Nene Eluchie

Degrees

Current Research Activities

Chemical Sciences

As a young scientist desiring to become a cation for positive influence in the field of science, I have always worked hard to bridge the gap between unemployment and job creation. This is evident in my previous researches where I have worked on locally available raw material in my country. I have been able to promote entrepreneurial skills among Nigerians by introducing the use of kaolin (white dirt) that is locally available in place of Talc (clay) in the formulation of coating mixture for paper. Also in another recent research, I have successfully explored the use of citric acid from citrus fruits and the result have been positive in substituting acetic acid a weak electrolyte in conductance measurement. All these researches have been published in scholarly journals. I have also explored the use of biochar from municipal organic waste feed stock as a bio remediation tool for oil polluted sites. And presently, as part of my PHD dissertation, I am currently trying to explore the use of biochar from non-lignin based feed stock such as animal manure and crop residue as a substitute to expensive inorganic fertilizer (NPK) with emphasis on interaction of biochar with soil micro-organism and environmental behavior. The motivation of this study stem from the fact that in Africa specifically, the Green Revolution initiated by Nobel Norman Borlaug has not had sufficient success (Evenson and Gollin, 2003), to a significant extent due to high costs of agrochemicals (Sanchez, 2002), among other reasons (Evenson and Gollin, 2003). Biochar provides a unique opportunity to turn the green revolution into sustainable agro ecosystem practice. Biochar can improve soil fertility and nutrient-use efficiency using locally available and renewable materials in a sustainable way. Good returns on ever more expensive inputs such as fertilizers rely on appropriate levels of soil organic matter, which can be secured by biochar soil management for the long term (Kimetu et al, 2008; Steiner et al, 2007). Farmers in resource-constrained agro ecosystems are able to convert organic residues and biomass fuels into biochar without compromising energy yield while delivering rapid return on investment

Current profession

Workshop and Conference Attended

Affiliations

Presentation given