How kola nut waste encourages soil remediation, others—Researchers

Credit: NAN

Prof. Lateef Agbaje, Head of Nanotechnology Research Group (NANO+), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo State, in a media interaction in Abuja on Wednesday, revealed that research into kola nut wastes using nanotechnology has shown promising potential in different fields.

Agbaje said the research team chose to research on kola nut for the investigation due to its competitive advantage and Nigeria’s advantage as the world largest producer of kola nut.

He said that there were different ways of producing nanoparticles but the group leveraged green synthesis due to its eco-friendliness, which was devoid of using hazardous chemicals and procedures.

“In processing of kola nut, you have a lot of waste particularly the bud and the shell and we leverarged on that to extract phytochemicals for the production of different types of nanoparticles.

“We further looked for what we can use the nanoparticles to produce so many things.

“We also found out that the nanoparticles have antimicrobial activities, very active against germs, bacteria that are resistant to different antibiotics.

“The nanoparticles we produced were able to kill such resistant bacteria and it shows that such nanoparticle can be used as antimicrobial agent, for medical and non-medical reasons,’’ he said.

Agbaje further said that in the non-medical area, nanoparticle was infused into emulsion paint with results showing that it prevented bio-deterioration of the paint compared to the paint that was not fortified with the nanoparticle.

He added that the paint was also found to be lighter in weight, had high level of adherence to the surfaces which improved the property of the paint.

“We can say that nano-paint can be produced from nanoparticles,’’ he said.

He also said the research team produced nano-fertiliser which had enhanced the production of some crops and suppressed the incidences of pest.

According to him, the nanoparticles are a potential solution for bio-fertiliser, insecticide and fungicide that could reduce the need for multiple agricultural chemicals, as well as soil remediation.

“The nanoparticles were tested for their ability to remediate polluted soil, particularly soil contaminated with heavy metals like lead and cadmium.

“They successfully immobilised the heavy metals, preventing their uptake by plants and promoting healthy plant growth.

“The nanoparticles were also found to degrade dyes from textile, paper, and recycling industries, making them useful for wastewater treatment, as they can remove harmful pigments from the environment.

“The nanoparticles also demonstrated anticoagulant properties, potentially preventing blood coagulation and helping to manage conditions like thrombosis,’’ Agbaje said.

He said there was need for the country to leverage nanotechnology, adding that it had the capacity to promote development across different sectors of the economy.