CO, UHC, and NO_x emissions were slightly increased with the PPFO10 blend. However, the study concludes that the utilization of pyrolytic oil as a substitute for diesel holds promising potential for reducing fossil resource depletion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02595"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143509305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In vivo anti-inflammatory activity, acute toxicity profiling, and sub-acute toxicity profiling of extracts from the fruit pulp and seeds of african baobab (Adansonia digitata L.)","authors":"Mercy Badu ,&nbsp;Philip T. Thompson ,&nbsp;Vivian E. Boamah","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02615","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02615","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Adansonia digitata</em> (L.) is an ancient plant widely known for its diverse medicinal properties. The pulp and seeds of this plant are commonly consumed by rural populations in Africa, valued for their poly-therapeutic benefits. This study investigates the anti-inflammatory activity, acute toxicity, and sub-acute toxicity of extracts from the pulp and seeds using animal models. The anti-inflammatory potential was assessed using a carrageenan-induced foot edema model in 7-day-old chicks, while the acute and sub-acute toxicities were evaluated in Wistar albino rats. In the anti-inflammatory study, the fruit pulp extract exhibited an ED₅₀ value of 282.12 mg/kg BW, while the seed extracts showed similar activity with ED₅₀ values of 338.41 mg/kg BW for the polar extract and 347.40 mg/kg BW for the non-polar extract. In the acute toxicity evaluation, no mortality was observed at the highest administered dose of 5000 mg/kg BW, suggesting an LD₅₀ value above the highest administered dose. Sub-acute toxicity studies over 28 days revealed significant increases (p &lt; 0.05) in body weight, absolute organ weight, and relative organ weight in rats, yet without adverse effects on hematological or biochemical parameters. Histopathological analysis confirmed the absence of damage to kidney and liver tissues, indicating the safety of the extracts at doses below the estimated LD₅₀. In conclusion, the extracts demonstrate notable anti-inflammatory activity and appear safe for consumption within the tested dose range, supporting their traditional use for health benefits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02615"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143527064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unit exponentiated Weibull model with applications","authors":"Ammar M. Sarhan ,&nbsp;M.E. Sobh","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02606","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02606","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developing new effective statistical distributions tailored to model data on the unit interval is essential in modern data analysis. In this article, we propose a novel distribution on the unit interval, termed the unit exponentiated Weibull distribution, derived from the three-parameter exponentiated Weibull distribution. We will explore the key statistical properties of this new distribution and employ the maximum likelihood and least squares methods for parameter estimation. A simulation study is conducted to evaluate the performance of the maximum likelihood and least squares estimates. The simulation study demonstrates that the maximum likelihood method outperforms the least squares method in estimating the three parameters of the underlying model. To illustrate the practical utility of the proposed model, we analyze real-world datasets and compare its performance against other established distributions. The results show that the proposed model provides a superior fit to the competing models considered in the study.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02606"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143527067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A bibliometric analysis on renewable energy microgrids integrating hydrogen storage: Strategies for optimal sizing and energy management","authors":"Mukhtar Fatihu Hamza ,&nbsp;Babangida Modu","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02609","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02609","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hydrogen is regarded as a viable alternative energy carrier because of its superior energy density and low emissions, with great potential for decarbonizing multiple sectors and improving energy sustainability by integrating into the existing energy systems and renewable energy source within the utility. This paper provides a bibliometric assessment through an extensive review of highly cited articles on hydrogen storage integrated microgrid. The study utilized the Web of Science (WoS) database to look for specific keywords related to hydrogen storage integrated microgrid and associated research. The findings reveal that optimization, highly positioned and connected to many other keywords, is demonstrating its importance in the research area. Notable insights highlight the dominance of simulation-based studies, a significant number of publications in top-tier journals, and the rise of innovative research fields, including the creation of sustainable electrodes and improvements in system reliability and efficiency. The evaluation of the articles that are highly cited sheds light on diverse elements, such as approach and system, challenges, and research spaces. This analysis shows ways to improve the performance of operation, energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, cost-effectiveness, stable supply of power, on-location energy generation, and flexibility, thereby advancing technological innovation and fostering the development of hydrogen storage-integrated microgrids.