Opinion

Panorama: Physiotherapy: A Noble Profession Made in Paradise

Published

5 years ago

September 4, 2021

Eric

By Sani Sa’idu Baba

My dear country men and women, I will begin with the popular saying, ‘health is wealth’. This is a fact that no one can contest. Not just because one enjoys pain and disability-free life, but also that health ensures complete harmony of the body, mind, spirit and mental wellbeing. The saying of Mahatma Gandhi that “it is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver” and the Arabian proverb that says “he who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything” are true. However, despite its enticing meanings, it has become nearly impossible to achieve a perfect state of health owing to some factors. These factors include genetics, environment, access to health and behavior. Extending one’s own capacity to keep self physically fit has also become a challenge. While both medical and physiotherapy doctors share their responsibilities on patients particularly during diseased condition, the physiotherapy doctors are exclusively very close to the patients as well as the apparently healthy clients who seek to maintain their health to reflect a popular saying “prevention is better than cure”.

Against this background, I will relate to two key issues. One is the less talk about cases of sudden death shortly after engaging in physical activity like running or jogging or cycling in the gymnasium or other playground or at home, which is becoming rampant, especially among certain class of people I can attest to. And secondly, the incessant exodus of medical personnel from Nigeria. One might be curious to ask why I should say “physical activity” and not “exercise” in the other case. Certainly because they are two entirely different things in the context of health, and the key issues surrounding the observed problem lies in either being ignorant or misperception of the two misleading words. I will dwell on both cases subsequently.

I will not bother my readers with the definitions of exercise and physical activity because it may take round a clock to satisfactorily explain what both entails. But I believe that being able to remember a scenario that if one has a headache or fever or any other strange illness, one would first go and see a doctor, carryout some investigations, identify the problem and be placed in appropriate medications that suitably fits. Not a situation whereby one will identify the disease, choose any investigation he/she likes, buy any drug of choice and be taking it endlessly, certainly no. In fact, doing so is tantamount to committing suicide. The same thing when one decides to go to any gymnasium, or playground to start running, flexing or jogging because he/she has diabetes, hypertension or is obese. You can imagine if one is only asthmatic and then took anti-hypertensive drugs expecting to see results. Is it possible? No. It will never yield any results but rather threatens life in the end. It is the same scenario with exercise. Different exercise specifications are employed to target specific disease and not others. And just like we have drug abuse as more often been campaigned about, we should equally be aware of exercise abuse and its detrimental effect. So the exact difference without taking it too far, is the word “prescription” in the case of exercise, and that has been unanimously agreed worldwide to be one of the key jobs of the physiotherapy doctors by all standards.

Exercise is a very powerful tool for both the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases, for mitigating the harmful effects of obesity, and for lowering mortality rates. Years of research have provided irrefutable evidence for the benefit of exercise in the primary and secondary prevention of diseases like diabetes, cancer (especially of the breast and colon), hypertension, depression, osteoporosis, dementia, and heart diseases. In addition, regular exercises has also been shown to dramatically lower all-cause mortality rates, and especially cardiovascular-related mortality. Beyond all this, exercise has also been shown to significantly mitigate the harmful health effects of obesity. In fact, studies have shown that patients are better off being fit and fat than skinny and unfit. That means a low level of fitness is a bigger risk factor for mortality than mild to moderate levels of obesity. The important message for all patients and clients to understand is that the benefits of exercise are the same regardless of how much you weigh.

