Browsing by Author "Bolender, James"

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    Hydrochemistry and fluoride contamination in Ndali-Kasenda crater lakes, Albertine Graben: assessment based on multivariate statistical approach and human health risk.
    (Elsevier, 2021-08-08) Ojok, Walter; Wanasolo, William; Wasswa, John; Bolender, James; Ntambi, Emmanuel
    Hydrochemistry of crater lakes (n = 15) in the Ndali-Kasenda cluster was deciphered using standard methods of the American Public Health Association to understand the major ion chemistry; spatial distribution, occurrence, and non-carcinogenic health risks due to exposure to fluoride levels in the lakes in Ndali- Kasenda cluster, Albertine Graben. Numerous economic activities take place in and around the crater lakes which serve as major sources of domestic water whose origin of potential contaminants is ambiguous. In this study, WHO (2017)regulatory limit exceedance included F−, pH, Ca2+, Fe2+, Mn2+, and TDS. A strong positive correlation was observed between F− and TDS; F− and pH; F− and EC; F− and HCO3−. However, concerning hydrogeochemical signature, the lakes are mainly of Ca–HCO3 type and low in Na–K–HCO3 type due to rock water interaction in the geology of the area. Principal component analysis (PCA) performed on Ndali-Kasenda hydrogeochemical data resulted in six principal components (PCs) explaining 88.6% of the total variance. The PCs represented the primary processes that control the crater lake hydrogeochemistry in the Ndali-Kasenda area which include; weathering of rocks reactions, ion exchange, and evaporation processes. The hazard quotient (HQ) for non-carcinogenic health risks associated with exposure to Ndali- Kasenda fluoride levels via ingestion revealed that HQ for infants surpassed the acceptable HQ limit for all the lakes studied, while 86.67 % of the sampled lakes exceeded the HQ value for children via ingestion. Based on the hydrogeochemical parameters analyzed, aside from L. Murigamire and L. Wankenzi, water from the other studied lakes is chemically not acceptable for drinking purposes. An urgent need to take ameliorative action in this area to protect the inhabitants from exposure to excess fluoride in drinking water was recommended.
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    Role of starch in one pot fabrication of mesoporous gamma-alumina with excellent fluoride sorption capacity
    (Elsevier Ltd., 2023-08-28) Ojok, Walter; Moodley, Brenda; Wasswa, John; Ntambi, Emmanuel; Wanasolo, William; Bolender, James
    Green synthesis of mesoporous γ-AƖ2O3, a cutting-edge material for sustainable application in medicine, engineering, energy, and water treatment, is still challenging. Our study used a one-pot strategy for facile synthesis of γ-AƖ2O3 by sol-gel method using starch from cassava waste. AƖ(OH)3 were bound to the O-H groups of the starch molecule to form the AƖ(OH)3-starch complex in a nano-network confined in starch polymer cages. Its calcination at 500 ℃ produced a mesoporous, highly crystalline water stable γ-AƖ2O3 with a pore size of 2.07 nm and an extensive BET surface area (215 cm2/g). Using the response surface methodology (RSM), the as-synthesized γ-AƖ2O3 was optimized for efficient fluoride removal from water. A central composite design (CCD) was used to study the effect of initial fluoride concentration, pH, contact time, and sorbent dose on fluoride removal efficiency and optimization of the process. The relative importance of the sorption process variables to the fluoride removal process was assessed using ANOVA. The quadratic model showed that the predicted response was significantly correlated with the experimental response (R2 = 0.9667), with sorbent dose and pH being the process's most influential factors. Optimum conditions for 93.6% fluoride removal efficiency were sorbent dose of 0.5 g, initial fluoride concentration of 10 mg/L, pH 7, and contact time of 137.5 min. A weakly acidic medium favored fluoride removal from water, while the presence of PO43- and HCO3- retarded the process. The sorption data fitted well in the Langmuir isotherm (0.9783) and pseudo-second-order kinetic model (0.9999), indicative of a chemisorption process. The maximum sorption capacity towards fluoride was 207.5 mg/g. A thermodynamic study indicated that the sorption process was spontaneous and endothermic, with increased randomness at the solid-solution interface. Sorption, desorption, sustainability, and leaching tests showed that the sorbent could be used for sustainable fluoride removal at 8.3 USD/1000 liters of safe drinking water.
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    Synthesis and characterization of hematite biocomposite using cassava starch template for aqueous phase removal of fluoride
    (Elsevier, 2022-08-24) Ojok, Walter; Ntambi, Emmanuel; Bolender, James; Wasswa, John; Wanasolo, William; Moodley, Brenda
    In this study, facile synthesis of α-Fe2O3 biocomposite was mediated by cassava starch as a soft template. Batch mode evaluated its sorption behavior for fluoride removal from aqueous media. Characterization studies using analytical techniques confirmed the existence of porous α- Fe2O3 biocomposite with heterogeneous surfaces having a varied affinity for fluoride. The sorption process was optimized using central composite design (CCD) in response surface methodology (RSM) with a good model prediction (R2 = 0.9066). A study of the interaction effect showed the synergy of process variables on fluoride removal with the result's intensity indicated by the nature of contour plot curvature. Based on the RSM optimization, an optimum fluoride removal efficiency of 85.26 % can be achieved at an initial fluoride concentration of 55 mg/L, α- Fe2O3 biocomposite dose of 0.55 g, pH of 7.5, and contact time of 95 min. Sorption equilibrium data were well modeled by Freundlich isotherm (0.9916), indicating multilayer sorption on a heterogeneous surface of the sorbent with a varied affinity for fluoride. Presence of co-existing anions reduced fluoride removal efficiency in the order PO43− > HCO3− > SO42− > NO3− > CƖ− . At the same time, its kinetics was better modeled by pseudo-second-order kinetics (R2 = 0.9764), showing that the sorption process is rate-limiting. The sorption thermodynamics study showed that the process was spontaneous, exothermic, and entropy-driven physisorption. Hence, the results signify that the green synthesized α- Fe2O3 biocomposite could be a potential sorbent for sustainable defluoridation.