Background: Phytochemical screening, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the hexane, ethylacetate and methanol crude extracts of Senna occidentalis (L.) leaves were studied in this work. The aim of the work is to ascertain the level of antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of different solvent extracts of Senna occidentalis plant. Methods: The preliminary screening of the various extracts was carried out using standard methods and the results revealed the presence of tannins, alkaloids, reducing sugar, phenols, anthraquinones, resins, saponins and glycosides. The antimicrobial screening was carried out using the following organisms; Staphylococcus aureus, Eshericha coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruguinosa, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiellae pneumoniae, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium notatum and Rhizopus stolonifer. The free radical scavenging capacity using hydrogen peroxide was equally determined to evaluate the antioxidant activities of the extracts.

Background: Phytochemical screening, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of hexane, ethylacetate and methanol crude extracts of Acalypha ciliata plant was studied in this work. This plant according to folk medicine has been reported to be used for treatment of female sterility, dressing of sores and schistosomiasis. Methods: The preliminary screening of the various extracts was carried out using standard methods and the results revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, reducing sugar, anthraquinones, resins and glycosides. The antimicrobial screening was carried out using the following organisms; Staphylococcus aureus, Eshericha coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruguinosa, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiellae pneumoniae, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium notatum and Rhizopus stolonifer. The free radical scavenging capacity using hydrogen peroxide was equally determined to evaluate the antioxidant activities of the extracts. Results: The result obtained showed that Acalypha ciliata extracts have interesting pharmacological active compounds and antimicrobial effects, and as such could be used in ethno medicine for treatment of bacterial infections and ailments. Conclusion: The extracts of Acalypha ciliata plant contains notable chemical compounds that are responsible for its antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Further investigations on the chemical compositionsand possible isolation of active ingredients would be carried out.

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This study aimed at enhancing the remediation of crude oil polluted soil using yam peels. 2kg of the soil samples were polluted crude oil at different concentrations ranging from 5%, 10% and 15%. There were three amended and un-amended samples each labeled A-F. The amended samples were A, C and E which contained the following respectively, 5% polluted soil + 150g yam peels, 10% polluted soil + 150g of yam peels and 15% polluted soil + 150g yam peels. The un-amended samples were B, D and F which were called the control samples with 5%, 10% and 15% concentration of crude pollutant. Parameters such as soil moisture content, total organic carbon, pH and total hydrocarbon content were analyzed before and after remediation. The result showed that yam peels enhanced remediation of the soil especially in treatment A. The reduction in Total Hydrocarbon Content was highest in the 5% crude oil polluted soil sample resulting 57.4% and least at 15% polluted control sample resulting 44.2%. The higher the concentration of crude oil in the soil the lower the percentage degraded. Yam peels which are agro waste can enhance biodegradation of crude oil in polluted soil and therefore can act as remediating agent.

The choice of phthalates as plasticizers have been on the increase especially in household products. They are ubiquitous environmental pollutants due to their physical attribute. This study was carried out to determine the occurrence and level of phthalates in the groundwater in some regions of Delta State. Groundwater samples were collected from fourteen sampling points and analyzed using standard procedures. The obtained results showed that the concentration (µg/l) of six phthalate ester compounds present in the water samples was of the order: < 0.05 - 0.05 BBP, < 0.05 - 3.71 BEHP, < 0.05 - 0.54 DBP, < 0.05 - 0.55 DEP, < 0.05 - 0.13 DMP, and < 0.05 - 0.48 DnOP. BEHP was observed to be the major compound of the phthalate acid esters present in most sampling stations, whilst others, especially BBP, were found to be in low concentration and does not pose any immediate threat to human health. The presence of BEHP in most samples from different locations suggests an inflow of the phthalate to underground water, hence it becomes imperative for continuous monitoring and a call to various governments and environmental regulatory agencies to establish standards for phthalate esters in order to monitor its presence in the environment.