In fact, there is a linear relationship between level of exercise and health status. People who maintain an active and fit way of life live longer, healthier lives. In contrast, sedentary lifestyle has an astonishing array of harmful health effects. However, having known the detrimental effect of self-prescribed exercise, it is arguably quite better to be sedentary than to engage in it without consulting physiotherapy doctors. People who are sedentary and unfit predictably begin to suffer prematurely from chronic disease and probably die at a younger age or live with poor quality of life. This is because, their ability to live a normal life and do the things they want to do is often severely limited because the premature development of chronic diseases associated with an inactive lifestyle have impaired their functional capacity. This association between disease and an inactive and unfit way of life exists in every age group: children, adults, and the elderly. Results of several researches published in journals of physiotherapy consistently show that those who are active and fit are healthier and less likely to develop chronic diseases irrespective of gender or age. For this reason, many have suggested that sedentary lifestyle is the major public health problem of our time. It was therefore a consensus that “In view of the prevalence, global reach, and health effect of sedentary lifestyle, the issue should be appropriately described as pandemic, with far-reaching health, economic, environmental, and social consequences.” Can you imagine now the public outcry if such strong words had been used to describe a “pandemic” caused by an infectious disease or injury? You can bet there would have been numerous large scale campaigns mounted and associated publicity to deal with such a pandemic. Unfortunately, the clear identification of sedentary lifestyle as a pandemic barely generated any media response and awareness despite availability of physiotherapy doctors that can effectively play significant roles vis-à-vis preventing the occurrence of the diseases, diagnosing them in the presence of any health challenge and appropriately dealing with them. To make it clear here, sedentary lifestyle and self-prescribed exercise are almost the same because both are harmful to health. So the role of physiotherapist in global health cannot be overemphasized.

The fundamental issue on ground is that while people are battling with diseases like cancer, hypertension, diabetes and the rest, others are battling with the side effects of the drugs on top of the disease itself. A classic example of such situations is the paradoxical response to drugs in some cases, and drug induced severe pain in cancer patients. Physiotherapy doctors on the contrary, could target your heart, your lungs, your kidneys, your brain and manipulate your spines and joints with usually instant results and zero side effect. Besides, physiotherapy doctors around the world has achieved significant reduction in the occurrence of these diseases through their preventive efforts in various cases. Moreover, the recent Covid-19 pandemic has clearly exposed physiotherapy as a lifesaving profession by virtue of the observation that effective physiotherapy intervention is fundamental to achieving recovery in Sars-Covid patients with both mild and severe lung collapse. In fact in many countries, the intensive care units are being headed by physiotherapy doctors. They revived long Covid patients from post-exertional symptoms exacerbation, cardiac impairment, exertional oxygen desaturation, and autonomic nervous system dysfunction using several rehabilitation approaches. Many medical scholars like Meenakshi Wankhede recognized physiotherapy as a field concerned with all medical fields and based on the basic concept of human sciences, the importance of this field has been skyrocketing by the day as people are becoming more aware of their physical and mental health. So it is the need of the hour in the modern world especially because of the harmful undesirable effects of most drugs.

Coming back to the key issue I intend to address today, I believe my readers must have grabbed some ideas of the harmful effect of self-prescribed exercise. But to appreciate it more, let’s take for example, when one engages in self-prescribed exercise, he/she is not aware and has no control over many crucial vital profiles such as blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate, oxygen consumption, respiratory rate, blood cholesterol level, general metabolism, and how these changes over time. These parameters if assessed and the outcome of pre-exercise testing are the key determinants that will inform whether one should do this for so so duration, or should do that for so so kilometers and for how many times or even to use certain machines or the other. Many people wrongly subject themselves to undesirable form of physical activities and beyond permissible limits for their age or conditions which the heart and lungs cannot withstand. In some cases, people are unaware they have a particular condition or the other, some have already developed obstructed blood flow and something like that. That is why, more often than not, people die of heart attack during or immediately after self-prescribed exercise and this is mostly the genesis of the key issue I am talking about today.

