Department of Interior Design and Upholstery Technology

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    Effect of sawdust on the compressive strength of concrete
    (International Knowledge Platform, 2016) Woode, A.; Agyei-Boakye, I.; Aforla, B.; Amoah, D. K.; Osei, S.; Abu-dil, A.
    This study was undertaken to investigate the properties of concrete produced by partial replacement by weight of sand with sawdust generated from different species of wood. The sawdust used in this investigation consist of the wood species, Piptadeniastrum africanum (leguminosae family), Triplochiton scleroxylon (sterculiaceae family) and Celtis mildbraedii, locally known as Dahoma, Wawa and Essa respectively. The addition of sawdust to the concrete was done by 5% increment up to 25% by weight of the fine aggregate. Concrete cubes of size 150mm x150mm x 150mm were prepared after batching and mechanical mixing for the compressive strength tests. The compressive strength tests were carried out after 28 day curing of the concrete cubes in accordance with BS EN12390-3:2009 series. Sawdust blend concrete from wawa - a lightwood species gave the best result of 5.3 N/mm2 at 28 days. The optimum replacement of sand with sawdust has been found to be 5% for lightwood species.
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    An investigation into the sustainability of the current fuels used for cooking in Ghana to inform future energy policies
    (Nottingham Trent University, 2020) Amin, A. H.; Pokubo, D.; Fiati, K.; Agyekum-Mensah, G.; Daniel, S.H.; Massoud, H.
    There are sustainability, health and environmental concerns in many developing countries where the use of solid fuels for cooking in poorly ventilated kitchens is a common practice. The utilisation of solid fuels for cooking with inefficient cooking stoves accounts for significant respiratory health issues and deforestation in Ghana. Significant policies and government initiatives in Ghana have been adopted to mitigate household solid fuel consumption, substituting it with increased access to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). But despite such policies, the consumption of solid biomass fuel, mainly charcoal and firewood, is still prevalent in Ghana. To inform future energy policy, this study investigates the sustainability of cooking fuels utilised in Ghanaian households, to ensure an ecological balance and healthy living circumstances. A two-part survey was conducted between 2013 and 2019 for households in Ghana to identify and investigate factors influencing household cooking fuel preferences. Regression analysis is employed to explore the relationship between the choice of selected fuel and key factors such as fuel cost, availability, region and household size. The findings suggest that fuel cost, availability, geographical location (urban/rural), and household size act significantly as drivers to influence the selection of most Ghanaian cooking fuel, and this was found to be consistent over the studied period.