FUDMA Journal of Engineering and Technology (FJET)
ISSN: 3092-9385
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FUDMA Journal of Engineering and Technology (FJET) (ISSN: 3092-9385) is a peer-reviewed open access journal, which is domiciled in the Faculty of Engineering of Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Nigeria. FJET aims to promote the discovery, advancement and dissemination of innovative and original research results in different branches of engineering and technology to the wider public. FJET provides a platform for fast publication of research outputs. All papers are freely available online with a permanent web identifier. The papers will be submitted for indexing in major academic databases. The Journal accepts original research contributions that have not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere.
The scope of FJET includes, but not limited to, aeronautical/astronautical, aerospace, agricultural and biosystems, automotive, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical and electronics, environmental, food science and technology, industrial and production, information and communication, marine, materials and metallurgical, mechanical, mechatronics, mining, natural gas, nuclear, petrochemical, petroleum and gas, railway, structural, systems, telecommunication, water resources, and wood products engineering as well as renewable energy, control & robotics, nano-electronics & photonics, and high voltage engineering.
Volume 1 Issue 1
PaperID: FJET_11_1
Page: 1-14
Author(s): Bosede A. ORHEVBA, Sodeeq A. OLAJIDE
Abstract: Selected processing parameters were optimized to determine their impact on the yield and some physicochemical properties of bioethanol derived from sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum) bagasse. Bioethanol was produced from sugar cane bagasse using alkaline pretreatment method, simultaneous saccharification and fermentation processes. The physicochemical properties determined were: Density, kinematic viscosity, specific gravity, boiling point, pour point, pH value and ethanol concentration. The analytical methods used followed standard procedures. Two-way factor was used for the analysis of variance (ANOVA) to evaluate the effect of these processing parameters on the yield and physicochemical properties. The results revealed that the processing methods (alkaline pretreatment method, simultaneous saccharification and fermentation processes), had significant effect (p<0.05) on the yield and physicochemical properties of the bioethanol produced from sugar cane bagasse. The results ranged from 6.5 – 42.2% for the yield; 0.8462 – 0.9541 g/ml for density; 1.98 – 2.43 mm2/s for kinematic viscosity; 0.8462 – 0.9541 for specific gravity; 88 – 98 oC for boiling point; -8 – 2 oC for pour point; 5.2 – 8.3 for the pH value and 37.2 – 85.06% for the bioethanol concentration. In conclusion, the results suggested that 5% sodium hydroxide concentration and 7days simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process has highest yield and ethanol concentration, and it was deduced that both the sodium hydroxide concentration and fermentation independently and jointly have significant effect on the yield and physicochemical properties. The favourable results obtained for the physicochemical properties of the bioethanol also suggested that it can find use as blend for gasoline.
Keywords: Bioethanol, sugarcane bagasse, simultaneous saccharification, alkaline pretreatment, fermentation process.
PaperID: FJET_11_2
Page: 15-27
Title: Spatiotemporal Variability and Trend Analysis of Rainfall and Temperature in Northern Nigeria
Author(s): Yusuf M. OTACHE, Murtala I. ANIMASHAUN, Sadeeq A. MOHAMMED, Emmanuel O. AGBESE
Abstract: The consequential effects of global warming on the environment and economic sectors of every nation, particularly developing ones, have necessitated an urgent and continuous need to address the issue of climate change. This study aims to analyse the spatiotemporal variability and trends of rainfall and temperatures in Northern Nigeria. Data on rainfall and temperature for 19 meteorological stations spanning 40 years (1981-2020) were collected from the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET) for the study. For the variability assessment, descriptive statistics were employed, while linear regression, Mann-Kendall test, and Sen's Slope estimation were used for the trend analysis. The analysis was done at different spatial and temporal scales. The results showed a significant positive trend in rainfall across all the stations, with increases of about 5.1 mm/year in the Northwest zone and 5.0 mm/year in the Northeast zone. However, the North Central zone exhibits a moderate increase of 2.0 mm/year. Additionally, the results of temperature revealed a strong upward trend, with varying levels of significance for the annual maximum (Z = 3.62), minimum (Z = 4.45), and mean (Z = 4.30) temperatures. These suggest that heat stress may be intensified and water scarcity may be exacerbated in Northern Nigeria. These findings underscore the imperative need for adaptive, resilient infrastructure and farming strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The variability in rainfall and the upward trend in temperatures highlight the importance of customised, proactive measures tailored to each region's specific climate conditions. There is a need to improve water management, promote drought-resistant crops, and establish early warning systems to enhance community resilience against the adverse effects of climate change.
