The exploration and mining of Nigerian barite are primarily by artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) whose operations are characterized by poor productivity. As a result, the quantity and quality of barites produced do not satisfy the nation’s oil sector demands and other industries that require the mineral. This situation leads to massive importation of the mineral with negative impact on the country’s drive toward increasing the contribution of solid minerals to the gross domestic product (GDP). This study reviews the existing policies and government interventions on ASM of Nigerian barite; evaluates the operations of ASM through a survey of mines in Nasarawa state, Nigeria; identifies factors that affect sustainability of the sector and proffers solutions to foster sustainability of ASM of barite in the region. The study adopted the 4Is optimization technique (Information gathering, Interpretation, Implication, and Implementation) through personal interactions with the stakeholders at the barite mining sites, and government agencies, regarding policies and interventions specific to ASM of barite. Challenges identified include: weak implementation and enforcement of mining laws; inadequate support from government and development partners; poor access to mining equipment and technology; poor infrastructure (access road, water, electricity); poor pricing of products (marketing challenges); poor remuneration of mine workers; poor mining skills; inadequate formal education; limited awareness on environmental health and safety hazards; fragility and conflict; insufficient information and data on mines and miners; security issues; lack of access to finance; lack of formalization of operations and poor legal framework for operations. The strategies suggested for fostering the sustainability of ASM of barites include: enhanced policy and legislation formulation and implementation, strengthening of institutions, formalization of ASM operations, training of miners, awareness campaign, improvement in environmental and safety of operations, empowerment and support by government and development partners for individual miners and processors and organized groups within the sector (such as Miners Association of Nigeria, Association of Miner and Processors of Barite, AMAPOB). Implementation of these strategies will lead to sustainable operations of the sector and hence improved rural livelihoods, stimulation of entrepreneurship in an environmentally responsible manner, and improvement in the contribution of the mineral sector to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), and hence national development.

This study considered the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy of Nigeria and investigated the effective application of foundry technology to proffer a sustainable solution to the problem. Domestication of production of motorcycle components, being a significant means of transportation that is required for the development of any society was considered. Aluminium scraps from a waste dump and Belle and Oyun natural moulding sands in Kwara State, Nigeria,  which have been previously recommended for non-ferrous casting in previous studies were considered and used for casting of motorcycle/tricycle parts (centre stand and brake pedal) using AFS guidelines. The scraps’ chemical compositions  were analysed. Thereafter, some mechanical properties with the microstructure of the aluminium casts and that of commercially obtained imported types were examined using appropriate ASTM standards. Cast aluminium alloy produced using  scrap had no casting defects and had some mechanical properties comparable to those available on the markets (imported). Thus, effective usage of naturally available moulding sands in Nigeria for foundry applications would help to proffer sustainable solutions to the nation’s economic problem as a result of the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Adsorption Models with the application of corrosion experimental data is a very popular mechanism to predict various inhibitive systems. The effective modelling and interpretation of adsorption isotherms reliably determine the level of accuracy of adsorption processes. This study aims to apply the adsorption models and inhibitive mechanism of Cucumber Peel Extract (CPE) and Cucumber Seed Oil (CSO) to corrosion of AISI 1007 steel grade in the saline medium using both the electrochemical (Tafel Polarisation) and non-electrochemical (Weight Loss) techniques. The chemical composition of AISI 1007 and the phytochemical properties of studied extracts were determined. Consideration was given to Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich Isotherm models (D-RIM) to study the inhibitive properties of CPE and CSO on AISI 1007 steel in an aggressive medium. The result of inhibition efficiency from weight loss measurement showed maximum inhibitions of  94.44 % and 95.44 % with 1.0 g/L concentration of CPE and CSO respectively in sea water medium. The result of the studied extract at 25 ℃ in seawater showed that the corrosion current density of AISI 1007 steel decreased and increased in the inhibition efficiency with 87.33% and 94.67% for CPE and CSO respectively. The negative value of ΔGads was greater than 20 kJ/mol and was obtained as a result of electrostatic interaction between the adsorbed inhibitor molecules and the  ions/atoms on the metal surface. The studied inhibitors were confirmed to be mixed organic corrosion inhibitors type. The values of E and maximum surface coverage (θmax) for the two measurements are satisfactorily in acceptable agreement  as similar to the range of value obtained for inhibition efficiency.