Decontamination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in Charcoal Processed from <i>Erythrophleum guineense</i> (Sassy Wood)

John Stephen Gushit; Ester Habila

doi:doi:10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15

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Decontamination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in Charcoal Processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy Wood)

John Stephen Gushit, Ester Habila

Published in Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering (Volume 4, Issue 2)

Received: 30 June 2020 Accepted: 17 July 2020 Published: 4 August 2020

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Abstract

The work aimed at decontaminating potentially toxic compounds found in the charcoal sample, started with collecting the sample of charcoal processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy wood) established in an earlier work to be emitting toxic compounds. The sample was subjected to combustion in a chamber and the volatiles organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde (HCHO) and other air quality parameters detected from the hot smoke emitted using the Air Pollutant Detector (Air Master). The VOCs and HCHO average concentration of 2.98mg/m³ and 1.27mg/m³ respectively were detected in the sample, giving indication of extremely high concentration beyond standard permissible limits. The decontaminants which includes; CaO, NaCl, KOH, NaCl/CaO (1:1) and Al₂O₃ were prepared by dissolving pulverized portion of each in a small amount of distilled water and diluted with purified dual-purpose kerosene (DPK), after which each solution was uniformly sprayed on the pre-weighed charcoal in the combustion chamber. On applying the prepared decontaminants: CaO, NaCl, KOH, NaCl/CaO and Al₂O₃ on the charcoal, the VOCs concentration of 0.32mg/m³, 0.60mg/m³, 0.61 mg/m³, 1.11 mg/m³ and 2.88mg/m³ respectively were detected, which showed significant reduction in the concentration of the VOCs emitted that is far below the WHO limits for short term exposure of 0.1 mg/ m³, indicating that using the decontaminants is required if such charcoals must continue to be used. The VOCs were characterized in all the samples after they were adsorbed, desorbed, extracted, purified, concentrated and finally detected using the Gas chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The VOCs detected are; Octadecanoic, n-hexadecenoic acid, levomenthol acid and cyclobutanol acid widely reported to be toxic. Therefore, the work recommends that charcoal fires should not be ignited and used in enclosures, and appropriate Government regulatory agencies should create awareness on the need to avoid the use of Erythrophleum guineense (sassy wood) charcoal. If it must be used, decontaminant like CaO prepared from this work should be used since it is a cheap and accessible waste material found in auto mechanic garages indiscriminately discarded by gas welders.

Published in	Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering (Volume 4, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15
Page(s)	60-65
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Decontamination, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Formaldehyde (HCHO)

References

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APA Style

John Stephen Gushit, Ester Habila. (2020). Decontamination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in Charcoal Processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy Wood). Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, 4(2), 60-65. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15

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ACS Style

John Stephen Gushit; Ester Habila. Decontamination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in Charcoal Processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy Wood). J. Chem. Environ. Biol. Eng. 2020, 4(2), 60-65. doi: 10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15

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AMA Style

John Stephen Gushit, Ester Habila. Decontamination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in Charcoal Processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy Wood). J Chem Environ Biol Eng. 2020;4(2):60-65. doi: 10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15

