Femi Osofisan tackles graft and corruption: A reading of his socially committed plays

C O Ajidahun email@example.com
African Drama and Deputy
Univer-sity Librarian at Adekunle Ajasin University
Akungba Akoko

Ondo State
Nigeria

Femi Osofisan tackles graft and corruption: A reading of his socially committed plays
3E5E54EFCD18BFE85E04E2727117287910.4314/tvl.v50i2.8Femi Osofisandramaturgygraft and corruption
Femi Osofisan tackles graft and corruption: A reading of his socially committed plays Graft and corruption have become endemic and insidious in the Nigerian society that governance and leadership have continued to lack integrity and legitimacy.Femi Osofisan, a dedicated and committed apostle of change and social justice, has skilfully utilized the platform of drama to expose and ridicule the prevalence, pervasiveness and debilitating effects of graft and corruption as social vices in Nigeria.Following the tradition of African Drama's commitment to social issues, Osofisan berates all the tiers of government and the public office holders for the country's economic woes and the general poverty level of Nigerians.The concern of this paper is, therefore, an intense sociological exploration of Osofisan's plays that satirize and lampoon the seemingly legalized practice of bribery and corruption in Nigeria.A contextual and theoretical framework is provided for the paper to enable readers to have a clear conceptual understanding of the discourse.The paper also balances the pejorative and optimistic views of Osofisan on a decadent society.It concludes with his encomiums on those who have remained resolute and unwavering and his prognosis that the society will become better when such distinguished men and women are emulated and celebrated.

Femi Osofisan, like many African creative artists, does not restrict himself to writing politically committed plays like A Restless Run of Locusts (1975), The Chattering and the Song (1976) The Inspector and the Hero (1990), Yungba-Yungba and the Dance Contest (1993), The Album of the Midnight Blackout (1994), The Engagement (1997) and so on.As a social crusader and a member of the society, he extends his creative tentacles to explore, reflect and depict various social vices that are plaguing the Nigerian society.The depiction of such decadent aspects of the society is fundamental to him as an artist who is deeply in love with his society.Osofisan is always optimistic and hopeful that the prevalent social problems in the society can be overcome.

In this paper we shall examine the plays of Osofisan in which social problems like corruption, graft, fraud and embezzlement are depicted.But before we go into that, we shall first of all attempt a contextual analysis of corruption as a universal phenomenon.Corruption in this context will be defined from the following three perspectives: the public-office-centred, the market-centred, and the public-interestcentred, as proposed by Arnold J. Heidenheimer, Michael Johnson and Victor T. Levine.

Mushtaq H. Khan bases his definition of corruption on those parameters and gives an all-embracing definition: "corruption is an act which deviates from the formal rules of conduct governing the actions of someone in a position of public authority because of personal motives such as wealth, power or status" (12).His definition is significant in that it locates and fixes corruption within the political and economic structures on which the entire society is built.

Femi Odekunle (97) gives us a succinct typology of corruption.He divides it into five major sub-divisions.It is obviously a summary of the United Nations Organisation's typology of corruption:

• political corruption (political office-holders to retain political power);

• economic / commercial (businessmen and contractors);

• administrative / professional (casual and deliberate criminal acts by top administrative and professional personnel); • organized corruption (large-scale and complex criminal activity by groups of elites), and • working class corruption (artisans, messengers).

It is obvious that no itemization of the techniques of corruption can be completely exhaustive because the practitioners are always evolving new tactics and strategies for their nefarious enterprise.But the list is sufficient for our purpose here.

Corruption, at all levels of governance in Nigeria, has reached such an alarming rate that successive governments use and continue to use it as a potent weapon to amass wealth and to purchase the loyalty of political supporters, and victimize or embarrass their opponents, or those who are considered as constituting hindrances to their political ambition.

Other causes of corruption are the state of social disintegration caused by the Nigerian civil war, lack of essential social services, unemployment and underemployment, population pressure, political instability and the inequitable application of the law.But no matter the justification one gives for being corrupt, corruption will continue to remain an aberration and a social malaise, and its practitioners will continue to be seen as corrupt.

The present situation in Nigeria has got to a stage that everybody in the society, especially the artist, thinks that something urgent must be done about it before it becomes too late.J. Akin-George lamented the embarrassing state of corruption in Nigeria in 1991 and his comments are still relevant:

In recent times corruption and economic crimes have reached such an epidemic proportion that something urgent and drastic needs to be done before the entire fabric of the society collapses through their combined weight.The newspapers are filled with stories of corruption, bank frauds, drug peddling, currency faking etc. to an extent hitherto unknown in this country […] Our reputation for corrupt and fraudulent practices has reached such low ebb that foreigners regard every average Nigerian, especially those wishing to do businesses with them, with suspicion.We create such a very bad image for ourselves, among ourselves, among potential foreign business partners that genuine and honest people suffer.( 52)

Cases of fraud are rife in the financial institutions owing to what G. Oka Orewa calls "the proliferation of merchant banks, bureau de change, and finance houses, [that] has led to serious problems of management of the Nigerian economy.( 29)

Apart from individuals and corporate agencies, the successive governments in the country have also been accused of legitimizing corruption.The era of General Yakubu Gowon which was the period of oil boom made the control of power to be concentrated at the centre.Yet, the activities of all the political office holders and powerful elite and capitalists became difficult to be coordinated.The business of corruption had a very good opportunity to thrive therefore.Towards the tail end of that regime, corruption had become part of Gowon's political agenda.That was why the new government of Murtala Muhammed that took over from Gowon had an anti-corruption crusade by first of all exposing the corrupt activities of Gowon's administration although that new government was not allowed to stay long in power to achieve its goal before it was removed.Abdul-Razaq Olopoeia commenting on the regimes of General Ibrahim Babangida and General Sani Abacha is of the view that it was under their respective governments that the character of corruption changed rapidly and became a social norm as well as an act of state craft.(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37) The corruption rate has assumed a dimension that even the law enforcement agents are totally incapable of arresting the situation because they themselves are among its perpetrators.This was what made the Inspector General of Police (1991) of the Federation to conclude that "Nigeria lacks the resources and manpower needed to effectively monitor corrupt activities […] The consequence is that people get away with corruption and precedents are set for others to copy."The playwright, Femi Osofisan cannot remain silent in the midst of this corruption and decadence.Who's Afraid of Solarin? (1978) is his first anti-corruption message.It is a satire on graft and corruption prevalent in the Nigerian society.The play is an adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's The Government Inspector (1836).Osofisan finds a similarity between the social and political situation in Nigeria and the Imperial Russia at the time when Gogol wrote his play.At that time, the aristocrats were totally in control of government and many of the officials saw their positions as opportunities for looting the government treasury.