The second issue that stimulated me to pick a topic of this nature this time around is the issue of exodus of health personnel from Nigeria that has become the order of the day. Needless to say that, there is serious problem with leadership in Nigeria. Health is supposed to be a key priority of any administration. It was actually worrisome to learn about the brain drain going on in the health sector in Nigeria. Many health personnel are reportedly leaving Nigeria for Saudi Arabia in search of greener pasture. Although some are of the opinion that it is brain gain, and not brain drain for obvious reasons. And I don’t blame anybody honestly because the situation is already out of hand. It is very embarrassing to realize that despite the shortage of man power in the health sector, concerned authorities are keeping their hands akimbo, allowing the situation to collapse. Take for instance, despite millions of Nigerian patients that are in need of physiotherapy and rehabilitation services out of about 200 million population, the numerical strength of physiotherapy doctors available in the country today is abysmally low. The level of wastages and inadequacies in the field has been brought to the fore. In a 500 bed hospital for instance, where we are supposed to have at least 50 physiotherapists, we can have less than 10. This is terribly low. The rate at which physiotherapy doctors migrate to the U.K, U.S, Canada and other countries is also very disturbing. As of 2015, it was gathered that about 50% of the nation’s registered physiotherapists have migrated to seek greener pasture. Eventually, it is Nigerians who are suffering these deficits, because they are not having the best. The global ratio of physiotherapists stands at 1 : 4,000 people, Nigeria has one of the worst ratios in the world: 1 : 170,000 persons, after recording a shortfall of more than 41,000, because Nigeria needs about 43,000 physiotherapy doctors to be able to meet the growing demands of Nigerians. One of the reasons people go abroad to get care is not necessarily because the surgery is not going to be successful, if they were to do it here. But because of post-surgical care that is needed, which has been developed to a very high level in developed countries, but which has been neglected in Nigeria, up to the point that it now appears as if the surgery was not successful. And the reason why the surgery appears not to be successful is that the post-operative care, which the physiotherapists will have to embark upon, has not been supported by the system.

As has been exemplified earlier, self-prescribed exercise corresponds to self-medication. And also corresponds to over-the-counter drugs. While antihypertensive exercise prescribed by an expert physiotherapist tally with the antihypertensive drugs prescribed by an expert cardiologist. Most important to note here is, the detrimental effect of exercise abuse could be more dangerous than that of drug abuse because in the former it can lead to instant death while the later may presents with chances of reversal.

Based on the extensive highlights above, it is clear that exercise is the new medicine. It is the long-sought-after therapy needed to prevent chronic diseases, and extend life. Can you imagine a pill that had even a fraction of the positive health benefit like exercise? It would be the most widely prescribed medication in the world, and not prescribing it would likely be considered malpractice. So why has the medical community neglected exercise as a standard treatment? The answer to that question is quite complex, but I suspect it’s just easier for most physicians to prescribe a pill to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, or even body mass index, rather than counsel patients on getting more active or referring them to physiotherapy doctors.

The other issue is the lack of reimbursement for exercise counseling and other preventive measures. However, it is clear that this focus on pills is flawed, because we know that medication adherence by patients is very low, let alone someone seeking weight loss. The affordability of these medications by the patients is also another issue.

In addition, a reliance on drugs seems to transfer responsibility for health from the patient to the physicians. In many cases, patients seem to be less active and eat more poorly when medications are prescribed. This is not to talk of the dangerous side effects that most of the medications come with. I therefore, appeal to authorities to do everything possible to enhance the number of physiotherapy doctors in every health institution.

Kano State, as a case study, with about 20 million people has only about 150 physiotherapists, where only 76 are under the state government, and more than 100 are currently not recruited by the state government despite the huge demand. My special appeal therefore, to our workaholic governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, is to be more pro-active to solve problems like these in the health sector.

Moreover, the dangers that are attached to allowing gymnasiums to operate without licensed physiotherapist is very alarming. Authorities should also mandate such facilities to employ physiotherapist. And the people, on their part, should never patronize any gymnasium that has no physiotherapist to properly evaluate them before any exercise activity.

A word is enough for the wise! May God Almighty continue to bless us with sound health.

Opinion

PDP Crisis: Illegal Factional Convention is a Direct Assault on Party Constitution and Democracy

Published

4 days ago

March 29, 2026

Eric

By Prince Adedipe Dauda Ewenla

The attention of party faithfuls and the general public has been drawn to the desperate and unconstitutional attempt by a faction within the Peoples Democratic Party to foist an illegal National Convention on the party in clear violation of its constitution and established democratic norms.

Let it be stated unequivocally: the Constitution of the PDP is clear, unambiguous, and binding on all members only a duly elected National Working Committee (NWC) has the constitutional authority to convene, approve, and conduct a National Convention.

This position is firmly grounded in the provisions of the PDP Constitution:

1. Section 31(3) clearly vests the power to summon and convene the National Convention in the appropriate constitutional organ of the party, which operates through the National Working Committee.

2. Section 29(2)(a) establishes the National Working Committee as the principal executive organ responsible for the day-to-day administration and decision-making of the party.

