Emissions of CO and CO₂ are understood to be the main cause of global warming, melting of glaciers, heavy rain fall in some areas resulting in catastrophic floods and severe draughts in others. Introduction of national quotas is a political solution to limit carbon emissions; it cannot provide answers to a complex problem of climatic change. A permanent solution would require combustion free technologies for converting chemical energy of fuels directly into electricity. Fuel cells are highly efficient direct energy conversion devices; they have the true potential to reduce carbon emissions. This paper describes a conceptual hybrid power plant comprising a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and a closed cycle gas turbine. A simple analysis of the plant has been carried out to demonstrate that significant gains can be made in reducing carbon emissions, increasing energy utilisation efficiency and minimising the impact of thermal loading on the environment.  

The physicochemical characteristics of rice mill wastewater was measured prior to field experiment. The wastewater revealed an alkaline pH (8.0) with low concentration of DO (0.9 mgl^-1), nitrate (0.5 mg l^-1), phosphate (21 mg l^-1) and sulphate (40 mg l^-1) and moderate concentration and COD (630 mg l^-1), chloride (140 mg l^-1) and TDS (670 mg l^-1) and high concentration of total suspended solids (530 mg l^-1) and BOD (450 mg l^-1).  Moreover, the effluent was rich in sodium (235 mg l^-1), total phenols (35 mg l^-1) as well as silica (58 mg l^-1). The field experiment was conducted during winter crop period extending from January until May 1998. On the basis of randomized block design method, four plots were identified as control plots and four plots as experimental plots. Jaya T₉₀ variety of rice saplings having crop duration 120-130 days was cropped in all the plots. The control plots were irrigated with normal canal water of river the Mahanadi and the experimental plots were irrigated with the wastewater from the rice mill. The population, biomass, rate of reproduction and secondary production of a dominant crop field earthworm (Drawida willsi Michaelsen) was studied at fortnight intervals for 105 days. The population density of D.willsi of rice plots prior to irrigation was 41 m^-2. The peak and average worm population showed 22.39 and 21.75% decline respectively in plots irrigated with rice mill wastewater compared to control. Population structure showed decrease in non-adult/adult ratio in experimental plots, indicating greater susceptibility of juvenile and immature worms to rice mill wastewater.  Significant difference in the cocoon production (46.61% decrease) and rate of reproduction (25.39 % decrease) was also noticed between control and experimental plots. The biomass and two components of secondary production (tissue production and tissue utilized in reproduction) showed 26.43 - 55.11% reduction in experimental plots over control plots during the study period. The significant reduction in population, reproduction, biomass and secondary production of D.willsi in experimental plots may be due to alkaline pH with higher content of phenols, silica, TSS , BOD, sodium and organic matter in the effluent. On the basis the above findings we suggest that rice mill wastewater should not be used as such for agricultural purpose. The treatment of the waste water be made to render the wastewater suitable for irrigation in agricultural lands.

Noise pollution studies have been carried out within Campus 2 of Delta State University, Abraka using a digital sound level meter of type 2 model 1EC651. Noise measurements were taken from 22 locations within the campus during working hours as from 8.00am and after working hours as from 4.30 pm. The noise levels from each of these locations were taken four times each at a period (time) of ten minutes interval before the average and percentages were calculated.