SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF SCIENCES

Background: A client requested that the study group help determine suitable locations for a drilling regime on his lot, located on an upslope rocky knoll in Lawu Estate, Minna, Nigeria. There is no luxury of conducting an unimpeded wide-area survey for this housing Estate, as it is built up almost entirely. Therefore, the constrained area to be surveyed necessitated the adoption of the "electrical drilling," or vertical electrical sounding, mode of the geoelectrical method to satisfy the client's inquiry. Aim: To carry out a purpose-specific survey to pinpoint the best location in a built-up property at the upmarket Lawu Estate that would be suitable for a drilling regime targeted for household consumption. The specific objectives are to determine the subsurface layer structure, to identify fracture zones with potential for water accumulation, and to estimate the depths of potential aquifers. Methods: The survey crew reconnoitered the study area to georeference locations for the VES survey within the 30 m x 20 m lot. Owing to the extensive build-up at this lot, only a four-point traverse along the 30-metric dimension of the building's frontage was demarcated in the northeasterly direction, thereby limiting the survey crew's desire to define an appropriate survey grid. The VES data acquisition followed the "traditional" sequence of Schlumberger array layout measurements, in which the current and potential probes are maintained at the same relative spacing and the whole spread is progressively expanded about a fixed central point. Results: Log-log and pseudosection plots were generated from the acquired data, from which the conventional three-layer structure is deciphered, with a desired 193 Ωm for VES Station 4 at the third layer. Discussion: The acquired and processed data for this study were subjected to a suite of empirical rules-of-thumb procedures for interpreting VES data in the Nigerian Basement Complex geological province, with VES Station 4 showing the most encouraging 100% result. Conclusion: Drilling to a depth of 100 m at Station 4 is recommended based on the identified fractured basement at this depth.

Background: Sugarcane juice is an excellent substrate for the growth of a large and diverse microbiota, and poor quality of it can affect the health of consumers. This study aimed to evaluate the acidity parameters of the juice extracted from minimally processed sugarcane at three different points in Cuiabá - MT. Methods: In the juice samples, the following parameters were analyzed: Brix (soluble solids), pH, acetic (volatile) acidity, and sulfuric (total) acidity. Results: All the Brix values were above 18. The pH values were between 5 and 6. The total and volatile acidity was below 0.8. Discussion: The Brix values found in this study are similar to other studies (standard deviation of 1.7). The variety of sugarcane significantly influences the Brix and its sampling period. Inappropriate handling of sugarcane promotes the microbiological decrease of the final product. The pH values were satisfactory, but the changes in temperature in one of the juices (sudden change from 24 to 22.7ºC) caused its pH to differ from the value found for the others. The total and volatile acidity content is related to the storage time of the juice, which can be contaminated by bacteria and microorganisms, affecting the characteristics of the product. When the acidity value is more significant than 0.8, there was a change in these characteristics, which did not happen in this work. Conclusions: The Brix values indicate an adequate maturation of the analyzed juices. The pH values are in the ideal range for sugarcane juice. The volatile and total acidity is in the ideal range, indicating quality standards for sugarcane juice.

The ore beneficiation process uses little technology, but mining companies have high economic performance. As an energy source, firewood plays a fundamental role due to its simple storage, low cost, great availability of forests, and lack of processing. Thus, the present work aims to analyze the consumption of firewood as fuel and possible improvements in the process for the production of lime in terms of harnessing raw materials and costs. Calcium oxide is obtained from the thermal decomposition of calcium and magnesium carbonates obtained from dolomitic deposits of limestone (CaCO₃ : CaMgCO₃). After CaO extraction, it is subjected to a calcination process, removing carbon dioxide (CO₂) in ovens that work at temperatures between 900 and 1200°C. The source of energy applied to the calcination furnaces in the analyzed area is wood. The wood has a calorific value between 2,250 and 2,700 Kcal/Kg, but the moisture content responsible for the thermal variation must be considered. The firewood burning process was carried out in a ravine type oven where the temperature at which operators are exposed to heat was evaluated. The results indicated that the cooking time dropped by 20% as the amount of wood is fed into the oven. This increase represents a significant gain in lime production, thus leading to a higher profit for the company.