The play, which is structured into five parts, is built around Tai Solarin the hallowed figure of one-time Public Complaints Commissioner (PCC) for the Western Region of Nigeria comprising Oyo, Ondo and Ogun States.Tai Solarin was a historical figure and known as a firebrand, social and political analyst and commentator whom Osofisan in a newspaper interview with Uche Uduka published in The African Guardian (July 30, 1987) sees "as a living icon of moral rectitude and social justice."(28) The Public Complaints Commission was established by the Obasanjo-Muhammed regime as a way of clearing the society of corruption.Tai Solarin, because of his dedication and diligence and commitment was appointed by government as the Public Complaints Commission.That is why the play is written in honour of him to celebrate his cause and determination to stand against public corruption.

Osofisan in a farcical manner presents a group of corrupt and fraudulent local government employees who are paralysed by fear as they await Tai Solarin, the Public Complaints Commissioner.Solarin is not physically presented on stage; only his silhouettes are.The frequent invocation of his name is symbolic.According to Kunle Ajibade "for Solarin, the man, Tai Solarin has been demystified and rendered unheroic.The Solarin of the play, then, must be seen as a conscience pricking the corrupt" (43).

In the local government presented in the play, virtually all the government officials and their operatives are corrupt and fraudulent without any exemption right from the Chairman of the Local Government Council, Chief Gbonmiayelobiojo, even to the professional beggars on the streets like Lamidi and Lemomu.That is why all of them are apprehensive of the impending official visit of Solarin.Consequently, the Chairman summons a meeting of the Council to decide how they can prevent the coming of Solarin which will spell doom for them.

Osofisan uses the meeting as an occasion to expose the corruption and fraudulent practices of the various arms of the Council as the meeting turns out to be a forum where confessional statements that border on their corrupt acts are revealed at the slightest provocation.As Ajibade describes them, "none of them is clean.They are all profiteers: woodworms that eat up council contracts."( 43 Many eminent men have gone to prison before and have come out only to be Heads of State.Bring your Commissioner, but just make sure that when he's here he doesn't take a look also at OFN Accounts.

Even, the Chairman of the Council distributes goats and mirrors to entice the electorate.His wife has just opened a boutique with donations from the people of the town.To him, "no one is to take any bribes at all except with specific clearance from me." ( 16) He is fully aware that all the responsibility for expedition in the Council will naturally fall on him.He therefore orders that all files on UPE contracts be burnt before the arrival of Solarin.

The hospital is not left out.The Doctor in charge shirks in his responsibility and the hospital suffers irremediably from congestion, lack of regular baths for the patients, the mortuary is even more congested and the mortuary attendants make their living out of it.Shockingly, corpses litter the floor.Government has voted a lot of money for this which has been diverted into private purses.Yet the Doctor says he has no skeleton in his cupboard.

Even the judiciary is not left out, the Chief Magistrate orders the poultry attendants to take some of the fowls from the OFN poultry to his house for dinner.Besides, the Chief Magistrate is a cult man.This exposes the absurd situation that is prevalent in our society among the highly placed officials of government.In 2011, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi and the President of the Court of Appeal in Nigeria, Justice Ayo Salami were investigated on the allegations of corruption and abuse of office.We recall Jigi's concern about the greed of office holders in Osofisan's Esu and the Vagabond Minstrels (1991): "In those days you talk of, there was a different God in this land.The locusts had not come to power.The priests of austerity, drought and perennial shortages.The greedy men with their gleaning teeth, calling themselves politicians."(7) The poor are usually at the receiving end.They suffer the consequences of the reckless spending made by the elite class.The five vagabond minstrels suffer hunger and deprivation because the locusts are in power.Government hospitals are in shambles and the poor patients suffer untold hardships because of the recklessness of the elite.

The Price Control Officer in Who's Afraid of Solarin? does nothing but to soar the price of goods.She sends her men to raid the market and goods confiscated end up in her home.The Chairman and his officials look for a way of hiding all their fraudulent practices.They thus decide to engage the service of Baba Fawomi, an Ifa Priest.An Ifa priest according to the Yoruba tradition who is supposed to be an epitome of wisdom, decency and discipline turns out to be an embodiment of greed and dishonesty.

The Ifa Priest is aware of the predicament in which the government officials are, and he decides to take advantage of the situation and use it to serve his own selfish interest.The Ifa priest agrees to help them to prevent Solarin from coming.To do this, he demands five cows each from the people for the sacrifice, plus ten goats, of the home-grown type all black and fat.He also asks the Price Control Officer to bring sixteen fowls strong limbed, home raised chickens and seven bales of white cloth by each of them, Sanyan with attractive design for the actual ceremony.Besides, the Ifa priest drinks greedily.The corruption of all the local government officials in this play compares with the depravity and graft of Chief Owombe in Farewell to a Cannibal Rage (1986), a Minister in the government who corruptly enriches himself and suddenly becomes a millionaire.

Osofisan also satirizes religious hypocrisy in the society.Pastor Nebuchadnezzar is overcome by his fear of Solarin because he has embezzled the Church's money.Besides, he wears a charm.Pastor Nebuchadnezzar is the type of Pastor Suuru in Midnight Hotel (1986) while Baba Fawomi, the Ifa priest, is the type of Baba Soye, the Ifa priest in Farewell to a Cannibal Rage, a man that divines for people through manipulation and craftiness.Osofisan exposes the corrupt and hypocritical behaviour of Pastor Suuru, a religious leader, who is expected to lay a good example for others to follow, but who perverts Christianity to acquire material wealth as he indulges in drunkenness, smoking, embezzlement and getting of contracts.Even the choice of a hostel as the setting of the play, a place that is synonymous with rottenness, sexual immorality and social decadence is to further show the level of moral failure and social corruption in the Nigerian society.

As the play progresses, the Chairman is deceived by his security operatives who pretend to be beggars that Solarin has arrived in the town.In actual sense, the stranger is not Solarin but one Ishola Oriebora, a Lagos rogue who runs from his landlord on account of his debts and the attempt to probe him.On his way, he is attacked by robbers.He eventually finds succour and comfort in the vicarage in the town.As soon as he realizes that he is being mistaken for Solarin, he quickly assumes the role of Solarin, the Public Complaints Commissioner.The play can then be seen from this moment as a drama of mistaken identity.

Pastor, in whose vicarage Ishola lodges, has no choice but to accommodate the strange visitor since he too has just stolen church money.The visitor deflowers the Pastor's daughter, Cecilia and a wedding is hurriedly arranged.All the corrupt officials in the Council use the opportunity to give their generous donations to the rogue.This is an attempt to bribe the "Commissioner " from probing them.This is what is known in modern Nigerian parlance as the "settlement syndrome".

The Chairman is jolted when the true identity of the man from Lagos is revealed through his diary.He is surprised that a young man like that can outsmart him in spite of his thirty years' experience in politics.He therefore promises to retire since the younger crooks have taken over.Meanwhile, the Chairman sacks the two beggars for giving him false information.Despite their successful game of craft, Sammy Johnson says "But they are beaten in their own game by an upstart."(41)

The play succeeds because of the style of humour employed by Osofisan.Lanrele Bamidele has thus described the playwright as a "cracker-barrel humorist" because "he is sharp in mother wit, and as a person he learns the technique of anecdotes, homily, metaphor […] orthography and grotesque misspellings that may tilt towards the burlesque."(71)

It was during Babangida's regime that Tai Solarin was again made the Chairman, the People's Bank of Nigeria, ostensibly in recognition of his outstanding performance as a public officer, a social commentator and critic.Tai Solarin accepted to serve his dear nation.But he was shocked with the developments that he found in the People's Bank which led eventually to his resignation as Chairman.

