Studies On The Causes Of Emulsion Paint Degradation On Buildings In Port Harcourt, Nigeria And Paint Forming Properties Of Some African Seed Oils.

Abstract

In southern Nigeria, it is common to notice ―infected patches‖ on emulsion paintings, mostly on the walls of buildings and fences. These emulsion paintings contain a wide range of constituents and therefore provide ecological niches that may be exploited by a large variety of microbial species. Samples of these paintings were collected from three different locations in University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. In order to identify the microbes in both degraded and undegraded walls, some of the samples were cultured and incubated for 24hours at 37oC. The colonies that developed were subjected to different tests: motility, methyl-red, voges proskauer, oxidase, indole, citrate utilization and catalase tests. Under the microbes, algae, bacteria (bacillus, flavobacteria, microcollus, and anthrobacteria species), and fungi (rhizopus, aspergillus, fusarium species) were identified, but no algae was detected in the undegraded wall. The pH of the environment was also determined. The pH range of the degraded wall was found to be 6.59 – 7.04. The presence of sulfate, nitrate and carbonate was also determined in both walls. The concentrations of sulfate and nitrate were higher in the undegraded wall, but there was no marked difference in the concentration of carbonate in both walls. The heavy metal content of these samples was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. It was discovered that Fe, Na+, Cr, Ni and Zn dominated these areas, followed by Ca2+, Ti and Cd. But Hg and Pb were not identified. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content was analyzed using Gas Chromatography. In this case, acenaphthylene, fluorene and anthracene were dominantly present, while naphthalene, pyrene and acenaphthene were in minute quantities Six different seed oil extracts: coconut fruit, palm kernel seed, soya bean seed and rubber seed (from Nigeria), as well as jatropha seed and neem seed (from Ghana), were screened by determining their fatty acid University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh viii profile using a GC-FID. It was found that coconut oil and palm kernel oil were composed more of saturated fatty acid, while soya bean oil, rubber seed oil, jatropha seed oil and neem seed oil were composed more of unsaturated fatty acid. Thus, coconut oil and palm kernel oil can be used in the production of emulsion paint while soya bean oil, rubber seed oil, jatropha seed oil and neem seed oil can be used in the production of oil paint. Furthermore, the anti-oxidant vitamin content of these oils was also determined using a GC-FID. All the oils had anti-oxidant vitamins and so they can be used for industrial applications like soap, cosmetic and paint production. In the performance test, different paints were formulated using these oils. The best formulations came out from rubber seed oil and the coconut oil. Thus rubber seed oil and coconut oil would be best suited for use in the formulation of oil paint and emulsion paint respectively