Department of Civil Engineering
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Item Utilization of periwinkle and palm kernel shells in load-bearing ecofriendly interlocking concrete paver(Frontier in Built Environment, 2025-01-10) Olofinnade, Olofinnade; Awoyera, Paul; Edemirukewa, Kelvin; Ogundipe, KunleIn recent times, increasing demand for raw aggregate has emphasized the need for construction industry to adopt sustainable practices by exploring alternative materials, such as agro-waste, to address resource depletion and reduce environmental pollution., This current study investigated the suitability of combining discarded periwinkle shell (PWKS) and palm kernel shell (PMKS) at low-replacement volumes to partially substitute granite in ecofriendly loadbearing cement-based interlocking paver units for use on medium-duty traffic roads. 108 paver samples were produced, targeting a 28-day strength of 30 MPa, using a mix proportion of 1:1:2 (cement: sand: granite) and water-cement ratio of 0.50. Physical and chemical compositions of materials are examined, while the produced paver samples were tested for their water absorption, compressive and split-tensile strengths properties. The influence of curing (immersion and open air) on the strength development was evaluated. Findings showed that the shells recorded low physical properties but increased water intake tendency. A gradual decrease in the strength performances of the pavers was observed as the amount of PWKS and PMKS increases in the mixes. The water absorption tendency increases with increasing PMKS and PWKS levels. Pavers cured by complete immersion in water recorded good strength and achieved the 30 MPa compared to open air cured pavers. This study recommends load-bearing pavers of up to 30 MPa can be made by combining PMKS and PWKS at a lowreplacement level of 5% deployed for medium-traffic roads, but with adequate curing technique. Outcomes showed the viability of incorporating periwinkle and palm kernel shells as aggregate in making standard paver units of adequate strength and resistance to water to promote sustainable construction practices.Item GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM-BASED OPTIMIZATION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE COLLECTION AND TRANSFER ROUTE FOR OTA, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA(Covenant University, Ota, 2026-09) ACADEME, Sunday Oyaogbode; Covenant UniversityRapid urbanization and industrial expansion in Ogun State, Nigeria, particularly in Ota, have exacerbated the challenge of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management. Inefficient waste collection and travel distance associated with vehicles route have led to prolonged driving times, high fuel consumption, and escalating operational costs, resulting in delayed waste collection and increasing public health and environmental concerns. In response to these challenges, this study is focused on examining the identified inefficiencies in existing MSW collection routes in Ota and to evaluate the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) based optimization to enhance operational efficiency and sustainability. This research employed a combination of primary and secondary data sources. A total of 500 household questionnaires were successfully retrieved across seven locations in the study area, focusing on demographic characteristics, waste disposal practices, perception and awareness of waste management. Primary data collection included key informant interviews, household observations, and field inspections. These were analyzed statistically using SPSS to establish patterns in waste generation and public participation in disposal systems. Secondary datasets were obtained from records of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA), including vehicle lists, fuel expenditures, and disposal points. To complement this, a field survey was conducted using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices installed on collection vehicles to monitor movement across seven study locations, comprising five residential and two highway routes. In total, 18 monitored trips were recorded over four months. The ArcGIS Pro Network Analyst extension, applying Dijkstra’s shortest path algorithm, was used to generate optimized routes. The analysis revealed that highway routes were generally better managed and more efficient than residential routes, which were often constrained by congestion, narrow road access, and irregular service. Overall, existing travel routes covered 532.74 km daily with a driving time of 1,742.39 minutes. Optimized routes reduced this to 431.28 km and 1,403.12 minutes, representing reductions of 19.0% in distance and 19.5% in time. Fuel consumption under existing operations averaged 163.82 litres daily, whereas optimized routes required 132.25 litres, a saving of 31.57 litres/day. This equates to approximately ₦37,878.68 (US$27.06) in daily savings and about ₦2.94 million (US$2,101.95) annually. The drivers’ survey revealed that optimized routes are currently not used due to barriers such as congested market roads, height restrictions, low hanging cables, parked vehicles, and limited awareness. Despite this, 71% of drivers indicated that optimized routes would improve efficiency, though 29% remained uncertain, reflecting infrastructural and operational constraints. The study demonstrates that the application of GIS based optimization can improve waste collection in Ota by reducing costs, increasing efficiency, and lowering environmental impacts. These findings provide a replicable model for other African cities and align with global sustainability goals including SDG 11 and SDG 12.Item DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH-PERFORMANCE FIBER-REINFORCED MORTAR COMPOSITE AS A SUSTAINABLE BUILDING MATERIAL(Covenant University, Ota, 2026-08) NAKADE, Fun-Akede Afingi; Covenant University, DissertationThe construction sector is responsible for 5-10% of the global CO₂ emissions, most of which come from the production of concrete. The research interest is shifting towards green cementitious and fiber composites as an alternative to traditional materials, as they are lightweight, renewable and efficient. Traditional decorative and insulation panels in tropical countries, like Nigeria, are usually made with harmful chemicals, and coconut coir, an abundant agricultural by-product, is not widely used. This study aims to create a coir–glass fiber reinforced mortar composite to improve the indoor environmental quality and durability of buildings. It also includes supplementary cementitious materials, Palm Kernel Shell Ash (PKSA) and Ground Granulated Blast Slag (GGBS) and looks at gaps in literature regarding fiber lengths <10 mm and mid-range fiber content (0.1–0.6%). The coir fibers are treated with alkali solution for improving performance. The physical and mechanical properties, water absorption, thermal conductivity and the microstructural behavior (SEM-EDX, XRF) of the composite were evaluated. The neural fitting tool provided in MATLAB®2025a was used to model and