A report in the Nigerian Tribune (May 20, 1993) gives an insight as to Tai Solarin's resignation:

Irked by large scale corruption and financial impropriety in the People's Bank and apparent lukewarm response to them, resigned his chairmanship of the bank.He was resigning "for one reason-to arrest the tardiness, possibly the unwillingness to arraign before the court of law, the members of staff that looted the People's Bank and made away with millions of naira that was intended for the common man.At the end of January last year [1991] out of the N80,785,867.00loans disbursed, N29,328,897.72 was on record as having been rapid, but only a paltry N8,889,335.04 had been remitted to the bank's headquarters.For instance, as at that date, a breakdown of cash flow showed that although Kano Zone recorded N9, 832,840.00,N4, 261, 59 was recorded as actual repayment but no money was remitted to the bank's headquarters.(FP) The main character in Who's Afraid of Solarin? is projected as the epitome of honesty and perfection.In an interview with Femi Osofisan, I asked him if Tai Solarin was a completely honest and incorruptible Nigerian because his romance with General Babangida when he was Chairman of the People's Bank of Nigeria was criticized by the public especially when he put on the same attire with Maryam Babangida instead of his usual khaki shirt and shorts outfit.Osofisan responded:

Yes!So what?You've singled out one incident in one man's whole life.Then you used that one to judge him.So I mean, you have to put things in their right proportion and when you say somebody is a model of honesty, model of integrity, it doesn't mean that hundred percent all his life, twenty four hours, he didn't make any error, he didn't tell a lie.In Altine's Wrath (1986), Osofisan further depicts the issue of gratification or ten percent in the award of contracts.This is shown in the contract agreement terms between Alhaji Maikudi and Lawal Jatau, a Permanent Secretary in one of the State Ministries.There is a disagreement between the two over what should be the percentage of the total amount to be paid to the contractor that should go to the coffer of Law Jatau.Lawal is insisting on twenty percent from Alhaji Maikudi based on the initial agreement while Alhaji Maikudi is offering ten percent.Lawal refuses to accept the ten percent and tells his business associate frankly: "Rubbish!Tell him it's complete rubbish!What decade does he think we're living in?Who, in any Ministry whatsoever, does he think will accept ten percent indeed!It's not even enough to pay the junior boys their share, the boys who'll be carrying your files to and fro!" (Altine 74)

It is even embarrassing to know that Alhaji Maikudi does not know anything about the technical aspect of the job.He is a mere errand boy for the company.He confesses this to Lawal: Osofisan reechoes a similar situation in Aringindin and the Nightwatchmen (1992) where the likes of Lawal Jatau and Alhaji Maikuti are depicted.These are the shop owners like Orisatoba, Bimbola Dare, Fatosin and Elebute who use their positions and businesses to create artificial scarcity and inflation while the poor continue to suffer.Ayinde, a school teacher in the play openly castigates them: "These vultures, at will, created scarcity and inflation so that swelling banknotes may continuously glut their bloated stomachs […] let them rot now!" (Aringindin 29)

Osofisan thus openly exposes bribery and corruption, hoarding, artificial scarcity in the public service.Men who are entrusted with high responsibility betray the trust reposed in them.Contracts are awarded not on merit but on the highest bidder and on whom you know.To Lawal, the business of ten percent is the harvest of his long years at work and that is what he is going on.It is also a means of augmenting his salary.He does not see anything wrong in taking kickbacks.Today, taking kickbacks or ten percent is the vogue in both private and public sectors.This is openly denounced by Osofisan.

We also recall here Chinwe, the house help of the Juokwus in The Album of the Midnight Blackout (1994) who insists on taking a bribe before she can run an errand of letter delivery: They embezzle and direct public funds that are meant for the welfare of the people into their personal accounts.Prince Lanusen misappropriates the money that is meant to provide good drainage in his local council area.This is why Chief Ekuroola questions the unexecuted flood canals projects which have already been paid for many years ago: "But your Council could have started with building a good drainage for instance, Lanusen.You know the money was voted, the plan approved.The records also show that the money was spent.Years ago." (Raft 24)

Besides, like Jimoh in Midnight Hotel (1986) who is title crazy and who insists that everybody must address him as Chief Jimoh a honorary Chieftaincy title bestowed upon him by the people of Ifetedo, Ekuroola, because of his obsession for Chieftaincy titles bribes every member of the Chieftaincy-Award-Committee including Lanusen using money and building of houses in order to win their support.Ekuroola reminds Lanusen of this when he says: "You had no choice, it was the title of my fathers and my grandfathers!And I paid you well for it, damn it!It was my money that made you change your mind, Lanusen!The house I built for you in Alagbede quarters, your sixth wife still lives there!Deny it!"(Midnight 25)

Osofisan further pursues the issue of corruption in Birthdays are not for Dying (1990).His concern in this play is the depiction of the craze for wealth, greed and the oppression of the poor.Kunle the focus in the play insists on enforcing his father's will that empowers him to take over the leadership of his father's company on his thirtieth birthday.

Mother warns him to give up the company matter because those who killed his father are very much around to do the same to him too.To Kunle, mama is old fashioned.He is in a new world.Kunle thus concludes arrangement to take over the company.All the necessary papers have been signed.There are oppositions especially from Major Ajaka who insists that Kunle being a baby is incapable of taking over the company.The removal of Major Ajaka unilaterally from the Board of the company by Kunle worsens the situation.Even though Kunle receives many gifts on the anniversary of his birthday, the celebration ends up in tragedy.

On Kunle's thirtieth birthday, he presides over the Board meeting of the company and tells the Board of his determination to take over the company as its president.The members are provoked and want to buy off the company from Kunle instead.Major Ajaka a man who is very desperate refuses to accept the leadership of Kunle and decides to strangle him.This results in the death of Kunle.

Kunle before his death says that life is full of cannibals and only the toughest survive.It is wickedness for people to kill because of wealth.Kunle's father is killed supposedly because of his wealth.His son too is killed because of his father's wealth bequeathed to him.Even when the will that empowers Kunle to take over the leadership of the company has been signed by a lawyer and it is even made open to all, yet, the Board members refuse to accept the authority of the will of Kunle's father.They are bent on dispossessing Kunle of his father's property.This is utter disregard for the rule of law.The action is barbaric.True!The world is full of cannibals indeed.

