Research Articles [MEWES]

Unraveling the potential of sisal fiber in sustainable innovation: A bibliometric perspective

Kahigi, Nickson; Mkunda, Josephine; Mwema, Mwema; Machunda, Revocatus (Taylor & Francis, 2025-07-09)

Sisal fiber has increasingly attracted attention as a sustainable bio-based material due to its biodegradability, availability, and relevance to circular economy initiatives. Given its underutilization in high-impact ...

Social determinants for household clean water accessibility in northern Tanzania: A case of Kikwe peri-urban ward in Arusha

Ngayaga, Mwahija; Nade, Paschal; Mpumi, Nelson; Ripanda, Asha; Rwiza, Mwemezi (African Quarterly Social Science Review, 2025)

Clean water accessibility is vital to human health and well-being, a fundamental human right. Over 1.7 billion people do not have consistent access to safe drinking water, negatively affecting their health and socioeconomic ...

Performance comparison of temperature-based and mass transfer-based horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland designs

Rugaika, Anita; Bruggen, Bart; Njau, Karoli (IWA Publishing, 2025-06-20)

Two similar horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSSF-CWs) that only differ in the wastewater flow length were compared in terms of their performances. The HSSF-CW with a longer wastewater flow length has two ...

Institutional Frameworks and Household Clean Water Accessibility in Peri-Urban Communities of Northern Tanzania: A Case of the Suburban Ward

Ngayaga, Mwahija; Nade, Paschal; Rwiza, Mwemezi; Ripanda, Asha (African Quarterly Social Science Review, 2025-05-13)

The lack of clean water contributes to the transmission of waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid, particularly among vulnerable populations. This situation threatens public health, especially in ...

Assessing the Performance of Constructed Wetland for Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Using Sugarcane Molasses as a Carbon Source

Buddy, Zainabu; Njau, Oscar; Rugaika, Anita; Njau, Karoli (Scientific Research Publishing, 2025-04-22)

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a widespread environmental issue at mining sites globally. AMD is caused by pyrite oxidation which produces an acidic discharge > 2500 mg/L of sulfate, dissolved heavy metals at high amounts and ...

Capacitive deionization for water desalination using Na3Fe2(PO4)3/activated carbon composite electrodes

Sufiani, Omari; Alfredy, Tusekile; Tanaka, Hideki; Teshima, Katsuya; Machunda, Revocatus; Jande, Yusufu (Elsevier, 2025-05-28)

Water desalination technologies are attracting growing global attention as critical solutions to address water scarcity torturing mankind worldwide. Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an emerging desalination technology that ...

Effect of Electron Donor Groups on Optoelectronic Properties of Betalain Dyes: A DFT Study

Tsere, Melkizedeck; Costa, Rene; Deogratias, Geradius; Pogrebnaya, Tatiana; Pogrebnoi, Alexander; Machunda, Revocatus; Al-Qurashi, Ohoud; Wazzan, Nuha; Babu, Nambury (wiley, 2025-05)

A sensitizer is a vital component of dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs); it absorbs incident photons, excites electrons, and facil-itates charge transfer to the semiconductor. In the present work,modification of betalain ...

Jamun Seed (Syzygium Cumini) Biochar as a Potential Adsorbent for Environmental Applications

Ripanda, Asha; Rwiza, Mwemezi; Giridhar Reddy, S.; Nyanza, Elias; Bakari, Ramadhani; Miraji, Hossein; Ravikumar, C. R.; Ananda Murthy, H. C.; Vuai, Saidi; Machunda, Revocatus; Annamareddy, Sri Hari (Engineered Science Publisher, 2025-02-18)

This study investigates the properties and adsorption performance of jamun seed biochar (JS biochar) produced through calcination at varying temperatures. Elemental analysis reveals that the carbon content significantly ...

Economic Factors Influencing Household Access to Clean Water in a Peri-Urban Area of Northern Tanzania

Ngayaga, Mwahija; Ripanda, Asha; Nade, Paschal; Rwiza, Mwemezi (Scientific Research Publishing Inc., 2025-04-30)

Economic factors and associated correlations play a crucial role in shaping household access to clean water in peri-urban areas, directly impacting the well-being and health of communities. Most communities globally ...

