Evaluation of the Production of Oxalic Acid from Some Solid Industrial Wastes in Nigeria

A variety of methods exist for the disposing of solid agro-industrial wastes generated during the processing of agricultural commodities. These include land application, composting, open burning and placement in a land fill. But agro-industry is an important source of methane which is obtained from the wastewater and the solid organic wastes. Other important chemicals such as potassium hydroxide and oxalic acid can be obtained from this industry. Cocoa pods, palm bunches, and plantain peels were processed for the production of KOH which was used for the isolation of oxalic acid from saw dust. A total average weight of 2.81 X 1011 tons per annum of KOH can be generated from these agro-industrial wastes which can be used to produce 0.56 X 106 tons of oxalic acid per annum.