Kunle on the other hand acknowledges the fact that he is rich already but he is of the desire to become richer.He refuses all the honourable appeals that his mother gives him.Since he is the toughest, he does not survive in the hands of the cannibals.He is a mere weakling, a boaster and a "dumbclot" as Honourable calls him.(Birthdays 34) In The Inspector and the Hero (1990), Aduke, the wife of Chief Ereniyi Eson engages in all manners of shady businesses such as smuggling of contraband goods into the country using fake names and secret bank accounts.Any attempt to expose her fraudulent activities is always fraudulent activities is always resisted with violence.She even goes to bed with men.Her husband, Chief Ereniyi a gubernatorial candidate is reported to have killed a young innocent boy straight from the Youth Corps Service because he attempts to report the events surrounding the missing lorries containing the seized contraband goods.Obviously, Chief Ereniyi and his wife are behind it all.Some of the charges levelled against the Esons are reported by Inspector Akindele and his assistant, Coral: Consequently, Chief Ereniyi is arrested.His wife, Aduke, a onetime police officer is thrown into panic and offers a bribe to Inspector Akindele but, committed to the cause of his profession, he refuses and insists on prosecuting the Esons: Osofisan frowns at corruption, injustice and oppression in the society.All attempts must be made to resist them or else the life of the nation will remain in danger.Osofisan, in Sunday Times (October 22, 1985) describes Nigeria and says: "this is a vast and ruthless battle field, filled with corrupt and murderous officials, bribe-hunting policemen, reckless drivers, con-men and touts, thugs and various other violent men living beyond the law."(5)

The likes of the Esons must be fished out and brought to book no matter their level of influence and connection in the society.Such is therefore possible if we have able and fearless and incorruptible leaders who are determined to live and lead by example.This is a leader who can stand upright in the face of temptations, threats and dangers and stand by the oath of his office.With a leader like this in place, the future of Nigeria can be guaranteed.

Osofisan is very optimistic that such leaders can arise.He portrays Inspector Akindele and his assistant, Coral as good examples of true leaders.As stinking as the Police Force is today, Osofisan is of the view that it can be sanitized.Certain individuals like Inspector Akindele can emerge to wipe out the greedy, callous and merciless Esons who are not interested in the welfare of the people but in their destruction.This is what Femi Osofisan envisions in his plays as a creative artist, devoted

) This is illustrated in the following conversation at the Council meeting (Solarin 6-12): COUNCILLOR FOR COOPERATIVES: That's not the point of our complaint, you eunuch.After all your appointment as a Director of the Breweries came to you first on radio.You didn't reject it.COUNCILLOR FOR EDUCATION: Don't be silly; is it the same thing?Why are you women always confusing issues?Or you know how much I paid for that appointment?And who's a eunuch if-COUNCILLOR FOR COOPERATIVES: And what of you!Is it the burden of plunder from the UPE buildings project that keeps you stunted?COUNCILLOR FOR EDUCATION: All because I refuse to let you encroach on the school lands for your poultry scheme.COUNCILLOR FOR COOPERATIVES: I have told you again and again.You can come into it if you want, I have left you the first choice over 30% or the remaining shares.COUNCILLOR FOR EDUCATION: Who wants that ant's morsel?You can keep it.I remember offering you 45% ownership of Morise Construction Company when we were going to rehabilitate the Council roads.COUNCILLOR FOR MAGISTRATE: What happened to the money sent from Lagos for all the UPE buildings?For all we know, that's why the Commissioner is coming here.COUNCILLOR FOR EDUCATION: You know very well that the plans of those buildings are all ready in my office.You saw the beautiful designs.COUNCILLOR FOR COOPERATIVES: Is it inside the plans that the children will learn to read and write?School's supposed to be starting next week.COUNCILLOR FOR EDUCATION: So what!Rome was not built in a day.Go and bring your Commissioner here to catch me since I see that this is all a conspiracy.

I

've been to every one of those places to get them to sign a contract or to pay them their kickback!That's my job to chase people around, and bring contracts to the company.But how the jobs are executed, that's not my area at all! My partner, it's my partner who knows about the techni-n-cal details and supervises all the projects […] And now he says he doesn't know what particular role you'll be playing with your twenty percent.(Altine 74)

JUOKWU: How much did madam give you?CHINWE: In which other home, Chinwe!Have you seen a house maid taking money like this to betray her master?[…] Here, take this twenty naira at once! […] You will forget about madam's ten naira from now on, you hear?Bribery's such a dirty thing!Just take the twenty naira, and in future you will bring my letter directly to me.CHINWE: In fact, if you could add just another twenty sir, to make it a round forty naira, I can be bringing madam's own letters to you first, sir… (Album 20) Similarly, the corruption of Chief Ekuroola, Chief Orousi and Prince Lanusen in Another Raft (1989) is brought into the open.Osofisan portrays these people who represent the elite as corrupt, unjust and oppressive.They parallel the corruption of Councillor for Education, Councillor for Co-operatives, Price Control Officer in Who's Afraid of Solarin?

CORAL: (reading from document)… let's see.On 15 November, last year, a sum of N20, 000 was paid into your account by one Mr. Latinwo.AKINDELE: Do you know him madam?(Silence) CORAL: (as before): 5, January, another sum of N10, 000 is paid in, this time by Dr.B. Peterson.AKINDELE: Again, this one interests me.If you remember, the date 5 January, is the day AFTER that "miserable third class officer " as you call him, is found dead near your office, Chief.A day earlier, on 3 January, he had intercepted a large consignment of contraband during a rather unusual blackout at the border.Coincidence again?Go on.Coral.CORAL: 13 January, the same Dr.B. Peterson pays into the account, a sum of N15, 000.AKINDELE: Always large sums.What kind of business, and so lucrative a business, did you carry on with Dr. Peterson, Madam?Or is it too early to ask? (Silence) Go on Coral.CORAL: 24 February, a sum of N41, 000 paid into the same account by one Alhaji Ahmadu Gao.AKINDELE: N41, 000! Noted.Go on.CORAL: We move on to March.On 7 March, a sum of N70, 000 paid in, again by our Dr.B. Peterson.AKINDELE: Stop there a minute.Madam, you know what makes these payments interesting?I'II tell you.On 9, March two days after the last payment read out by Coral, both Alhaji Gao and Dr. Peterson, those extremely prosperous customers of yours, are arrested in Kano.Because for a long time, we had our eyes on them.But again, like a bad film repeating itself, both of them die before proper interrogation.They were being brought down to Lagos by train-imagine!Not by air, mind you, but by train!… but by the time the train arrives in Lagos, Chief, Madomi you know the story!The two suspects are found in their cabin, dead!Of food poisoning!Very convenient deaths gain, thank you.Your customers, madam, they have such high rates of mortality!(Fiercely) Go on, Coral Go on to the last bit, Spare us the rest of the horror!CORAL: JUNE, Sir, And here it is.On 17 June, a stunning payment into the account of the sum of two million and forty thousand!AKINDELE: Two million plus!In one day!Even the manager had to report that.That's how we came into it.CORAL: (closing file): That's all Sir.(Inspector 117-20)