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@article{10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15,
  author = {John Stephen Gushit and Ester Habila},
  title = {Decontamination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in Charcoal Processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy Wood)},
  journal = {Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering},
  volume = {4},
  number = {2},
  pages = {60-65},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jcebe.20200402.15},
  abstract = {The work aimed at decontaminating potentially toxic compounds found in the charcoal sample, started with collecting the sample of charcoal processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy wood) established in an earlier work to be emitting toxic compounds. The sample was subjected to combustion in a chamber and the volatiles organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde (HCHO) and other air quality parameters detected from the hot smoke emitted using the Air Pollutant Detector (Air Master). The VOCs and HCHO average concentration of 2.98mg/m3 and 1.27mg/m3 respectively were detected in the sample, giving indication of extremely high concentration beyond standard permissible limits. The decontaminants which includes; CaO, NaCl, KOH, NaCl/CaO (1:1) and Al2O3 were prepared by dissolving pulverized portion of each in a small amount of distilled water and diluted with purified dual-purpose kerosene (DPK), after which each solution was uniformly sprayed on the pre-weighed charcoal in the combustion chamber. On applying the prepared decontaminants: CaO, NaCl, KOH, NaCl/CaO and Al2O3 on the charcoal, the VOCs concentration of 0.32mg/m3, 0.60mg/m3, 0.61 mg/m3, 1.11 mg/m3 and 2.88mg/m3 respectively were detected, which showed significant reduction in the concentration of the VOCs emitted that is far below the WHO limits for short term exposure of 0.1 mg/ m3, indicating that using the decontaminants is required if such charcoals must continue to be used. The VOCs were characterized in all the samples after they were adsorbed, desorbed, extracted, purified, concentrated and finally detected using the Gas chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The VOCs detected are; Octadecanoic, n-hexadecenoic acid, levomenthol acid and cyclobutanol acid widely reported to be toxic. Therefore, the work recommends that charcoal fires should not be ignited and used in enclosures, and appropriate Government regulatory agencies should create awareness on the need to avoid the use of Erythrophleum guineense (sassy wood) charcoal. If it must be used, decontaminant like CaO prepared from this work should be used since it is a cheap and accessible waste material found in auto mechanic garages indiscriminately discarded by gas welders.},
 year = {2020}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Decontamination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in Charcoal Processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy Wood)
AU  - John Stephen Gushit
AU  - Ester Habila
Y1  - 2020/08/04
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15
T2  - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering
JF  - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering
JO  - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering
SP  - 60
EP  - 65
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-267X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15
AB  - The work aimed at decontaminating potentially toxic compounds found in the charcoal sample, started with collecting the sample of charcoal processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy wood) established in an earlier work to be emitting toxic compounds. The sample was subjected to combustion in a chamber and the volatiles organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde (HCHO) and other air quality parameters detected from the hot smoke emitted using the Air Pollutant Detector (Air Master). The VOCs and HCHO average concentration of 2.98mg/m3 and 1.27mg/m3 respectively were detected in the sample, giving indication of extremely high concentration beyond standard permissible limits. The decontaminants which includes; CaO, NaCl, KOH, NaCl/CaO (1:1) and Al2O3 were prepared by dissolving pulverized portion of each in a small amount of distilled water and diluted with purified dual-purpose kerosene (DPK), after which each solution was uniformly sprayed on the pre-weighed charcoal in the combustion chamber. On applying the prepared decontaminants: CaO, NaCl, KOH, NaCl/CaO and Al2O3 on the charcoal, the VOCs concentration of 0.32mg/m3, 0.60mg/m3, 0.61 mg/m3, 1.11 mg/m3 and 2.88mg/m3 respectively were detected, which showed significant reduction in the concentration of the VOCs emitted that is far below the WHO limits for short term exposure of 0.1 mg/ m3, indicating that using the decontaminants is required if such charcoals must continue to be used. The VOCs were characterized in all the samples after they were adsorbed, desorbed, extracted, purified, concentrated and finally detected using the Gas chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The VOCs detected are; Octadecanoic, n-hexadecenoic acid, levomenthol acid and cyclobutanol acid widely reported to be toxic. Therefore, the work recommends that charcoal fires should not be ignited and used in enclosures, and appropriate Government regulatory agencies should create awareness on the need to avoid the use of Erythrophleum guineense (sassy wood) charcoal. If it must be used, decontaminant like CaO prepared from this work should be used since it is a cheap and accessible waste material found in auto mechanic garages indiscriminately discarded by gas welders.
VL  - 4
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

John Stephen Gushit

Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Jos, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
Ester Habila

Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Jos, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

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APA Style

John Stephen Gushit, Ester Habila. (2020). Decontamination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in Charcoal Processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy Wood). Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, 4(2), 60-65. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15

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ACS Style

John Stephen Gushit; Ester Habila. Decontamination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in Charcoal Processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy Wood). J. Chem. Environ. Biol. Eng. 2020, 4(2), 60-65. doi: 10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15

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AMA Style

John Stephen Gushit, Ester Habila. Decontamination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in Charcoal Processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy Wood). J Chem Environ Biol Eng. 2020;4(2):60-65. doi: 10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15

