Mineral Composition of Ashed and Charred Palm (Elaeis guineensis) Bunch and Plantain (Musa paradisiaca) Peel

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the mineral composition, ash content, percentage volatile content (PVC) as well as the pH, total alkalinity and conductivity of the aqueous solution of the ashes of palm bunch and plantain peels respectively.  The mineral contents of the ash (charred and ashed) of both palm bunch and plantain peels were determined using standard methods of the analyses of AOAC and atomic absorption spectrophotometric method. The ash content and percentage volatile content (PVC) were 12.50%, 4.70% and 75.0%, 54.20% for the palm bunch and plantain peel wastes respectively. The pH for the palm bunch and plantain peels waste ash solutions were 11.037±0.002, 11.040±0.013 and 9.905±0.001, 10.898±0.521 for ashed and charred samples respectively, while total alkalinity were 8997±3.830, 128,993±24.211 and 3993.25±8.995, 158,021.50±43.00 for the ashed and charred palm bunch and plantain peels solutions, respectively; indicating that the solutions were completely alkaline. The mineral elements and anions in the ashed sample of palm bunch were in (mg/l), K(932.588±1.107), Na(6249.75±1.708), Ca(31.70±1.010), Mg(39.204±0.387), and the anions in (mg/l): chloride (2556.00±1.630), ammonium (1.468±0.015) nitrate (1.05±0.012), sulphate (48.355±0.104), phosphate (184.070±0.009) and nitrate (1.050±0.012) while in the charred sample (mg/l): K(1200.00±1.633), Na(499.000±2.582), Ca(146.500±1.291), Mg(117.945±0.725) and the anions (mg/l): chloride (241.500±1.291), ammonium (1.52±0.016), nitrate (2.008±0.095), sulphate (48.355±0.i04), phosphate (159.148±0.284). Similarly in the ashed plantain peel (mg/l): K(333.338±0.017), Na(270008.500±10.116), Ca(ND), mg(16,917.250±0.957) while the anions were (mg/l): chloride (9556.000±1.633) ammonium (2.150±0.006), nitrate (1.215±0.006), sulphate (30.475±0.010), phosphate (282.615±0.019). The mineral contents of the charred plantain peels were (mg/l): K(333.648±0.547), Na(3726.000±1.414), Ca(ND), Mg(0.336±0.040) and anions (mg/l): chloride (17047.500±9.574), ammonium (3.155±0.104), nitrate (2.85±0.006), sulphate (36.215±0.019) and phosphate (483.900±0.149) respectively. The conductivity of the solutions of both ashed and charred ashes of palm bunch were (ohms/cm) 40.388±0.104 and 32.723±0.186 while for the plantain peels were 54.783±0.302 and 27.17±0.008 respectively.