Natural rubber (NR) is a renewable agricultural resource which has gained fast technological innovation due to some inherent properties and its renewability. Compounding of natural rubber with modified and unmodified nano-sized agricultural waste is of interest because it is economical, environmentally friendly, cheap and readily available, hence, the trial of sugarcane bagasse as an additive in Natural Rubber compounding. The sugarcane bagasse was sourced locally, milled to fine powder and sieved to <100µm in size. Characterization of Natural rubber latex viz-a-viz: Dry rubber content (DRC), Total solid content (TSC), Ash content, Moisture content were carried out. The Sugarcane bagasse was modified via Hydroxylation using 10% Sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The modified sugarcane baggase (MSB) and unmodified sugarcane baggase (USB) were characterized viz-a-viz: their pH, moisture content, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and micro-pixe analysis. The extent of modification was determined via titration. The NR was thereafter compounded with USB, MSB, CB, admix of MSB with CB and admix of USB with CB to give five vulcanizates, labeled A – E ( A- 40 parts CB, B- 40 parts USB, C- 40 parts MSB, D- 20 CB : 20 USB while E was 20 CB : 20 MSB). The vulcanizates were then subjected to physico-mechanical tests viz-a-viz: Tensile strength, Modulus Elasticity, Hardness, Elongation @ break and Yield elongation. The result revealed that mix A (control) with 40 CB has the highest Tensile strength compared to the other mixes, which was followed by mixes E >D >C while B gave the least tensile strength, showing that carbon black acted better than modified sugarcane bagasse and better than unmodified sugarcane bagasse. Compatibility of the unmodified and hydroxylated sugarcane bagasse with natural rubber and carbon black was also established. The extent of the solubility of the mixes in ethanol, kerosene and petrol were investigated to determine the extent of crosslinking and mix A was very resistant to all the solvents followed by mixes C then E then D while mix B dissolves readily.

Foods frequently eaten supply both micro and macro nutrients to humans which are important in the total assessment of public health status of an individual. The analysis of these foods will provide evidence on their nutritional values, guide to appropriate choice of meal and encourage intake of varieties of food with better qualities during illness while preventing diet-associated disorders. In this study, the proximate and mineral composition of unripe, naturally ripe and the effects of ripening agents on plantain ( Musa paradisiaca ) commonly consumed in Nigeria were examined. The plantain fruits were analysed for proximate and mineral composition. Proximate composition analysis revealed an increase in moisture content and fat content for all the plantain ripened with ripening agents when compared with the naturally ripened plantain. Furthermore, the mineral composition of the plantain fruits was determined by means of Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The result showed that plantain is a good source of minerals such as calcium (Ca), potassium (K) and iron (Fe). A relatively high level of K of 1690.55 ± 0.02; 1672.35 ± 0.03 mg kg −1 were found for both unripe and natural ripe plantain while the ripening agents had K values of 1677.45 ± 0.01; 1656.10 ± 0.02; 1589.45 ± 0.01 mg kg −1 for Ethylene glycol, Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate, Calcium carbide respectively. Also, low level of Fe was obtained in plantain ripened with the different ripening agents.

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Natural rubber is a gummy liquid obtained from the sap fluid of the tree Hevea brasilensis. It is a natural hydrocarbon polymer of 2-methyl-1-3-butadiene (isoprene), which contains one double bond per repeating unit, whose structural arrangement typifies that of a cis-isomer (cis-polyisoprene). Natural rubber in its raw gum state is tacky, fairly elastic but suffers some limitations such as poor resistance to weathering condition, low tensile strength and hence additives are always added to improve on the limitations of the natural Rubber. Most additives are imported hence constituting additional cost. Cowpea chaff was used in this study as one of the additives. The cowpea chaff was chosen for this research due to its availability and cost since it is a waste material and expected to reduce cost of production. The cowpea chaff was grinded and sieved to fine particles (powder) using 100µm. The cowpea chaff powder was divided into portions and part were modified via nitration. The modified and unmodified cowpea chaff powder were characterized to determine the Ash content, Moisture content, Volatile content, pH, Loss on ignition, X-ray florescence (XRF) analysis was carried out to ascertain the elemental composition and Infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR) to determine the functional groups and extent of the reaction of the samples. Each of the portions were compounded with Natural Rubber (NR) using calcium carbonate as control. The physico-mechanical properties of the vulcanizates obtained were determined. The study showed that chemically modified and unmodified cowpea chaff powders were good additives (softeners). Based on the parameters tested, it can be concluded that cowpea chaff can be substituted with CaCO3 filler in NR vulcanizates.