Keywords: Climate change, rainfall, temperature, variability, Northern Nigeria.
PaperID: FJET_11_3
Page: 28-35
Author(s): Caleb A. ABORISADE, Jide E. Taiwo AKINSOLA, Ifeoluwa M. OLANIYI, Fathia O. ONIPEDE, Emmanuel A. OLAJUBU, Ganiyu A. ADEROUNMU
Abstract: Higher health issues, such as diabetes and hypertension, are sacrosanct with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and they greatly affect fertility in women. Therefore, irregular menstrual periods, acne, increased hair growth and several hormone-related disorders are prevalent in people with PCOS. The study employed variable distributions and correlations, and the experimental design made use of exploratory data analysis and heat map visualization. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used for feature selection to minimize dimensionality and pinpoint the most informative attributes. A thorough cross-validation evaluation that suggested models' generalizability, robustness, and performance was considered. To ensure a thorough evaluation of the PCOS diagnostic value, evaluation measures such as F1-score, precision, accuracy and recall were utilized on Random Forest (RF), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) and Support Vector Machines (SVM) algorithms to build the models. The performance results show that RF had the best accuracy result of 99.74% followed by SVM with 99.21% and RNN with the worst result of 65.09%. This means that RF had the highest accurate predictions of the total amount of input samples. SVM and RF had the same precision result of 1.00, which shows that the two models had no misclassification of the PCOS infertility outcomes. That is, both SVM and RF could correctly identify all the positive instances and all the negative instances. The higher the value of the F1-score, the more reliable the model’s predictability. RF based on the highest F1-score of 0.9956 can be used for PCOS infertility modeling. The study concludes that RF is the golden model due to its superior performance for building a PCOS infertility prediction generative model. The study, therefore, suggests the implementation of federated learning and other deep learning algorithms for scalable performance using the big data paradigm.
Keywords: Deep learning, machine learning, random forest, recurrent neural network, reproductive health.
PaperID: FJET_11_4
Page: 36-46
Author(s): Benedict O. EDENSETING, Innocent O. OBOH, Alexander A. JOCK
Abstract: Waste generation is on the increase as the population of Nigeria increases. The current waste management practice is becoming unsustainable in the country. Nigeria generates over 25 million tonnes as municipal solid waste with one third of it generated being kitchen waste. Demand for biofuels is rapidly growing worldwide as petroleum based fuels are finite and environmentally unfriendly. Kitchen waste is capable of producing biogas, bioethanol and biodiesel which will afford the country affordable cleaner energy for national development. It is therefore imperative to optimize this source of renewable energy for advancement of transportation, industrial growth, power generation and overall national economic growth. Hence, this review highlights the enormous energy potential in kitchen cum domestic waste.
Keywords: Waste, environment, energy, biofuel, economics.
PaperID: FJET_11_5
Page: 47-52
Title: Effect of Heat Treatment on Post Weld Railway Track
Author(s): Abdullahi P. NUHU, Kabir O. YUSUF, Aliyu O. ABDULRAHMAN, Kehinde A. LASISI
Abstract: The structural integrity of railway tracks is critically influenced by welding processes and subsequent treatments. This study investigates the effects of various post-weld heat treatment methods; annealing, normalizing, and tempering on the mechanical and microstructural properties of welded high-carbon steel railway tracks. Flash butt welding was used to join rail segments, followed by standard post-weld heat treatment protocols (Annealing: 900oC for 1 hour, Normalizing: 920 oC for 45mins, Tempering: 850 oC for 1 hour). Mechanical testing included tensile, hardness, impact, and fatigue tests conducted according to BS standards, while microstructural analysis was performed using a scanning electron microscope. The results demonstrated that normalizing yielded the highest ultimate tensile strength (750 MPa) and fatigue life (1,000,000 cycles), making it the most effective method under cyclic loading conditions. Annealing, while reducing hardness and tensile strength, significantly enhanced toughness, making it suitable for applications requiring higher ductility. Tempering provided a balanced improvement in both strength and toughness. Microstructural evaluation revealed refined and more uniform grain structures in heat-treated samples compared to as-welded specimens. Post-weld heat treatment significantly enhances the performance of welded railway tracks. Normalizing stands out as the most beneficial treatment for strength and durability, while tempering offers a well-rounded mechanical profile. These findings can guide optimized heat treatment strategies to extend the service life and reliability of railway infrastructure.