3. Section 47(1) affirms the supremacy of the party constitution, making it binding on all members and organs of the party without exception.

Flowing from these provisions, any gathering, meeting, or assembly convened outside this constitutional framework is illegal, null, void, and of no consequence, being ultra vires, null ab initio, and incapable of conferring any legal rights or obligations whatsoever.

The ongoing attempt by a faction reportedly aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to organize a so-called convention through an imposed and illegitimate caretaker structure is nothing but a brazen assault on the rule of law, party supremacy, and internal democracy, and amounts to a clear case of constitutional subversion.

For the avoidance of doubt:
Individuals who have been suspended or expelled from the party lack the locus standi to act on its behalf.

Any caretaker arrangement not constitutionally backed by the elected organs of the party remains a nullity ab initio.
No faction, no matter how powerful, can override the supremacy of the party constitution.

Any purported action taken in furtherance of this illegality is void and liable to be set aside ex debito justitiae by any court of competent jurisdiction.

It is instructive that the Federal High Court and other competent courts have already taken judicial notice of these constitutional breaches by entertaining suits challenging the legality of the proposed convention. This alone is a clear warning that the entire process is fundamentally defective and cannot stand the test of law.

We therefore align firmly and unequivocally with the leadership direction and stabilizing efforts under Kabiru Turaki, whose commitment to constitutional order, due process, and party unity remains the only credible path forward for the PDP at this critical time.

The party cannot and must not be hijacked by individuals driven by personal ambition, vendetta politics, or external influence.

The survival of the PDP as a viable opposition platform depends on strict adherence to its constitution and respect for its legitimate structures.

We warn, in the strongest possible terms, that:

Any convention conducted outside the authority of a duly elected NWC will be resisted and rejected by loyal members of the party.

Any outcome from such an illegal exercise will be treated as void ab initio and will not be recognized within the party or before the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Those promoting this illegality are inviting avoidable chaos, multiplicity of suits, and grave political consequences for the PDP ahead of 2027.

This is not just about a convention this is about the soul, legality, and future of our great party.

I call on all genuine stakeholders to rise above factional manipulation and defend the constitution of the PDP with courage and clarity.

The rule of law must prevail. Fiat justitia ruat caelum. The constitution must stand. The PDP must not fall.

Prince Amb. (Dr.) Adedipe Dauda Ewenla
PDP Southwest Ex-Officio

Opinion

Intentional Progressive Leadership and Disciplined Security: Catalysts for Unlocking Possibilities

Published

5 days ago

March 28, 2026

Eric

By Tolulope Adegoke PhD

In an increasingly interconnected and volatile world, the twin forces of intentional progressive leadership and disciplined security stand as indispensable drivers of meaningful advancement. Intentional progressive leadership is characterized by deliberate, forward-thinking decision-making that prioritizes inclusive growth, innovation, accountability, and long-term societal transformation over short-term gains or entrenched interests. Disciplined security, in turn, refers to a professional, rule-of-law-based, human-centered approach to safeguarding citizens, institutions, and resources—one that integrates military, intelligence, law enforcement, and community engagement while upholding human rights and fostering trust. Together, these elements do not merely maintain stability; they actively unlock possibilities across three interconnected spheres: peoples (individuals and communities), corporates (businesses and organizations), and nation building (state institutions and societal cohesion).

This write-up examines their active roles, portrays the current realities as they stand in Nigeria, Africa, and the wider world, provides relevant global and regional examples, and offers practical, unbiased solutions. Drawing on established patterns of development, the analysis underscores that where these forces converge effectively, they generate exponential outcomes; where they falter, stagnation and fragility ensue. The goal is to present a balanced, evidence-informed perspective suitable for policymakers, business leaders, scholars, and development practitioners internationally.

Defining and Contextualizing the Core Elements

Intentional progressive leadership goes beyond charisma or authority. It demands strategic vision anchored in data, ethical governance, stakeholder inclusion, and adaptive resilience. Leaders in this mold invest in human capital, promote transparency, and align policies with sustainable development goals. Disciplined security complements this by creating the enabling environment of safety and predictability. It emphasizes professional training, intelligence-led operations, community policing, and the rule of law rather than militarization or repression. When these operate in synergy, they transform potential into tangible progress: educated citizens innovate, businesses thrive without fear, and nations build resilient institutions.

Active Roles in Delivering Possibilities for Peoples

For individuals and communities, intentional progressive leadership and disciplined security create pathways to dignity, opportunity, and empowerment. Progressive leaders prioritize education, healthcare, and skills development, viewing people as the primary asset. Disciplined security ensures freedom from fear, enabling daily pursuits of livelihood and aspiration.

In practice, this synergy fosters social mobility and cohesion. Progressive leadership invests in youth programs and vocational training, while disciplined security protects learning environments and public spaces. The result is reduced vulnerability to exploitation and increased civic participation.

Active Roles in Delivering Possibilities for Corporates

Corporations require stable operating environments to invest, innovate, and expand. Intentional progressive leadership enacts policies that ease business registration, combat corruption, and promote public-private partnerships. Disciplined security safeguards supply chains, intellectual property, and personnel against threats like extortion or sabotage.

This combination drives economic dynamism. Businesses flourish when leaders provide predictable regulations and when security forces respond swiftly to disruptions, allowing corporates to focus on value creation rather than risk mitigation.

Active Roles in Delivering Possibilities for Nation Building

At the national level, these elements are foundational to sovereignty, legitimacy, and prosperity. Progressive leadership builds inclusive institutions, diversifies economies, and integrates regional and global partnerships. Disciplined security preserves territorial integrity, deters external interference, and supports internal harmony.

Nation building succeeds when leadership fosters national identity and security architecture reinforces it through equitable protection and justice.

The Current Picture: Realities in Nigeria, Africa, and the Wider World

Nigeria exemplifies both promise and persistent hurdles. As Africa’s most populous nation and largest economy, it possesses immense human and natural potential. Yet, as of early 2026, security challenges remain acute: insurgency and banditry in the Northeast and Northwest, farmer-herder conflicts in the Middle Belt, kidnapping for ransom nationwide, and separatist tensions in the Southeast. These have displaced millions, stifled agriculture and commerce, and eroded public trust. Leadership under President Bola Tinubu has pursued reforms, including kinetic and non-kinetic counter-insurgency measures, the appointment of a new Chief of Defence Staff in late 2025 for better operational coherence, and emphasis on human capital development (HCD 2.0). Progress includes reported surrenders of insurgent affiliates and targeted infrastructure investments, yet gaps persist in governance coordination, community engagement, and addressing root causes such as poverty and youth unemployment.

Across Africa, the landscape is heterogeneous. Positive models include Rwanda, where post-genocide leadership under President Paul Kagame has combined visionary governance with disciplined security to achieve sustained growth, digital innovation, and regional stability. Botswana stands as another exemplar: decades of prudent, transparent leadership have turned diamond revenues into broad-based development while maintaining professional security institutions that uphold democratic norms. Ghana demonstrates democratic continuity with progressive economic policies and relatively effective security cooperation. Conversely, parts of the Sahel face coups, jihadist expansion, and governance fragility, highlighting how leadership vacuums and undisciplined security exacerbate cycles of instability.

Globally, the interplay is evident in success stories such as Singapore’s transformation under Lee Kuan Yew, where meritocratic leadership and disciplined, corruption-free security institutions propelled a resource-poor city-state into a high-income economy. South Korea’s post-war reconstruction similarly blended visionary leadership with security alliances and human capital focus. In contrast, nations experiencing leadership complacency or fragmented security—such as certain conflict zones in the Middle East or Latin America—illustrate stalled development and eroded possibilities.

These realities reveal a clear pattern: intentional progressive leadership and disciplined security are not luxuries but necessities. Their absence perpetuates underdevelopment; their presence catalyzes breakthroughs.

Relevant Examples Illustrating Essence and Impact

Rwanda: Post-1994 genocide, intentional leadership focused on reconciliation, education, and technology hubs, supported by disciplined security reforms that prioritized professional training and community policing. This has elevated Rwanda to one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, attracting foreign investment and reducing poverty dramatically.
Botswana: Progressive leadership emphasized accountable resource management and anti-corruption measures, paired with a professional military and police force. The outcome is one of Africa’s most stable democracies and highest Human Development Indices.
Singapore: Lee Kuan Yew’s intentional policies built a merit-based civil service and rigorous, rule-based security apparatus. This created a safe, efficient environment that transformed the nation into a global financial and logistics hub.
Nigeria-specific: Initiatives like community-based security arrangements in some states, when aligned with progressive local leadership, have reduced localized banditry. Corporate examples include Lagos tech ecosystems thriving amid targeted security enhancements in business districts.

These cases justify the essence: deliberate leadership and disciplined security deliver measurable possibilities when integrated holistically.

Proffering Relevant Solutions: Pathways Forward Without Prejudice

Solutions must be context-specific yet universally applicable, emphasizing collaboration across stakeholders.

For Peoples (Individuals and Communities):

Nigeria and Africa: Scale up human capital programs like Nigeria’s HCD 2.0 through universal basic education, vocational training, and digital literacy, especially in rural and conflict-affected areas. Integrate community policing models that empower local vigilantes under professional oversight to build trust.
Wider World: Adopt inclusive social safety nets and mental health support in post-conflict settings. International partners can provide technical assistance for youth entrepreneurship funds.
Outcome: Reduced vulnerability and empowered citizens who contribute actively to development.

For Corporates:

Nigeria and Africa: Enact progressive policies such as streamlined business regulations, tax incentives for security technology investments, and public-private security partnerships (e.g., joint task forces for critical infrastructure). Encourage corporate social responsibility in community safety initiatives.
Wider World: Promote global standards like ISO security management systems and cross-border investment guarantees tied to stability metrics.
Outcome: Enhanced investor confidence, job creation, and innovation ecosystems.

For Nation Building:

Nigeria: Strengthen institutional reforms, including anti-corruption enforcement, judicial independence, and devolved security responsibilities (e.g., state police with federal safeguards). Foster inclusive national dialogues and leverage technology for intelligence sharing.
Africa: Enhance African Union mechanisms for peer review, joint peacekeeping, and economic integration to address transnational threats.
Wider World: Support multilateral frameworks that reward progressive governance with development aid and security cooperation, emphasizing capacity-building over external imposition.
Cross-cutting Measures: Invest in data-driven monitoring (e.g., peace indices), leadership training academies, and civil society engagement to ensure accountability.

Implementation requires political will, sustained funding, and adaptive evaluation. International standards—such as those from the World Bank’s governance indicators or the Institute for Economics and Peace—can guide benchmarking without external overreach.

Conclusion: A Call to Deliberate Action

Intentional progressive leadership and disciplined security are not abstract ideals but active agents that shape destinies. In Nigeria and across Africa, where challenges are pronounced yet potential is vast, their effective deployment can convert vulnerabilities into strengths. Globally, they offer proven blueprints for resilient, prosperous societies. The current picture, while marked by setbacks, also reveals pathways of hope through ongoing reforms and exemplary models. By embracing these forces with intentionality, stakeholders at all levels can deliver genuine possibilities—empowered peoples, thriving corporates, and cohesive nations. The imperative is clear: invest in people-centered leadership and professional security today to secure a more equitable and stable tomorrow. Through collaborative, evidence-based strategies, Nigeria, Africa, and the wider world can realize their full potential in an interdependent global order.

Dr. Tolulope A. Adegoke, AMBP-UN is a globally recognized scholar-practitioner and thought leader at the nexus of security, governance, and strategic leadership. His mission is dedicated to advancing ethical governance, strategic human capital development, and resilient nation-building, and global peace. He can be reached via: tolulopeadegoke01@gmail.com, globalstageimpacts@gmail.com

Opinion

Characterisation of Biomass Feedstocks Relaxation Properties Using Visco Elastic Models

Published

5 days ago

March 28, 2026

Eric

By Dr. Aminu Owonikoko, PhD

Overview

This thesis investigates a deceptively simple but industrially important question: what happens to biomass materials when they are compressed and then allowed to relax? Biomass — such as woodchips, wheat straw, leafy residues, cotton seeds, and wood pellets — is a major renewable resource used for energy production and sustainable manufacturing. However, its physical behaviour during handling, storage, and processing is poorly understood. Unlike uniform materials such as sand or grain, biomass is irregular, springy, and unpredictable. This unpredictability leads to blockages, equipment failures, and inefficient energy use in biomass processing plants.