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02609"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143511849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mineralogical and petrographic characterisation of flake graphite in the graphite mica schist rocks from the Nubian Desert, Sudan","authors":"Dalal Desouqi ,&nbsp;Mohamad Amran Mohd Salleh ,&nbsp;Muhammad Hatta Roselee ,&nbsp;Aisyah M Yahya ,&nbsp;Bushra Abdo Alsalam ,&nbsp;Suraya Abdul Rashid","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02602","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02602","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Nubian Desert in Sudan, spanning from the Nile River in Wadi Halfa to the eastern Red Sea region, hosts graphite-bearing rocks that can potentially meet the increasing demand for natural graphite, a critical mineral in green energy technologies. This study is the first to investigate the detailed mineralogical and petrographic characteristics of graphite-bearing rocks from this region using petrography, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The Nubian Desert flake graphite is of high-grade and hosted in metamorphic graphite schist that has been subjected to an increasing regional environment of amphibolite-to-greenschist facies. The schist is of high-grade and fine-grained, with a clear foliation texture composed of graphite (10 %), quartz (35 %), mica (biotite+muscovite) (50 %), and albite (5 %). Fine graphite flakes, ranging from 50 to 150 µm in length with an average width of 46 µm, are disseminated along the schist foliation texture. The quantitative elemental contents are C (10 %), SiO₂ (60 %), Al₂O₃ (20 %), and K₂O (10 %). Approximately 84 % of the total carbon is graphite, whereas 16 % is graphitised carbon, which can be upgraded by froth flotation and acid leaching. Although the crystallinity and microcrystal structure of the graphite require further investigation, the preliminary mineralogical features meet the international standards for high-grade fine-flake graphite and suggest its suitability for advanced processing and exploration. These findings highlight the Nubian Desert as an important and underexplored graphite resource, necessitating expanded geological and industrial investigations to meet the growing demand for critical minerals required for sustainable energy technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02602"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143509307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Migration, factor mobility and economic complexity in African countries","authors":"Solomon O. Okunade ,&nbsp;Oyindamola O. Adeyemo ,&nbsp;Oluwole J. Adeyemi ,&nbsp;Evans Osabuohien","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02601","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02601","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The African region's ability to diversify and become more complex economically is limited due to the low productive capacities and sophistication of the economies. For African countries, moving up the complexity ladder is critical for achieving sustainable development goals and reducing vulnerability to external shocks. This requires a critical examination of several macroeconomic factors, among which migration and factor mobility are substantial, especially where international factor movements remain almost uncontrollable. This empirical study therefore explores how migration and factor mobility influence economic complexity, diversification, and sophistication across low-, lower-middle-, and upper-middle-income African countries based on 2024 World Bank income classifications. The study employs panel-corrected standard errors (PCSE), feasible generalised least squares (FGLS), and the Dumitrescu-Hurlin non-causality test to achieve its objectives using a balanced panel of 34 African countries. The findings show that net migration generally hinders economic complexity, while remittances inflows enhance economic complexity in Africa especially in lower-middle-income countries. Also, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows have no significant influence on economic complexity due to its concentration in the primary and extractive sectors, whereas FDI outflows promote it by fostering domestic firms' capabilities. Also, high net foreign assets hinder economic complexity due to capital being held abroad rather than invested domestically. The study contributes to knowledge by underscoring the need for policies that retain and effectively utilise domestic capital, mitigate brain drains, strategically attract FDI, and leverage remittances for productive investments. By addressing these factors, African countries can enhance their economic complexity, leading to more robust and diversified economies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02601"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143511726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of groundwater potential in the Khenifra-Azrou basin, Central Massif, Morocco using frequency ratio and Shannon's entropy approaches","authors":"Anouar Taibou ,&nbsp;Halima Jounaid ,&nbsp;Jalal Moustadraf ,&nbsp;Fouad Amraoui","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02616","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02616","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The objective of this research is to identify groundwater potential zones in the fractured terrain of the Khenifra-Azrou Basin using the Frequency Ratio (FR) and Shannon's Entropy (SE) models. A total of thirteen factors influencing groundwater were included, including distance to faults, fault density, distance to rivers, drainage density, Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI), Land Surface Temperature (LST) and several topographical factors such as elevation, slope, slope aspect, profile curvature, plan curvature, Topographic Position Index (TPI) and Topographic Wetness Index (TWI). Groundwater potential maps were generated from the two models and were classified into four classes: low, moderate, high and very high. These maps were then validated based on the distribution of water points across the potential zones and by calculating the accuracy (ACC) and kappa coefficient. The results for the Frequency Ratio model show that the high and very high potential zones cover 37.72 % and 19.71 % of the area, while for the Shannon's Entropy model these zones cover 35.33 % and 20.22 % respectively. Validation with water points showed that for the FR model 41.03 % and 43.68 % were in the high and very high zones, whereas for the SE model 37.29 % and 45.09 % were in these classes. The accuracy and kappa coefficients for the FR model were 85.77 % and 57.64 %, and for the SE model were 85.77 % and 58.87 %. These results provide important insights for groundwater management and planning in the Khenifra-Azrou Basin.