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Fanuel Ligate

Name
Fanuel Josephat Ligate

Academic Rank
Senior Lecturer

Department
Chemistry

Biography

Biography

Fanuel Ligate holds a PhD in Land and Water Resources Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology (2023), an MSc in Chemistry from the University of Dar es Salaam (2014), and a BSc with Education (Chemistry and Biology) from the University of Dar es Salaam (2009). He has been a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Mkwawa University College of Education (MUCE), a constituent college of the University of Dar es Salaam, since August 2026. Before this role, he served as a Lecturer from July 2023 to July 2026, an Assistant Lecturer from June 2014 to June 2023, and a Tutorial Assistant from November 2009 to May 2014. He teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in analytical and environmental chemistry, as well as academic advising and laboratory supervision. His research and consultancy focus on environmental chemistry, water quality and treatment, pollution, toxicology, and hazard and risk assessment, with applications to both human populations and ecosystems.

Contacts

Email:

Email Address
fanuel.ligate@muce.ac.tz

Research Interest

Research Interest
Mineral balance in drinking water. Sustainable water contamination remediation. Environmental geochemistry of inorganic/organic pollutants. Health risk of geological materials. Microplastics and other contaminanants of emerging concern (CECs).

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Projects

Projects

  • Fostering employability through occupational health and safety education in Sub-Saharan Africa (FOCUS). Funded By European Union (ERASMUS+), from 2023 to 2027.

  • Development of affordable adsorbent systems for arsenic and fluoride removal in drinking water sources in Tanzania (DAFWAT). Funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), From 2016 to 2023.

  • Potential health risk assessment of toxic metals and microbial contamination in clay-soil consumed among pregnant women in Tanzania. Funded by the University of Dar es Salaam, from 2022 to 2023.

  • Assessment of Nutritional Composition in Selected Herbs to Enhance their Utilization as Food Supplements. Funded by the University of Dar es Salaam, from 2022 to 2023.

  • Adsorption of heavy metal ions on organosilica composites prepared using rice husks ash as a silica source. Funded by Mkwawa University College of Education (QECTE Project), from 2011 to 2012.

 

 

Publications

Publications

  • Ligate F. J. (2026). Ecological and Geological Materials for Drinking Water Treatment in Tanzania: A Review of Sustainable Local Resources. Next Sustainability, 8, 100383, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nxsust.2026.100383 

  • Shayo, G. M. and Ligate, F. J. (2026). The burden of waterborne diseases: a review of cholera and giardiasis associated with contaminated groundwater in developing countries. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances. 23, 101290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101290

  • Nyangi, M.J., Leonard, L.S. and Ligate, F.J. (2026). Seasonal assessment of Groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation in Ubungo municipality, Tanzania. Applied Water Science 16, 180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-026-02868-0

  • Ligate, F.J. and Ntarisa, A.V. (2026). A review of heavy metals research in Tanzania (2000–2024). Discover Environment 4, 210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44274-026-00738-9

  • Ligate, F., Ijumulana, J., Ahmad, A., Kimambo, V., Irunde, R., Mtamba, J., Mtalo, F. & Bhattacharya, P. (2026). Critical Zone Weathering Controls on the Hydrogeochemistry and Spatial Variability of Groundwater Arsenic and Fluoride in the Lake Victoria Basin, Northwest Tanzania. Environmental Science, Health & Sustainability. 2:1. https://doi.org/10.63697/jeshs.2026.10033

  • Ntarisa, A., and Ligate, F. (2026). Two and a half decades of radioactivity studies in Tanzania: A systematic review of progress and perspectives (2000–2025). Radiation Research and Applied Sciences. 19:1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrras.2026.102203.

  • Ijumulana, J., Ligate, F., Irunde, R., Bhattacharya, P., Ahmad, A., Zhang, C., Tomašek, I., Irunde, R., Kimambo, V., Hamisi, R., & Mtalo, F. (2024). Spatial modeling of the occurrences of geogenic fluoride in groundwater systems in Tanzania: implications for the provision of safe drinking water. Groundwater for Sustainable Development. 26: 101250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2024.101250

  • Irunde, R., Ligate, F., Maity, J.P., Ahmad, A., Ijumulana, J., Bhattacharya, P., & Mtalo, F. (2024). Removal of arsenic from groundwater in Tanzania using locally available magnesite. Arsenic in the environment: Bridging science to practice for sustainable development. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003317395

