Papers by Ocholi Ochimana
The assessment of the levels of Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) in borehole and well water samples in ... more The assessment of the levels of Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) in borehole and well water samples in Wukari, Northeastern Nigeria is presented in this study. Densely populated areas within the township were selected for this study. Mean values (Pb, mg/L) of 0.48 ± 0.02, 0.08±0.04, 0.46±0.41, 0.03 and 0.
In this study, the synchronous removal of Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ ions from aqueous solutions by colloida... more In this study, the synchronous removal of Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ ions from aqueous solutions by colloidal particles made from rice husk ash (RHA) in aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution was investigated. The RHA derived from rice husk waste generated from the rice mills in Wukari, northeastern Nigeria was combined with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) for the metal ions adsorption. The adsorption studies under different experimental conditions were optimized and the removal of Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ ions was highly pH dependent. The results indicated that pH 8.0 was the optimum for the removal of the metal ions. Adsorption equilibration time was achieved in 2 hours with maximum removal efficiency of the metals ions attained at 71.8 and 88.9 % for Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ respectively. The equilibrium data were satisfactorily fitted to Langmuir and Freudlich isotherms. The Langmuir isotherm models gave a better representation of the data than the Freudlich isotherms. The RHA-SDS combination showed higher adsorption capacity for Cd 2+ ion compared to Pb 2+ ion under the experimental conditions in the single and binary solutions. The study showed that RHA-SDS synergy can be effectively used for the removal of Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ ions from wastewater with higher efficiency compared to the use of RHA alone.
Heavy metal pollution is a major environmental problem, especially around highways with high traf... more Heavy metal pollution is a major environmental problem, especially around highways with high traffic density. This study investigates the levels of Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu in roadside soils of Wukari section of the Wukari-Jalingo highway, Taraba state, Nigeria. Samples were randomly collected and analyzed using standard methods. The mean concentrations (µg/g) of Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu from all sample sites ranged: 89.6-247.0, 0.15-5.3, 26.8-163.0 and 7.1-61.2 respectively. The extent of the heavy metals contamination was assessed, as analytical data were subjected to pollution calculation methods. The contamination factors (CF) reveal extreme contamination of the sites and an increasing trend in the heavy metals concentrations was observed in sites with more human activities. The pollution load index (PLI) showed that the sites are severely polluted as the PLI of the metals from each sample site exceeded the PLI of the background (control) sample (0.7). Spearman's rank correlation analysis showed clear correlations (p<0.001) amongst the metals suggesting a common source. It can be concluded that the study sites pollution is mostly due to automobile emissions. This study provides awareness for residents to avoid activities such as farming, trading etc very close to the highway due to exposures to these toxic metals.
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Papers by Ocholi Ochimana