predict the compressive strength. The results indicated that mercerization process led to decrease in fiber diameters (10-30%) and increased the resistance to chemicals. The results of mechanical analysis showed that low coir content and high glass content (PC+CF0.1+GF0.6) had the highest compressive and flexural strength, whereas high coir content had led to an increase in air voids and decreased matrix compactness. Additionally, the combination of 20% GGBS and PKSA in PC+CF0.2+GF0.5 sample has the best performance in both mortar and concrete. Also, samples containing PKSA exhibited the lowest thermal conductivity (K ≈ 0.0875 W/mK), establishing its potential as an effective insulation material for tropical microclimate. Good correlation between experimental and predicted strength (up to R2 = 0.976 and Pearson's r = 0.988) was obtained and the sensitivity analysis was used to analyze the influence of input parameters on the ANN prediction. The research contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3, 9, 11, 12) as it aims to convert agricultural waste into valuable building materials for green buildings in the humid tropics.Item DEVELOPMENT OF HYBRID MODELLING FRAMEWORK FOR FLOOD AND DROUGHT PATTERNS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE VARIABILITIES IN RWANDA(Covenant University, Ota, 2026-08) IRAGUHA, Lionel; Covenant University, DissertationRwanda’s heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture and its complex, steep topography renders it highly vulnerable to escalating climate-induced floods and droughts. Despite advancements in modern predictive technologies, the "black box" nature of traditional machine learning algorithms has significantly hindered their integration into practical policy making and water resource management. To address this gap, this dissertation develops and validates a novel hybrid modelling framework to analyze historical hydro-climatic trends (1981–2024), project future extreme scenarios up to the year 2100, evaluate socio-economic vulnerabilities, and formulate evidencebased adaptation strategies. The methodology leverages high-resolution Earth Observation Data (CHIRPS and ERA5-Land) alongside a bias-corrected CMIP6 Multi-Model Ensemble to force a SWAT-LSTM hybrid model. Within this framework, the physical SWAT+ model calculates the baseline water mass balance, while a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) deep learning network serves as a residual corrector to accurately capture non-linear routing processes and sub-daily temporal dependencies. Historical trend analysis reveals a severe "Temperature Penalty" across Rwanda, where the frequency of warm nights has doubled, dramatically elevating potential evapotranspiration (PET) and driving agricultural drought even in areas where annual rainfall volumes have recovered. Concurrently, the return period for 50-year extreme storm events in the Northern Province has contracted to just 5 years, frequently overwhelming existing municipal infrastructure. Through the integration of the LSTM network, the hybrid predictive model drastically outperformed standalone physical models, reducing the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) by up to 74% and significantly improving the Kling-Gupta Efficiency (KGE) for discharge predictions. Future projections under the extreme SSP5-8.5 emission scenario indicate a critical "Precipitation Paradox". The model predicts a 15.9% acceleration in extreme flash flood peaks (reaching 250.80 m³/s) at the Ruliba catchment, severely threatening Kigali's urban infrastructure. In stark contrast, the downstream Rusumo catchment faces a +3.29°C temperature rise, generating an extreme evaporative demand of 1,460 mm annually that threatens the baseflow reliability of the Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project and regional food security. To mitigate these geographically polarized hazards which are characterized by excess flood energy in the West and severe volume deficits in the East, the study proposes a "Spatial Rebalancing Philosophy". A Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) prioritized the construction of high-capacity Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) Catchment Dams, the deployment of LSTM-enhanced Dynamic Early Warning Systems, and the exploration of Induced Inter-Basin Water Transfers as the most effective adaptation measures. The successful execution of these strategies provides a data-driven blueprint to enhance Rwanda's climate resilience, actively supporting the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) and directly aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2, 6, 11, and 13).Item DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE ECO-CONCRETE WITH KENAF FIBRE AND COATED RECYCLED CONCRETE AGGREGATE(Covenant University Ota, 2025-06) TAIWO-ABDUL DAMILOLA OMOZUAWO; Covenant University DissertationThe urgent global demand for sustainable infrastructure has driven innovations in eco-efficient construction materials. This study explores the development of high-performance, sustainable concrete by integrating pozzolanic-treated recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) and kenaf fibre as eco-friendly alternatives to natural coarse aggregates and synthetic reinforcements. The research addresses the inherent limitations of RCA—such as high porosity, residual mortar, and weak interfacial zones—through a surface modification technique involving a blended calcined clay-cement slurry. Simultaneously, kenaf fibre is incorporated to enhance the tensile and flexural properties of the concrete matrix. Concrete mixes were produced with varying RCA replacement levels (30%, 45%, 60%, and 90%) using both untreated and pozzolanic-treated RCA. Comprehensive characterisation, including X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), was employed to assess material and microstructural properties. Mechanical performance was evaluated through compressive, tensile, and flexural strength tests, alongside water absorption and density tests for durability analysis. Statistical optimisation using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and ANOVA determined the influence of treatment and fibre incorporation on concrete performance. The results indicate that pozzolanic treatment significantly improved RCA concrete properties, with optimal performance observed at 45–60% RCA replacement. Treated mixes achieved a 28-day compressive strength of 36 MPa, a 5.3 MPa split tensile strength, and reduced water absorption to 3%, reflecting improved durability and structural integrity. These enhancements demonstrate the synergy between calcined clay treatment and natural fibre reinforcement. This study substantiates the viability of producing eco-concrete with treated RCA and kenaf fibre, promoting circularity, reducing carbon footprint, and contributing to sustainable development goals. It provides a framework for future applications in structural concrete, aligning with low-carbon construction practices.Collection Here you will find works strictly related to Civil Engineering