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02616"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143527050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Removal of organic compounds from olive mill wastewater using an eco-friendly adsorbent: Characterization, kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamics, and interaction analysis","authors":"Malika Ammari ,&nbsp;Mohammed Zerrouk ,&nbsp;Imane Zoufri ,&nbsp;Younesse El-Byari ,&nbsp;Abdelhadi Mazrha ,&nbsp;Fatima Ez-zahrae Mrizak ,&nbsp;Mohammed Merzouki","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02612","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02612","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of clinker as a filtering medium is a new method for treating the waste water from olive mills (OMWW), which is a highly toxic effluent for the environment due to its high organic load and its huge concentration of phenolic compounds as confirmed by HPLC analysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersed X-rays (EDX), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to characterize the prepared clinker. Additionally, adsorption tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the clinker. The adsorption study was carried out under different conditions such as contact time, pH value, adsorbate concentration and temperature. The adsorption mechanisms are described using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms, the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models represent the kinetics while the thermodynamic study of adsorption examines how thermodynamic properties influence the adsorption process. The results indicate that the pseudo-second-order model and the Freundlich isotherm are most suitable for the adsorption of OMWW. The results showed that the clinker can adsorb 1001.61 mg/g at an initial concentration of 5000 mg/L.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02612"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143527066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agro-morphological diversity of edible Kenyan Crotalaria accessions","authors":"Joshua Kiilu Muli ,&nbsp;Johnstone O. Neondo ,&nbsp;Nancy L.M. Budambula","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02620","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02620","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food shortage is the insufficiency of food supply; whose greatest contributor is production shortfall. Sub-Saharan Africa is among the poorest regions in the world and is characterized by over-reliance on agriculture. Therefore, there is a need for diverse food sources in the region if food sustainability is to be achieved. The lack of information on the scope of diversity, nutritional and medicinal properties of edible <em>Crotalaria</em> species (rattle pods) limits the prospects of scaling-up their production and development of related pharmaceutical industries. This study aimed to determine the distribution and distinction of edible <em>Crotalaria</em> species in Kenya. Different regions of the country as well as the Genetic Resources Research Institute of Kenya were sampled in a purposive manner. The gathered seeds were established at the University of Embu and the plants were continually evaluated using 8 quantitative and 6 qualitative traits. Three edible species (<em>C. brevidens</em> Benth., <em>C. ochroleuca</em> G Don and <em>C. trichotoma</em> Bojer.) were identified and characterized. Factorial ANOVA revealed significant differences (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001 for all traits) in all the parameters assessed, and minimal diversity in qualitative traits. Pearson's correlation depicted weak to moderate positive and negative correlations in all traits except for leaf area and leaf width which were strongly positively correlated (<em>r</em> = 0.84, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.0001). Principal Coordinate Analysis of the quantitative traits revealed that the first five PCs accounted for 92.9 % of the observed variation, with PC1 having a large positive association with leaf area (0.439), plant height (0.419) and leaf length (0.418), a phenomenon that suggested that this component primarily measures plant biomass. Based on agglomerative hierarchical grouping, the samples were clustered into 6 groups. All the qualitative traits under study except the pod shape were intermixed among the samples and did not reveal proper distinctions among the species under study. This study serves as a basis for identification of additional edible species, in an effort to enhance food security.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02620"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143529588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Boosting the industrial capacity of Ghana in artisanal chocolate processing; a financial feasibility study","authors":"Bernard Kwamena Cobbina Essel ,&nbsp;Miroslava Bavorova ,&nbsp;Lovenger Appiah ,&nbsp;Prince Asiedu ,&nbsp;Faizal Adams ,&nbsp;Emmanuel Tetteh Jumpah","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02611","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02611","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ghana, the world's second-largest cocoa producer, contributes nearly 45 % of global cocoa output but processes only 5 % domestically into high-value products. This study evaluates the financial feasibility of small-scale artisanal chocolate processing in Ghana. A case study in the Ga East district utilized capital budgeting techniques—discounted Net Present Value (NPV), Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR), Internal Rate Of Return (IRR), and payback period. Findings indicate that an initial investment of GH₵29,776 (US$5,125) and annual operating costs of GH₵40,415 (US$6,957) are required. With a 27 % opportunity cost of capital, the financial appraisal shows a positive NPV of GH₵107,637 (US$18,525), a BCR of 1.75, and an IRR of 108.62 %. The payback period is estimated at 7 months. Investing in artisanal chocolate processing is financially viable and could positively impact local economic development and job creation. The study concludes that investment in entrepreneurship programmes,providing finacial support, and simplifying regulatory framework will improve artisanal enterprise chocolate processing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02611"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143527065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}