ADUKE: (running round frantically): Please!Please!Spare him!Please!I'II pay you anything!Anything!See? (She runs for her bag and empties it out.Currency notes and jewels tumble on the floor).All of it for you!And more!All my gold!All our money, have it all!(Runs to drawer, pulls out false bottom, again, notes and jewels fall down.Please!For my sake!For the sake of our children!Our friends!His mother!Mercy for the sake of God […] AKINDELE (hard): No, madam.It's murder.It cannot be done… that's why I joined the Force, Madam, to fight it the little way I can.No one has to live compulsorily by the rules of beasts […] You think money is all that matters.Money and power […] I'm sorry for you.You just won't accept that some of us can dedicate our lives to cleaning up the mess you and your kind insist on making all over the place?I have no choice in the matter.The oath I took does not make room for exemptions.Not even friendship will I accept as a bribe […] You're trying to corrupt me.(Inspector 137, 139,

The model is that for the rest part of his life, this is what he tried, preached, this is what he tried to live by.You preached something and you tried to live by it.That is why the person becomes a model, a hero, not that he preached something and he is doing something else.You preach something and you stand by it and particularly when there are difficulties, when there are dangers, you stick to what you believe and you say this is what is right for human beings.As far as I know, Tai is intact.Now, even when he was misled by Babangida, it was because he thought he believed he was doing it for the masses which he tried to help […] The fault is Babangida's not Solarin's at all.The man went there to try and serve humanity.He didn't go there to enrich himself […] He didn't know that it was a game of deception […] As soon as he found out, what did he do?He left and started carrying placards.So what more do you want of anybody?

A Harvest of Fear: Sins of the Corrupt Dog their Footsteps. Kunle Ajibade, The African Guardian. 15 Jun 199243

Social and Economic Foundations of Corruption and Other Economic Crimes in Nigeria. J Akin-George, Awa U. Kalu and Yemi Osibanjo1991Federal Ministry of JusticeLagosPerspectives on Corruption and Other Economic Crimes in Nigeria

Humour as a Jester's Art in Osofisan's Who's Afraid of Solarin?. Lanrele Bamidele, Femi Osofisan: Interpretive Essays I. Ed. Muyiwa Awodiya. Lagos: Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization. 1996

ed. Political Corruption: A Handbook. Nikolai Gogol, Trans. Christopher English. Heidenheimer, Arnold J. et al.1980. 1989Transaction PublishersGogol Nikolai: A Selection

Eradication of Corruption and Other Economic Crimes within the Administration of Justice System: Problems and Prospects. Awa U. Kalu and Yemi Osibanjo1991Federal Ministry of JusticeLagosPerspectives on Corruption and Other Economic Crimes in Nigeria

In Own Game. Sammy Johnson, African Concord. 1541Jun 1992

A Typology of Corrupt Transactions in Developing Countries. Mushtaq H Khan, IDS Bulletin. 271996

Statement on Graft:Kulture Point Comes Alive with "Who's Afraid of Solarin?" African Guardian. Uche Nduka, 30 Jul 198728

Illustrations of Types, Patterns and Avenues of Corruption in Nigeria: A Typology. Femi Odekunle, Awa U.Kalu and Yemi Osibanjo1991Federal Ministry of JusticeLagosPerspectives on Corruption and Other Economic Crimes in Nigeria

A Political Economy of Corruption and Underdevelopment: A Faculty Lecture Delivered at the University of Ibadan. Abdul-Razaq A Olopoenia, 1998Vantage PublishersIbadan

We Are All Guilty. Ibadan: Spectrum Books. G Orewa, Oka, 1998

People's Bank Chairman Resigns Over Corruption. Femi Osofisan, Birthdays Are Not For Dying and Other Plays: Incl. The Inspector and the Hero, and Fires Burn And Die Hard. Ibadan; Lagos; Lagos; Ibadan; Ibadan; Midnight Hotel. Ibadan; Ibadan; Ibadan; Calabar; IbadanHeinemann1975. 1989. 1992. 1990. 1991. 1986. 1986. 1994. 1976. 1997. 22 Oct 1985. 1986. 20 May 1993. 1978. 19935---. The EngagementYungba Yungba and the Dance Contest


Catalytic pyrolysis of Laminaria japonica over nanoporous catalysts using Py-GC/MS

Hyung Won Lee
Jong-Ki Jeon
Sung Hoon Park
Kwang-Eun Jeong
Ho-Jeong Chae
Young-Kwon Park
Catalytic pyrolysis of Laminaria japonica over nanoporous catalysts using Py-GC/MS
N A N O E X P R E S SLaminaria japonicahierarchical meso-MFI zeoliteAl-MCM-48Py-GC/MS
The catalytic pyrolysis of Laminaria japonica was carried out over a hierarchical meso-MFI zeolite (Meso-MFI) and nanoporous Al-MCM-48 using pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The effect of the catalyst type on the product distribution and chemical composition of the bio-oil was examined using Py-GC/MS. The Meso-MFI exhibited a higher activity in deoxygenation and aromatization during the catalytic pyrolysis of L. japonica. Meanwhile, the catalytic activity of Al-MCM-48 was lower than that of Meso-MFI due to its weak acidity.

Introduction

The importance of alternative energy development has increased rapidly due to high international crude oil price. Therefore, many studies have been reported about producing bioenergy using various biomasses [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Among them, seaweeds are attractive biomass for fuel production, with higher production rates than land biomass due to their high photosynthesis efficiency [5]. When cultivated in the sea, seaweeds do not require water, land, or fertilizers, which reduces the cost and energy input. Producing biofuels and utilizing seaweeds residues reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as long as such activities do not disturb the food supply and marine ecosystem. Pyrolysis is one option for processing biomass for the production of feedstock and fuel [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The bio-oils produced via seaweeds pyrolysis can be used as heating fuel, but the fuel quality is low due to its high oxygen content [5]. In terms of importance of seaweeds as a potential source of biofuel, investigation on upgrading of seaweed-derived bio-oil would be very necessary. Even though researches of catalytic upgrading of bio-oil from micro-algae such as Botryococcus braunii, Chlorella, Chaetoceros, Dunaliella, Nannochloropsis, and Spirulina have been reported [7], the study of upgrading of bio-oil from seaweed has hardly been considered. Among various seaweeds, Laminaria japonica is a representative brown seaweed in East Asia. For example, the annual production of L. japonica is estimated to be 58 kt/year on a dry basis in 2008 in Korea [5]. Therefore, the study of upgrading bio-oil from L. japonica is highly desirable.

