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Item Global Research Trends on Shale Gas from 2010–2020 Using a Bibliometric Approach(MDPI, 2022-03-16) Baiyegunhi, Temitope Love; Baiyegunhi, Christopher; Pharoe, Benedict Kinshasa; Smoliński, A.In the last few decades, shale gas resources have attracted much global attention as potential sources for clean and affordable energy. Due to this fact, coupled with the increasing energy shortfall, shale gas has become an increasingly attractive energy prospect from both an environmental and economic perspective. This development has led to the rapid growth in the number of researchersand publications in the field of shale gas. Although there are few review articles on the state of research on shale gas, the literature lacked a bibliometric analysis. This study is intended to fill the research gap by carrying out a bibliometric analysis of 9247 shale gas articles that were published between 2010 and 2020. The Web of Science database was used to collect the data. The analysis was performed to identify the most productive authors, institutions, countries, and sources, and to visualize existing collaborations as well as provide valuable information which could form the basis for establishing future collaboration. The analysis results revealed that Li J has the highest number of publications on shale gas whereas Loucks RG is the most cited author. The top three countries with the highest number of publications in shale gas research are China, USA, and Canada, while the China University of Petroleum (Beijing), China University of Geosciences, and Southwest Petroleum University China were the three top institutions with the highest number of publications. Fuel, International Journal of Coal Geology, and Marine and Petroleum Geology are the journals with the highest number of published articles on shale gas. The keyword analysis indicated that shale gas, hydraulic fracturing, pore structure, permeability, adsorption, kinetics, pyrolysis, organic matter, thermal maturity, and numerical simulation are the predominant research topics. This showed the multi-dimensional and multi-faceted character of the shale gas field. Besides, it appeared to be an exciting topic for further study that is based on a detailed evaluation of the shale gas literature. In fact, shale gas, hydraulic fracturing (fracking), CO2 sequestration, kinetic, gas adsorption, diffusion, and simulation are becoming emerging research hotspots. The bibliometric analysis that was presented in this study has revealed valuable information about the most active institutions and countries, and the most influential authors in the field of shale gas which could form the basis for establishing future collaboration. Furthermore, it can help researchers to understand the global research trend in shale gas as well as provide references for establishing future research directions.Item Seasonal variations and associated health risks of polychlorinated naphthalenes in Markman Canal, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa(Springer, 2022-07-01) Agunbiade, Idowu Victoria; Adeniji, Abiodun Olagoke; Okoh, Anthony Ifeanyi; Okoh, Omobola OlurantiThis study focused on evaluation of the levels, seasonal variations and human health risks associated with polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in water and sediment samples of Markman Canal using solid phase and soxhlet extraction methods respectively, followed by clean-up and quantification with gas chromatograph coupled with microelectron capture detector. The sum of eight PCNs congener’s (∑8PCNs) in water and sediments varied from 0.035 to 0.699 μg/L and 0.260 to 6744.16 μg/kg dw, respectively. Highest PCNs concentrations were recorded in water during winter, while sediment samples collected during spring contained maximum levels. The estimated toxic equivalency (TEQ) for water and sediments was 1.19× 10–7–1.47× 10-4 µg/L and 4.43× 10−5–4.19× 10−1 µg/kg consecutively. The PCN levels and TEQ values revealed that this waterbody is polluted but constitutes no excess health risk. Efforts should be made to control all the activities contributing to pollution of this canal.Item Influence of a One-Pot Approach on a Prepared CuS Macro/Nanostructure from Various Molecular Precursors(MDPI, 2023-06-24) Agoro, Mojeed A.; Meyer, Edson L.; Gulino, A.Nanostructured metal sulfides such as copper sulfide (CUS) form from single-source precursors (SSPs) and are cost-friendly materials that can be used in a one-pot approach with potential applications in dye-sensitizer solar cells (DSCs). This is an attractive pathway that allows the careful control of tailoring the design of the nanostructures with slight variations in the mixture conditions to form uniform nanoparticles and enhance the performance of DSCs. We report on the optical, structural, and morphological properties of CuS as photosensitizers and their application in QDSCs using characterization techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), current–voltage (I-V), UV-Vis spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), etc. The UV-Vis reveals that the band gap for the three samples is found at 2.05–2.87 eV, confirming them as suitable materials for solar cells. The XRD peaks for the three CuS nanoparticles harmonized very well with hexagonal CuS. The thermal gravimetric (TGA) suitability of the three complexes shows a two-step decomposition within the temperature range of 125–716 ◦C, with a final residue of 2–4%. CV curves for three samples show that none of the developed metal sulfides exhibits a peak indicative of limited catalytic activity in the iodine electrolyte. The I-V overall energy conversion efficiency (η%) of 4.63% for the CuSb photosensitizer is linked to the wide electronic absorption spectrum and better relative dye loading. The synthesis of photosensitizers from a trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) capping agent shows improved efficiency compared to our previous studies, which used hexadecylamine as a coordinating solvent.Item Efficacy of co‑loading Ag nanoparticles and metronidazole in PEG–gelatin‑based sponges for the treatment of chronic wounds(Springer, 2023-08-07) Alven, Sibusiso; Adeyemi, S.A.; Ubanako, Philemon; Nditheh, D.T.; Choonara, Yahya Essop; Aderibigbe, Blessing A.Polymer-based sponges loaded with antibacterial agents are potential wound dressings ideal for treating bacteria-infected wounds. Gelatin/poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) sponge-based wound dressings loaded with metronidazole and Ag nanoparticles with different degrees of cross-linking were prepared, and their capability to treat infected wounds in vitro was evaluated. The degree of cross-linking of the sponges varied, and the porosity of the sponges was in the range of 15.64–91.10%. The amount of gelatin used to prepare the sponges influenced the porosity of the sponges. The sponges displayed an initial burst drug release of metronidazole followed by a sustained release profile. The sponges exhibited considerable antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The % cell viability of the sponges was in the range of 71.17–86.10%, indicating distinguished biocompatibility. The in-vitro experiment showed that the sponge loaded with metronidazole, SAM2%, displayed a significant reduction of 66.68% in the scratch area compared to the sponge loaded with a combination of silver nanoparticles and metronidazole with a closure rate of 46.61% at 96 h. The promising features of the sponges indicate that they are potential wound dressings for treating infected wounds.