Keywords: Heat treatment, annealing, tempering, normalizing, fatigue life.
PaperID: FJET_11_6
Page: 53-63
Author(s): Abdulkarim AMINU, Mohammed ALIYU, Mohammed I. SHABA, Murtala I. ANIMASHAUN, Peter DANIEL, Mohammad USMAN
Abstract: To address the climatic challenges posed by conventional fossil fuels, prioritizing research on renewable energy sources is essential. This study aims to develop briquettes from a blend of carbonized sorghum stalks and groundnut shells to mitigate environmental issues associated with the use of fossil fuels. The biomass materials were subjected to carbonization at 400 °C for 1 hour within a muffle furnace. The production process utilized a D-Optimal Design of Experiment to optimize independent variables, including the ratios of sorghum stalks and groundnut shells, compaction pressure, and particle size, with briquette density and ash content as response parameters. The results revealed a biochar yield of 37.25% for sorghum stalks and 57.50% for groundnut shells. Briquette densities ranged from 0.64 to 1.36 g/cm³, and ash content varied from 7.55% to 18.55%. Statistical analysis revealed that increased compaction pressure and reduced particle size resulted in higher briquette density, whereas the ratios of biomass materials had a minimal effect on this outcome. The optimal briquette formulation was determined to be 30 wt.% sorghum stalks and 30 wt.% groundnut shells, with a compaction pressure of 12 MPa and a particle size of 0.78 mm. This formulation yielded a density of 1.2 g/cm³ and an ash content of 8.710%, resulting in a maximum desirability index of 0.944. The successful creation of these briquettes suggests a viable renewable energy source that could help reduce reliance on conventional fossil fuels and address climate change. This development supports renewable energy production and sets the stage for further research and policy efforts in biomass energy technology.
Keywords: Biomass, briquettes, locust beans, groundnut shells, compaction pressure, optimisation.
PaperID: FJET_11_7
Page: 64-71
Title: Sustainability in Construction: A Quantity Surveyor's Perspective on Green Building Practices
Author(s): Olabanji M. KADI
Abstract: Green costing is one of the new niches for the quantity surveying profession. With the advancement of technologies and mechanisms, integrating costs and other relevant data can be done to ensure greater financial transparency for projects. This study assesses a quantity surveyor's perspective on green building practices. The study targeted 46 registered quantity surveying firms in Abuja, Nigeria, according to the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) Directory. A quantitative research approach was thus employed, with the use of a questionnaire to collect data from 46 respondents consisting of quantity surveyors. The data analysis was performed using frequency count, percentage, mean item score, and standard deviation. Findings from the study revealed that 23.9% of respondents indicated awareness of green building, while 76.1% showed a lack of awareness. Furthermore, the findings reveal that 50.0% of the respondents believed that the current state of sustainable practices was significant. The most important challenges and barriers to the adoption of green building practices are a lack of government incentives, a lack of effort by local construction industry professional bodies, and a lack of stakeholder empowerment, with MIS = 4.40, 4.40, and 3.85 ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The findings concluded that, from a quantity surveyor's perspective, the current state of sustainable practices in the construction industry is increasingly significant and evolving. The research suggests that in order to facilitate a seamless shift towards sustainable green building, it is essential for players in the industry to actively investigate and embrace sustainable principles, particularly in the first phases of project design.
Keywords: Building, construction, green, practices, sustainability.
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