To enhance the quality of bio-oil, catalytic pyrolysis over microporous zeolites and nanoporous catalysts has been known to be very promising methods [8][9][10][11][12][13]. For the catalytic pyrolysis of biomass, it is desirable to apply nanoporous catalysts such as MCM-48 whose pore sizes are around 2 to 6 nm rather than microporous zeolite whose pore size is below 1 nm because nanoporous catalysts are advantageous for the decomposition of high molecular weight species due to their large pore size [11][12][13][14][15]. Also, the highly acidic catalyst would be better due to its high cracking ability. It has been reported that the catalytic activity of zeolites in cracking of hydrocarbons or biomass is correlated with their acidity [16][17][18][19][20]. In both terms of pore size and acidity, the more recently developed hierarchical meso-MFI zeolites (Meso-MFI) are suggested to apply for the catalytic pyrolysis of biomass due to its characteristics of high acidity and nanopore size [9,10].

Pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) technique is a powerful tool to allow the direct analysis of the pyrolytic products. The product distribution after the catalytic reaction can be compared to reveal the catalytic effects of different catalysts. Furthermore, the chromatographic peak area of a compound is considered to be linear with respect to its quantity, and the peak area percent with its content. If the masses of the biomass and catalyst were the same during each experiment, the corresponding chromatographic peak area percent can be compared to show the change in the relative content of the pyrolysis vapors [6,13].

In this study, catalytic pyrolysis of L. japonica was investigated over nanoporous catalysts such as Meso-MFI and Al-MCM-48 for the first time. Their catalytic activities were analyzed in terms of the catalytic acidity and pore size.

Experimental

Synthesis of catalyst

The MCM-48 was prepared using the following procedure [15]. First, to prepare pure MCM-48, 10.0 g of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, 1.5 g of Brij-30, and 190.5 g of distilled water were mixed. After the mixture became transparent, 46.13 g of a sodium silicate solution (Na/Si = 0.5) was slowly added dropwise under stirring. The prepared solution was reacted in a 100°C oven for 48 h, removed, and allowed to cool. Then, its pH was adjusted to 10 using 50 wt.% acetic acid, and the solution again reacted for another 48 h. The pH adjusting process was repeated three times. The solution was then washed with distilled water, filtered, and dried in the oven for 24 h. This was followed by another washing with ethanol and filtering, and again dried for 24 h and baked at 550°C for 4 h. Aluminum incorporation into MCM-48 was performed using the post-synthetic grafting method [16]. Before baking, the prepared MCM-48 was introduced into a solution prepared by dissolving AlCl 3 in 100 mL of ethanol, according to the desired Si/ Al ratio, and then stirred for 24 h, washed with ethanol, filtered, dried for 24 h, and calcined for 4 h at 550°C.

A Meso-MFI with a Si/Al molar ratio of 20 was synthesized using a procedure described elsewhere [9,10]. An amphiphilic organosilane, [ (3-trimethoxysilyl) propyl]hexadecyldimethylammonium chloride, was used as a nanopore-directing agent. The catalyst thus obtained was calcined, ion-exchanged with a 1.0 M ammonium nitrate solution at 80°C repeatedly (four times) to convert it into the NH 4 + form, and finally calcined again at 550°C to convert it into the H + form.

Characterization of catalyst

The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were determined by X-ray diffractometer (Rigaku D/MAX-III) using Cu-Kα radiation. The Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area of the catalyst was measured using an ASAP 2010 apparatus (Micromeritics, Norcross, GA, USA). The catalyst sample was dried, with 0.3 g of the dried sample taken, and outgassing under vacuum for 5 h at 250°C using nitrogen as an adsorption gas at the temperature of liquid nitrogen. The nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and BET surface area were then obtained. The surface acidity of the catalysts was measured using temperature programmed desorption of ammonia (NH 3 -TPD) employing a BEL-CAT TPD analyzer with a TCD detector (BEL Japan Inc., Osaka, Japan). The Si/Al ratio of catalyst was verified by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES, Spectro Ciros Vision, PECTRO Analytical Instruments, Kleve, Germany). For measurements, sample (50 mg) was dissolved with nitrohydrochloric acid (5 ml) using a microwave oven. The decomposed solution was transferred through filter paper into a 100-ml calibrated flask, and the volume was adjusted to 100 ml with ultra-pure water.

Py-GC/MS analyses

A double-shot pyrolyzer (Py-2020iD, Frontier Laboratories Ltd., Koriyama, Fukushima, Japan), coupled directly to GC/MS, was used for identification of the catalytic cracking products. For the sample preparation, the L. japonica (2 mg) and catalyst (1 mg) were placed in a sample cup and then into a 500°C furnace under a He atmosphere. The gaseous species generated during the catalytic cracking were directly introduced into a GC inlet port (split ratio of 1/100) and onto a metal capillary column (Ultra ALLOY-5MS/HT; 5% diphenyl and 95% dimethylpolysiloxane, length 30 m, i.d. 0.25 mm, film thickness 0.5 μm, Frontier Laboratories Ltd.). To prevent condensation of products, the interface and inlet temperatures were both maintained at 300°C. The column temperature was programmed to change from 40°C (5 min) to 320°C (10 min), at a heating rate of 5°C /min. The temperature of the GC/MS interface was 280°C, with the MS operated in the EI mode at 70 eV. The program was run in the scanning range from 29 to 400 a.m.u. at a rate of 2 scans/s. The identification of peaks was performed using the NISTMS library, with the area percents calibrated to compare the catalytic performance for the formation of valuable aromatic compounds. The experiments were conducted at least three times for each catalyst to confirm the reproducibility of the reported procedures. The average values of the peak area and peak area percent as received were calculated for each identified product. For the noncatalytic pyrolysis, only the L. japonica (2 mg) was placed in a sample cup and the same procedure with catalytic pyrolysis was applied.

Results and discussion

Characterization of L. japonica Table 1 shows the physicochemical properties of the L. japonica. The L. japonica contained higher ash content and possessed higher amounts of O, N, and S. This led to significantly lower HHVs than the land biomass (about 20 MJ/kg). Therefore, the catalytic dexoygenation process should be carried out to enhance the properties of bio-oil synthesized from L. japonica.

Characterization of catalysts

As shown in Figure 1, the low angle of XRD pattern of Al-MCM-48 shows typical peaks of Al-MCM-48 and the high angle of XRD pattern of Meso-MFI is in accordance with the conventional MFI zeolite. Figure 2 exhibits the nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and pore size distributions of the investigated catalysts. Both catalysts showed type IV isotherms in accordance with IUPAC classification. Al-MCM-48 exhibited an isotherm analogous to that of Al-MCM-41, a typical nanoporous material, whereas the Meso-MFI showed a slightly different isotherm from the hexagonal material with an increase in adsorption in the range of P/P 0 =   0.8 to approximately 1.0. This was due to capillary condensation in the open mesopores [9,10], implying that the Meso-MFI had a greater textural porosity than Al-MCM-48. Table 2 lists the textural properties of the catalysts. The BET surface area of Meso-MFI and Al-MCM-48 is 471 and 1, 219 cm 2 /g, respectively. The pore size of the Al-MCM-48 and Meso-MFI is 2.9 and 4.1 nm, respectively. Because the pore size of Meso-MFI is larger than that of Al-MCM-48, big molecules can be cracked into smaller molecules easily in Meso-MFI rather than Al-MCM-48. The Si/Al ratio of the catalysts was 20.