Radioactivity distribution in soil, rock and tailings at the Geita Gold Mine in Tanzania

Mwimanzi, Jerome; Haneklausa, Nils; Bituhe, Tomislav; Brinkf, Hendrik; Kiegielg, Katarzyna; Lolilah, Farida; Marwaa, Janeth; Rwiza, Mwemezi; Mtei, Kelvin (Elsevier B. V., 2025-04-30)

This study evaluated the activity concentrations of natural radionuclides in soil, waste rocks and tailings from the Geita gold mining site in Tanzania using high-resolution gamma spectroscopy. A total of 41 samples: 31 ...

Efficiency of honey–grape blend in reducing radiation-induced mucositis in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Kyomo, Magaisha; Mpumi, Nelson; Sauli, Elingarami; Lidenge, Salum (AIMS Press, 2025-03-12)

This study assessed the efficacy of a honey–grape blend in reducing the severity and onset of radiation oral mucositis (ROM) in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Oral mucositis ...

Kinetics and energetics of biodiesel oxidation stability: The impact of Uapaca kirkiana-derived natural antioxidants

Kahimbi, Henry; Kichonge, Baraka; Kivevele, Thomas (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2025-03)

Despite considerable progress in understanding biodiesel autoxidation inhibition, the kinetics and energetics of the inhibition reactions involving natural antioxidants remain underexplored. Most existing research on natural ...

Hermetia illucens pupae casings and biogas slurry activated carbon electrodes for Cd2 + removal from aqueous solutions using capacitive deionization

Panja, Eva; Alfredy, Tusekile; Elisadiki, Joyce; Jande, Yusufu (Elsevier, 2025-04-01)

This study examined capacitive deionisation’s effectiveness for recovering Cd2+ from water using novel carbon-based electrodes derived from Hermetia illucens pupae casings (PC) and biogas slurry (BG). Activated carbon (AC) ...

Compressive strength optimization of the ambient-cured metakaolin-based geopolymer mortar using the Taguchi design approach

Hamisi, Hashimu; Chambua, Safiel; Mansouri, Said; Majdoubi, Hicham; Jande, Yusufu; Tamraoui, Youssef; Hilonga, Askwar (Elsevier, 2025-05-16)

This study utilized raw natural kaolinite sourced along Pugu hills, Tanzania, as the aluminosilicate source. To optimize the compressive strength, nine (9) metakaolin geopolymer formulations were activated using the Taguchi ...

Electro-spun transparent film from banana pseudo-stem native cellulose using N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide solvent system

Livifile, Silla; Tarus, Bethwel; Kisula, Lydia; Kivevele, Thomas; Thomas, Yusufu (Elsevier, 2025-04-21)

The study-utilized electrospinning to prepare a transparent film from native cellulose extracted from banana pseudo stems. The process of electrospinning was performed at room temperature conditions, after which the cellulose ...

Modelling and optimization of different pozzolanic materials in the durability of cement composite by central composite design

Fode, Tsion; Jande, Yusufu; Kivevele, Thomas (Elsevier, 2025-04-19)

The production of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) requires high temperatures and significant energy consumption, leading to environmental pollution and posing challenges to the sustainability of green cementing materials. ...

Tree demographics and soil charcoal evidence of fire disturbances in an inaccessible forest atop the Mount Lico inselberg, Mozambique

Courtney-Mustaphi, Colin; Platts, Philip; Willcock, Simon; Timberlake, Jonathan; Osborne, Jo; Matimele, Hermenegildo; Osgood, Hanniah; Muiruri, Veronica; Gehrels, Maria; Bayliss, Julian; Marchant, Rob (John Wiley & Sons, 2024-10-24)

Societal Impact Statement Highland forests of Mozambique have been strongly modified by human activities for millennia. Some highlands have sheer rock cliffs and are highly inaccessible to people and appear relatively ...