Corrosion is a pervasive issue affecting metallic materials, with significant economic losses and safety risks in various industries. Mild steel, extensively used in construction and infrastructure, faces corrosion challenges, needing continuous research to effectively tackle them. Natural compounds, because of their eco-friendliness and corrosion inhibition potential, are attracting increasing interest for corrosion control. Lawsonia inermis (LI), or henna, a plant native to North Africa and South Asia, has bioactive compounds exhibiting corrosion inhibitive properties. This study comprehensively explores Lawsonia inermis’s effectiveness as a corrosion inhibitor for mild steel, filling a gap in the existing research. Various concentrations of Lawsonia inermis extract were tested in acidic solutions to evaluate corrosion inhibition. Experimental results indicate a significant reduction in the corrosion rate with increasing inhibitor concentration. Langmuir adsorption isothermal analyses reveal the adsorption mechanism as being an interplay between physisorption and weak chemisorption. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate Lawsonia inermis’s capability to alter both cathodic and anodic reactions, leading to improved corrosion resistance. Scanning electron microscopy reveals a more even surface morphology in the presence of the Lawsonia inermis, indicating corrosion inhibition. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses identified organic compounds in Lawsonia inermis extract responsible for corrosion inhibition. Overall, Lawsonia inermis emerges as a promising corrosion inhibitor for mild steel, offering excellent inhibition efficiencies. This study sheds light on its adsorption behaviour and provides insights into its mechanism of action. These findings underscore Lawsonia inermis’s potential as a green corrosion inhibitor, paving the way for its practical application in industrial corrosion protection strategies.

Aim: To ascertain the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities of the extracts of seeds of Mucuna pruriens (utilis). Study Design: The study was designed to test the inhibitory ability of the plant extract on edema and human pathogens and to test its antioxidant activity. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Chemistry, Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri. Imo state Nigeria, between March 2013 to September 2014. Methodology: The seeds of M. pruriens were cracked, the testa were removed and the seeds were milled into fine powder with Thomas Willey milling machine and dissolved in ethanol for 48 hrs, this was filtered. The filtrate was concentrated with Rota evaporator at 40°C and then used for analysis. The effects of Mucuna pruriens (utilis) on the acute and chronic phases of inflammation were studied in carrageenan and formalin induced paw edema respectively. The anti-edema effect of these seeds was compared with diclofenac potassium 10 mg/kg orally. The antibacterial activity was performed by filter paper disc diffusion technique. The antioxidant activity of the seeds of M. pruriens was evaluated by reducing power test. Results: Administration of M. pruriens (10 mg/kg) and diclofenac potassium (10 mg/kg) decreased the inflammation at the rate of 9.8% and 62.0% respectively and increase in dosage of M. pruriens (50 mg/kg) showed a decrease at the rate of 47.80% for acute inflammation and 38.80% for chronic inflammation. Thus the crude extracts exhibited significant activity in rats. The seeds were found to have high antioxidant activities. Extracts of the seeds of Mucuna pruriens exhibited strong antibacterial activities on all the tested organisms, Staphylococus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis and Escherichia coli. The lowest concentration of the seed extract that inhibited the visible growth of an organism after overnight incubation was 12.5 mg/ml for all tested organisms except for Klebsiella pneumonia which was 25.00 mg/ml. This indicates that M. pruriens seeds may be used against bacterial infections, inflammation and as antioxidant in herbal medical practice.

This research work was carried out to evaluate the hydrogen peroxide scavenging capacity and phytochemical analysis of Medicago sativa leaves. The leaves were found to have high antioxidant activities. Medicago sativa extract caused inhibition of hydrogen peroxide which was concentration dependent. From the analysis, it was discovered that at every concentration, the methanol extract of the leaves showed better scavenging capacity than the standard used. The phytochemicals from the leaves of Medicago sativa (Linn.) were extracted with ethanol and subjected to GC/MS analysis. The chromatogram depicted five peaks indicating the presence of five compounds. 1,1-dimethoxy-2-methylpropane (59.781 %), 1,3-dimethyl Benzene (16.688 %), Ethanol, 2-(2-butoxyethoxy) acetate (2.788 %), N-(4-Methylbenzenesulfonyl)-2-methylazetidin-3-one (1.921 %). Brief analysis of the compounds reveals the rich pharmacological potential of this part of the plant and thus justify the use of the Leaves of this plant in the treatment of various diseases

Two domestic solar dryers were designed and tested in Abraka, Delta State of Nigeria. One has a mirror reflector to concentrate sun – light energy into the dryer while other has no reflector. The dryer ovens were subjected to a number of experimental tests by drying/cooking six different food items in them. The analysis of the results obtained, showed that the temperature and the rate of drying in the oven with reflector were higher than the one without reflector. The temperature and the rate of drying were higher in both ovens compared to the open – air drying. The total power obtained using the oven with reflector was 350.00W, while the oven without reflector gave 330.56W and the open air – drying recorded 233.15W. These could act as an alternative dryer to the conventional open air-drying and cooking for rural farmers in Nigeria and other tropical countries with similar circumstances.

The γ radiation exposure due to radioactivity concentration of ⁴⁰K, ²³⁸U and ²³²Th in soil samples from 250 different locations from 40 communities in the oil – producing region of Nigeria was carried out. The radioactivity concentrations of these radionuclides were used to determine the absorbed dose, annual effective dose equivalent, the health hazard indices and cancer risk using standard analytical methods. The range of values for the absorbed dose are 6.97 nGyh^-1 to 33.29 nGyh^-1, annual effective dose equivalent (outdoor) are 8.55 µSvy^-1 to 40.83 µSvy^-1 and (indoor) are 34.19 µSvy^-1 to 163.36 µSvy^-1. The external hazard index ranges from 0.038 to 0.174 while the internal health hazard index is from 0.045 to 0.191. The cancer risk obtained for the communities ranges from 0.030 x 10^-3 to 0.143 x 10^-3. All these values are below the standard limits when compared to the world permissible United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effect of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) values for such environment. This shows that the exploration and exportation of crude oil in Nigeria did not pose a radioactive health hazard to the oil producing communities.