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@article{10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15,
  author = {John Stephen Gushit and Ester Habila},
  title = {Decontamination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in Charcoal Processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy Wood)},
  journal = {Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering},
  volume = {4},
  number = {2},
  pages = {60-65},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jcebe.20200402.15},
  abstract = {The work aimed at decontaminating potentially toxic compounds found in the charcoal sample, started with collecting the sample of charcoal processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy wood) established in an earlier work to be emitting toxic compounds. The sample was subjected to combustion in a chamber and the volatiles organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde (HCHO) and other air quality parameters detected from the hot smoke emitted using the Air Pollutant Detector (Air Master). The VOCs and HCHO average concentration of 2.98mg/m3 and 1.27mg/m3 respectively were detected in the sample, giving indication of extremely high concentration beyond standard permissible limits. The decontaminants which includes; CaO, NaCl, KOH, NaCl/CaO (1:1) and Al2O3 were prepared by dissolving pulverized portion of each in a small amount of distilled water and diluted with purified dual-purpose kerosene (DPK), after which each solution was uniformly sprayed on the pre-weighed charcoal in the combustion chamber. On applying the prepared decontaminants: CaO, NaCl, KOH, NaCl/CaO and Al2O3 on the charcoal, the VOCs concentration of 0.32mg/m3, 0.60mg/m3, 0.61 mg/m3, 1.11 mg/m3 and 2.88mg/m3 respectively were detected, which showed significant reduction in the concentration of the VOCs emitted that is far below the WHO limits for short term exposure of 0.1 mg/ m3, indicating that using the decontaminants is required if such charcoals must continue to be used. The VOCs were characterized in all the samples after they were adsorbed, desorbed, extracted, purified, concentrated and finally detected using the Gas chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The VOCs detected are; Octadecanoic, n-hexadecenoic acid, levomenthol acid and cyclobutanol acid widely reported to be toxic. Therefore, the work recommends that charcoal fires should not be ignited and used in enclosures, and appropriate Government regulatory agencies should create awareness on the need to avoid the use of Erythrophleum guineense (sassy wood) charcoal. If it must be used, decontaminant like CaO prepared from this work should be used since it is a cheap and accessible waste material found in auto mechanic garages indiscriminately discarded by gas welders.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Decontamination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in Charcoal Processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy Wood)
AU  - John Stephen Gushit
AU  - Ester Habila
Y1  - 2020/08/04
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15
T2  - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering
JF  - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering
JO  - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering
SP  - 60
EP  - 65
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-267X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20200402.15
AB  - The work aimed at decontaminating potentially toxic compounds found in the charcoal sample, started with collecting the sample of charcoal processed from Erythrophleum guineense (Sassy wood) established in an earlier work to be emitting toxic compounds. The sample was subjected to combustion in a chamber and the volatiles organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde (HCHO) and other air quality parameters detected from the hot smoke emitted using the Air Pollutant Detector (Air Master). The VOCs and HCHO average concentration of 2.98mg/m3 and 1.27mg/m3 respectively were detected in the sample, giving indication of extremely high concentration beyond standard permissible limits. The decontaminants which includes; CaO, NaCl, KOH, NaCl/CaO (1:1) and Al2O3 were prepared by dissolving pulverized portion of each in a small amount of distilled water and diluted with purified dual-purpose kerosene (DPK), after which each solution was uniformly sprayed on the pre-weighed charcoal in the combustion chamber. On applying the prepared decontaminants: CaO, NaCl, KOH, NaCl/CaO and Al2O3 on the charcoal, the VOCs concentration of 0.32mg/m3, 0.60mg/m3, 0.61 mg/m3, 1.11 mg/m3 and 2.88mg/m3 respectively were detected, which showed significant reduction in the concentration of the VOCs emitted that is far below the WHO limits for short term exposure of 0.1 mg/ m3, indicating that using the decontaminants is required if such charcoals must continue to be used. The VOCs were characterized in all the samples after they were adsorbed, desorbed, extracted, purified, concentrated and finally detected using the Gas chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The VOCs detected are; Octadecanoic, n-hexadecenoic acid, levomenthol acid and cyclobutanol acid widely reported to be toxic. Therefore, the work recommends that charcoal fires should not be ignited and used in enclosures, and appropriate Government regulatory agencies should create awareness on the need to avoid the use of Erythrophleum guineense (sassy wood) charcoal. If it must be used, decontaminant like CaO prepared from this work should be used since it is a cheap and accessible waste material found in auto mechanic garages indiscriminately discarded by gas welders.
VL  - 4
IS  - 2
ER  -

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