  •  Ijumulana, J., Irunde, R., Ligate, F., Kimambo, V., Bhattacharya, P., Maity, J., Ahmad, A., Mtalo, F., & Mtamba, J. (2024). Use of GIS and geospatial techniques to model spatial variability of geogenic arsenic in groundwater systems of Geita district in the Lake Victoria basin of western Tanzania. Arsenic in the environment: Bridging science to practice for sustainable development. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003317395

  • Irunde, R., Ligate, F., Ijumulana, J., Arslan, A., Maity, J., Rajabu, H., Philip, J., Kilulya, K., Erik, K., Mtamba, J., Bhattacharya, P., & Mtalo, F. (2023). The natural magnesite efficacy on arsenic extraction from water and the alkaline influence on metal release in water. Applied Geochemistry. 155: 105705.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2023.105705

  • Kimambo, V., Ligate, F.J., Ijumulana, J., Maity, J.P., Jong, R., Ahmad, A., Hamisi, R., Mtamba, J.O., Mtalo, F., & Bhattacharya, P. (2023). Optimisation of fluoride removal using calcined bauxite: Adsorption isotherms and kinetics. Groundwater for Sustainable Development 21: 100922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2023.100922

  • Irunde, R., Ligate, F., Ijumulana, J., Mtamba, J., Mtalo, F., & Bhattacharya, P. (2023). Arsenic Reduction in Drinking Water with Locally Available Hematite Ore. Geological Society of America Abstracts. 55: 396197. https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2023AM-396197

  • Ligate, F., Lucca, E., Ijumulana, J., Irunde, R., Kimambo, V., Bhattacharya, P., Mtalo, F., Ahmad, A., Hamisi, R., & Maity, J. (2022). Geogenic contaminants and groundwater quality around Lake Victoria goldfields of Northwestern Tanzania. Chemosphere 307: 135732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135732

  • Irunde, R., Ijumulana, J., Ligate, F., Maity, J.P., Ahmad, A., Mtamba, J., Mtalo, F., & Bhattacharya, P. (2022). Arsenic in Africa: Potential sources, spatial variability, and the state of the art for arsenic removal using locally available materials. Groundwater for Sustainable Development 18: 100746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2022.100746

  • Ijumulana, J., Ligate, F., Irunde, R., Bhattacharya, P., Ahmad, A., Tomašek, I., Maity, J. P., & Mtalo, F. (2022). Spatial variability of the sources and distribution of fluoride in groundwater of the Sanya alluvial plain aquifers in northern Tanzania. Science of the Total Environment 810: 152153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152153

  • Ligate, F.J., Ijumulana, J., Ahmad, A., Kimambo, V., Irunde, R., Mtamba, J.O., Mtalo, F. & Bhattacharya, P. (2021). Groundwater resources in the East African Rift Valley: Understanding the geogenic contamination and water quality challenges in Tanzania. Scientific African 13: e00831, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2021.e00831

  • Ijumulana, J., Ligate, F., Irunde, R., Bhattacharya, P., Maity, J. P., Ahmad, A. & Mtalo, F. (2021). Spatial uncertainties in fluoride levels and health risks in endemic fluorotic regions of northern Tanzania. Groundwater for Sustainable Development. 14: 100618. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2021.100618

  • Ijumulana, J., Ligate, F., Bhattacharya, P., Mtalo, F. & Zhang, C. (2020). Spatial analysis and GIS mapping of regional hotspots and potential health risk of fluoride concentrations in groundwater of northern Tanzania. Science of the Total Environment 735: 139584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139584

  • Irunde, R., Ijumulana, J., Ligate, F., Bhattacharya, P., Ahmad, A., Mtamba, J., & Mtalo, F. (2020). Arsenic Occurrence in African Water Systems and Low-Cost Treatment Technologies. Geological Society of America Abstracts. 54: 381482. https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2020AM-358090

  • Ijumulana, J., Ligate, F., Bhattacharya, P., Ahmad, A., Zhang, C., Tomasek, I., Irunde, R., Islam, T., Mtalo, F., & Mtamba, J. (2020). Spatial modelling of fluoride contamination in groundwater systems in the East African Rift Valley regions of northern Tanzania. Abstract from the Geological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting 2020. https://community.geosociety.org/gsa2020/home

  • Ligate, F., & Mdoe, J. (2015). Removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution using rice husk-based adsorbents. Tanzania Journal of Science. 41:1. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajol