Coconut shells have been used as a precursor for the preparation of activated carbon by the chemical activation method. The full factorial design was applied to determine the optimum conditions for preparing the activated carbon. The factors studied were the carbonization temperature, the carbonization time and the concentration of the activating agent. Phosphoric acid was the activating agent, used for chemical activation. Planning of the experiments using the three-level full factorial design method resulted in eight trials with the iodine number as the answer to each trial. The various results obtained were analyzed using Nemrow software in order to highlight the influence of factors and their interaction. The results reveal that carbonization temperature, the carbonization time and the concentration exert a significant influence on the iodine number, when they are at their high level, respectively 600 ° C, 4h, 30% for the value of the iodine index of 445.44mg/g.

The preservation and consumption of food of animal origin requires pickling, smoking or cooking techniques. In Côte d'Ivoire, particularly in Abidjan, in the communes of Abobo and Port-Bouët, the stripping of beef hides with fuels such as used tires, rubber debris and rubberwood is a widespread practice. The "kplo" or treated and smoked beef skin is highly prized. The same is true for the "choukouya", beef, sheep or goat meat cooked in artisanal metal ovens fuelled mainly with rubberwood in the communes of Port-Bouët and Yopougon. These practices generate fumes containing entities that are toxic to human food, including trace metal elements (TMEs), which are carcinogenic or mutagenic. The objective of this study is to assess the risks associated with the consumption of meat and offal (skins) contaminated with TMEs. A dietary frequency-based survey was conducted. Sixty (60) skin samples and 120 meat samples were taken. Analysis was performed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results show that rubber wood and used tires are the most commonly used fuels. Among the metals investigated, lead had a daily exposure (6.52 µg/kg bw/d) above its ADI (3.5 µg/kg bw/d). The hazard ratio of 1.86 greater than 1 for lead indicates the occurrence of threshold adverse effects. ERIs greater than 10-5 indicate the occurrence of carcinogenic or mutagenic effects.

The study was carried out on tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum P. Mill) and cabbages (Brassica oleracea L. var capitata) grown in Daloa. It covered ninety samples of vegetables including 60 tomato samples and 30 samples of cabbage collected during three field campaigns in a locality in Côte d'Ivoire (Daloa). These samples were processed using a SHIMADZU brand liquid chromatograph to determine pesticide residues. The results revealed contamination of tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum P. Mill) and cabbages (Brassica oleracea L. var capitata). Four pesticide residues, three of which belong to the organophosphorus family (chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, profenophos) and one from the pyrethroid family, were detected in tomatoes with detection percentages of 39%, 25%, 22% and 14%. The results of the analysis also showed the presence of four other pesticides including two from the organophosphorus family (profenophos and diazinon) and two others from the Carbamate family (carbaryl and dithiocarbamate) in cabbages with a rate of detection of 10% and 27%, 10% and 53% respectively. However, the remaining pesticide levels detected in tomatoes and Daloa cabbages are all below the Codex Alimentarius Standards (MRLs).