As shown in Figure 3, Al-MCM-48 has weak acidity because the peak at approximately 220°C was attributed to NH 3 desorption from the weak acid. However, Meso-MFI showed two major peaks. The peaks at approximately 400°C was attributed to NH 3 desorption from the strong Brönsted acid sites [9,10,17,18]. Also, the acid amount of Meso-MFI is higher than that of Al-MCM-48.

Noncatalytic pyrolysis using Py-GC/MS

The bio-oil quality can be evaluated through the chemical composition [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Many researchers have classified the different bio-oil organic compounds into desirables, such as phenolics, alcohols, and hydrocarbons, and undesirables, such as acids, carbonyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavier oxygenates [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Generally, these undesirable compounds should be removed because oxygenates such as carbonyls and acids are responsible for many side-reactions during storage. In addition, most PAHs are well-known toxic and mutagenic compounds, whereas mono aromatics, such as benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes, can be considered highly valuable chemicals due to their commercial applicability in the petrochemical industry. Also, phenolics are useful materials because it can be used for phenolic resin and petrochemicals.

In this study, the pyrolysis products were roughly grouped into the following categories: gases (CO, CO 2 , and hydrocarbons up to C 4 ), acids, oxygenates, aromatics, phenolics, nitrogen compounds, and hydrocarbons (aliphatic alkanes and alkenes). Figure 4 shows the chemical composition of the bio-oils obtained from L. japonica through noncatalytic pyrolysis at three different temperatures. With increasing temperature, oxygenates and acids were converted into other products such as phenolics, aromatics, and gases. This result implies that the bio-oil can be converted to high-quality fuels by pyrolysis at high temperature. However, a high-temperature cracking requires a lot of energy. Therefore, it would be better to make the same reaction take place at a lower temperature using catalysts. Figure 5 shows the product distributions obtained from the pyrolysis of the L. japonica. Also, Table 3 shows the selected main components of bio-oil produced by pyrolysis at 500°C. Using the catalysts, the undesirable oxygenates and acids were reduced significantly. Meanwhile the valuable products such as aromatics and phenolics increased over nanoporous catalysts. It has been reported that synthesis of aromatics can be improved for the catalyst which has higher Brönsted acidity [9,10,17,18,21]. Strong acidic catalyst could accelerate the oligomerization of ethylene and propylene to form C 4 -C 10 olefins, which then undergo dehydrogenation to form diolefins (or dienes). The subsequent cyclization and further dehydrogenation resulted in the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons.

Catalytic pyrolysis

In this study, more aromatic compounds were generated when Meso-MFI, which has strong Brönsted acid   sites, was used compared to the case where Al-MCM-48 with weak acid sites was used. It can be suggested that some heavy compounds in the oil would react on the surface of the Meso-MFI catalyst and generate light hydrocarbons, such as ethylene and propylene. These light hydrocarbons then subsequently enter the pore of the Meso-MFI and undergo further polymerization and aromatization to form aromatic hydrocarbons. Also, similar results were reported from catalytic cracking over various catalysts: paraffinic hydrocarbons were the main products when nanoporous weak acidic Al-SBA-15 and Al-MCM-41 were used; whereas, the use of strong acidic HZSM-5 resulted in high yields of aromatic compounds [22]. In our results, Al-MCM-48 also produced higher hydrocarbon than Meso-MFI. In addition, the high acidity could affect the production of gases [17,18]. Stronger acid sites can crack large molecules derived by thermal decomposition of L. japonica more easily, resulting in higher gas yields. Therefore, the use of strong acidic Meso-MFI resulted in a larger gas yield. Meanwhile, some amounts of undesirable PAHs due to its toxicity were produced for the catalytic upgrading. The high production of phenolics also may be ascribed to high acidity and large pore size of Meso-MFI. Heavy phenolics can be cracked into many small sizes of phenolics inside pore of Meso-MFI.

Conclusions

Nanoporous catalysts, Meso-MFI and Al-MCM-48, were used for the catalytic pyrolysis of L. japonica using Py-GC/MS. Bio-oil was converted to valuable products over nanoporous catalysts. In particular, Meso-MFI showed higher catalytic decomposition ability than Al-MCM-48. Meso-MFI produced high yields of aromatics, phenolics, and gases due to its strong acidic sites which accelerate cracking of pyrolyzed bio-oil molecules.

Figure 1
1XRD patterns of Al-MCM-48 and Meso-MFI catalysts (a) low angle (b) high angle.

Figure 2
2Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms (a) and pore size distributions (b) of nanoporous catalysts.

Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5
345NH 3 TPD of Meso-MFI and Al-MCM-48. Product distributions obtained from pyrolysis of L. japonica at different temperatures Product distributions obtained from pyrolysis of L. japonica by catalytic pyrolysis at 500°C.

Table 1
1Physicochemical properties of L. japonicaProximate analysis (wt.%)
Ultimate analysis (wt.%) a
HHV (MJ/kg)

Water
Volatile matter
Fixed carbon
Ash
C
H
O b
N
S

7.65
53.10
10.97
28.28
30.60
4.89
62.44
1.51
0.56
6.41

a

On ash-free basis; b by difference. HHV, higher heating value.

Table 2
2Textural properties of nanoporous catalystsCatalyst
BET surface area (m 2 /g) a
V p (cm 3 /g) b
Average pore size (nm) c
Si/Al d

Al-MCM-48
1, 219
1.21
2.6
20

Meso-MFI
471
0.51
4.1
20

a

Calculated in the range of relative pressure (P/P 0 ) = 0.05 -0.20; b measured at P/P 0 = 0.99; c mesopore diameter calculated by the BJH method; d measured by ICP-
AES. BET, Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller.

Table 3
3Selected main components of bio-oil produced by pyrolysis of L. japonica Lee et al. Nanoscale Research Letters 2011, 6:500 http://www.nanoscalereslett.com/content/6/1/500Compound
Noncatalyst Al-MCM-
48