The research provides a scientific foundation for predicting how biomass behaves under pressure by combining controlled experiments with Visco elastic modelling. The work introduces a new method for extracting key model parameters, enabling more accurate and transparent predictions of biomass relaxation behaviour.

Why Biomass Behaviour Matters

Biomass supply chains involve several mechanical steps: compaction, transport, storage, and feeding into processing equipment. During these steps, biomass is often compressed. Once the pressure is removed, the material “relaxes” — it expands, shifts, and redistributes internal stresses. This relaxation affects:
• how much biomass can be stored
• how reliably it flows through hoppers and conveyors
• how much energy is required to process it
• the likelihood of blockages or equipment downtime

Understanding this behaviour is essential for designing efficient, reliable, and cost effective biomass systems.

Research Aim

The central aim of the thesis is to characterise the stress relaxation behaviour of five biomass feedstocks and to develop robust Visco elastic models that can predict this behaviour under different loading conditions.

Experimental Approach

Five biomass materials were selected due to their relevance in renewable energy and agricultural supply chains:
• Fuzzy cotton seeds
• Leafy biomass
• Wheat straw
• Woodchips
• Wood pellets

Each material was compressed using a Shimadzu MTS testing machine. After reaching a target stress level, the load was held constant while the material’s stress decay was recorded over time (typically 60, 120, and 180 seconds). These measurements captured both fast relaxation (immediate stress drop) and slow relaxation (longer term settling).

The experimental data revealed that each biomass type behaves differently, reflecting differences in structure, moisture content, particle shape, and internal bonding.
Modelling Approach

To interpret the experimental results, the thesis applies Visco elastic models — mathematical tools traditionally used to describe materials that behave partly like solids and partly like fluids. Two models were central:
1. Zener Model
– Captures both elastic and viscous behaviour
– Useful for materials with a clear fast relaxation component

2. Two Maxwell Elements Model
– Represents two relaxation processes simultaneously
– Ideal for materials with both fast and slow relaxation phases

A key contribution of the thesis is the development of a numerical and graphical method for estimating model parameters (such as relaxation time constants) without relying heavily on curve fitting software like MATLAB or OriginPro. This method improves transparency, reduces error, and makes the modelling approach more accessible to engineers.
Key Findings

1. Biomass Has Distinct Relaxation “Signatures”

Each biomass type exhibits a unique pattern of stress decay. For example:
• Wood pellets relax quickly and predictably.
• Leafy biomass relaxes slowly and irregularly.
• Wheat straw shows intermediate behaviour.
These signatures can be used to classify materials and predict their handling performance.

2. Fast and Slow Relaxation Are Mechanically Meaningful

The two Maxwell elements model successfully separates fast and slow relaxation processes. This distinction helps engineers understand how biomass responds immediately after compression versus how it settles over time.

3. New Parameter Extraction Method Improves Accuracy

The thesis introduces a novel approach for estimating relaxation time constants and stress components. This reduces dependence on automated curve fitting tools and provides more reliable model predictions.

4. Models Predict Real Behaviour Well

When applied to experimental data, both the Zener and two Maxwell models accurately reproduce the relaxation curves. This confirms that Visco elastic modelling is a powerful tool for biomass characterisation.

Practical Implications

The findings have direct relevance for industries that handle biomass:
• Improved equipment design: Better predictions of relaxation behaviour reduce blockages and mechanical failures.
• Optimised storage: Understanding how biomass settles helps determine safe and efficient storage densities.
• Reduced energy use: More predictable flow reduces the energy required for conveying and processing.
• Enhanced process reliability: Plants can operate more consistently with fewer interruptions.

Conclusion

This thesis provides a comprehensive experimental and theoretical framework for understanding biomass relaxation behaviour. By combining detailed measurements with improved Visco elastic modelling, it offers new insights into how biomass responds under pressure — insights that are essential for scaling up renewable energy and sustainable manufacturing.

The work advances both scientific understanding and practical engineering, contributing to the development of cleaner, more efficient biomass systems.