Meso-
MFI

Acetic acid
3.44
4.36
4.17

Tetradecanoic acid
2.32
0.85
0.78

Z-7-Hexadecenoic acid
0.59
0.29

n-Hexadecanoic acid
1.95
1.74
1.04
Octadecanoic acid
3.79
2.08
1.13

2-Cyclopenten-1-one, 2-methyl-
0.7
1.03
0.91

2-Cyclopenten-1-one, 3-methyl-
1.19
1.22
1.08

2-Cyclopenten-1-one, 2,3-dimethyl-
1.78
1.66
2.94

1,2-Cyclopentanedione, 3-methyl-
1.52
1.33

2-Cyclopenten-1-one, 3-ethyl-
0.41
0.35
0.35

2-Cyclopenten-1-one, 3-ethyl-2-
hydroxy-

0.86
0.85
0.57

Isosorbide
2.09
1.54
1.16

Naphthalene, 1,2-dihydro-3-
methyl-

0.33
0.21

Naphthalene, 2-methyl-
0.32

Toluene
2.22
3.17
3.57
o-Xylene
1.03
1.48

Styrene
0.67
0.95
0.58

1H-Indene, 1-methyl-
0.41
0.81

1H-Indene, 1,1-dimethyl-
0.29
0.27

1H-Inden-1-one, 2,3-dihydro-
0.41
0.33
0.32

Phenol
0.87
1.44
1.85

Phenol, 2-methyl-
1.02
1.06
1.55

Phenol, 4-methyl-
1.01
1.27
1.39
Phenol, 3-ethyl-
0.61

Authors' contributions HYL, JKJ, SHP, KEJ, and HJC participated in some of the studies and participated in drafting the manuscript. YKP conceived the study and participated in all experiments of this study. Also, YKP prepared and approved the final manuscript.Competing interestsThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Synthesis of nanoporous material from zeolite USY and catalytic application to biooil conversion. H J Park, J K Jeon, J M Kim, H I Lee, J H Yim, J H Park, Y K Park, J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 8Park HJ, Jeon JK, Kim JM, Lee HI, Yim JH, Park JH, Park YK: Synthesis of nanoporous material from zeolite USY and catalytic application to bio- oil conversion. J Nanosci Nanotechnol 2008, 8:5439-5444.

Pyrolysis of biomass in the presence of Al-MCM-41 type catalysts. J Adam, M Blazso, E Meszaros, M Stocker, M H Nilsen, A Bouzga, J E Hustad, M Gronli, G Oye, Fuel. 84Adam J, Blazso M, Meszaros E, Stocker M, Nilsen MH, Bouzga A, Hustad JE, Gronli M, Oye G: Pyrolysis of biomass in the presence of Al-MCM-41 type catalysts. Fuel 2005, 84:1494-1502.

Comparison of removal ability of indoor formaldehyde over different materials functionalized with various amine groups. D I Kim, J H Park, S D Kim, J Y Lee, J H Yim, J K Jeon, S H Park, Y K Park, J Ind Eng Chem. 17Kim DI, Park JH, Kim SD, Lee JY, Yim JH, Jeon JK, Park SH, Park YK: Comparison of removal ability of indoor formaldehyde over different materials functionalized with various amine groups. J Ind Eng Chem 2011, 17:1-5.

Catalytic pyrolysis of oilsand bitumen over nanoporous catalysts. S H Lee, H S Heo, K E Jeong, J H Yim, J K Jeon, K Y Jung, Y S Ko, S S Kim, Y K Park, J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 11Lee SH, Heo HS, Jeong KE, Yim JH, Jeon JK, Jung KY, Ko YS, Kim SS, Park YK: Catalytic pyrolysis of oilsand bitumen over nanoporous catalysts. J Nanosci Nanotechnol 2011, 11:759-762.

Catalytic conversion of 1,2-dichlorobenzene over mesoporous materials from zeolite. H I Lee, J M Kim, J Y Lee, Y K Park, J K Jeon, J H Yim, S H Park, K J Lee, S S Kim, K E Jeong, J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 10Lee HI, Kim JM, Lee JY, Park YK, Jeon JK, Yim JH, Park SH, Lee KJ, Kim SS, Jeong KE: Catalytic conversion of 1,2-dichlorobenzene over mesoporous materials from zeolite. J Nanosci Nanotechnol 2010, 10:3639-3642.

Catalytic degradation of polyethylene over SBA-16. S J Choi, Y K Park, K E Jeong, T W Kim, H J Chae, S H Park, J K Jeon, S S Kim, Korean J Chem Eng. 27Choi SJ, Park YK, Jeong KE, Kim TW, Chae HJ, Park SH, Jeon JK, Kim SS: Catalytic degradation of polyethylene over SBA-16. Korean J Chem Eng 2010, 27:1446-1451.

Catalytic degradation of high-density polyethylene over SAPO-34 synthesized with various templates. J H Park, H S Heo, Y K Park, K E Jeong, H J Chae, J M Sohn, J K Jeon, S S Kim, Korean J Chem Eng. 27Park JH, Heo HS, Park YK, Jeong KE, Chae HJ, Sohn JM, Jeon JK, Kim SS: Catalytic degradation of high-density polyethylene over SAPO-34 synthesized with various templates. Korean J Chem Eng 2010, 27:1768-1772.

Relationship between acidity and catalytic activity of high-silica zeolites in cracking. A L Klyachko, G I Kapustin, T R Brueva, A M Rubinstein, Zeolites. 7Klyachko AL, Kapustin GI, Brueva TR, Rubinstein AM: Relationship between acidity and catalytic activity of high-silica zeolites in cracking. Zeolites 1987, 7:119-122.

Correlation of the cracking activity with solid acidity and adsorption property on zeolites. N Katada, K Suzuki, T Noda, W Miyatani, F Taniguchi, M Niwa, Appl Catal A: Gen. 373Katada N, Suzuki K, Noda T, Miyatani W, Taniguchi F, Niwa M: Correlation of the cracking activity with solid acidity and adsorption property on zeolites. Appl Catal A: Gen 2010, 373:208-213.

Kinetic modeling of propane aromatization reaction over HZSM-5 and GaHZSM-5. D B Lukyanov, N S Gnep, M R Guisnet, Ind Eng Chem Res. 34Lukyanov DB, Gnep NS, Guisnet MR: Kinetic modeling of propane aromatization reaction over HZSM-5 and GaHZSM-5. Ind Eng Chem Res 1995, 34:516-523.

Catalytic conversion of fatty acids mixture to liquid fuel and chemicals over composite microporous/ mesoporous catalysts. Y S Ooi, R Zakaria, A R Mohamed, S Bhatia, 10.1186/1556-276X-6-500Energy Fuel. 19Ooi YS, Zakaria R, Mohamed AR, Bhatia S: Catalytic conversion of fatty acids mixture to liquid fuel and chemicals over composite microporous/ mesoporous catalysts. Energy Fuel 2005, 19:736-743. doi:10.1186/1556-276X-6-500

Catalytic pyrolysis of Laminaria japonica over nanoporous catalysts using Py-GC/MS. Lee, Nanoscale Research Letters. 6500Cite this article as. Immediate publication on acceptance 7 Open access: articles freely available online 7 High visibility within the fi eld 7 Retaining the copyright to your article Submit your next manuscript at 7 springeropen.comCite this article as: Lee et al.: Catalytic pyrolysis of Laminaria japonica over nanoporous catalysts using Py-GC/MS. Nanoscale Research Letters 2011 6:500. Submit your manuscript to a journal and benefi t from: 7 Convenient online submission 7 Rigorous peer review 7 Immediate publication on acceptance 7 Open access: articles freely available online 7 High visibility within the fi eld 7 Retaining the copyright to your article Submit your next manuscript at 7 springeropen.com

. Lee, Nanoscale Research Letters. 6500Lee et al. Nanoscale Research Letters 2011, 6:500