Bioconversion of Palm Oil Mill Effluent for the Production of Organic Acids and Polyhydroxyalkanoates

In this study, palm oil mill effluent (POME) was utilized as a substrate for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) by Alcaligenes eutrophus. PHA production was achieved via a two-stage process; organic acids production from POME followed by PHA production from the organic acids. In the first stage, the study focused on optimisation of organic acids production as part of an integrated zero-emission system. Optimisation of organic acids production was performed by batch and continuous anaerobic treatments. In batch treatment, POME was mixed with different inoculum sizes (POME sludge) of 25%, 33%, 50% and 33% diluted sludge (two times) with tapwater in all conical flask. The result showed using inoculum size of 25%, 33% and 50% gave high organic acids production (7.0 g/L) after 4 days/of treatment.Continuous treatment was carried out at four different retention times (2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 days). POME was mixed with an equal ratio of anaerobic POME sludge in a 12 L stirred-tank bioreactor. The pH was controlled at 7.0 to enhance organic acids production, particularly acetic and propionic. Total organic acids produced were 7.7 to 9.6 g/L for 2.5, 5 and 7.5 days retention times. More than 75% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) conversion of POME was achieved during anaerobic treatment at 5, 7.5 and 10 days retention times. The best retention time was 5 days which produced 9.53±1.28 g/L of total organic acids, 11700 mg/L COD and 77% COD conversion of POME at steady state. After separation of the organic acids in the treated effluent by ion exchange chromatography, the residual COD of the effluent was less than 100 mg/L which met the effluent discharge standard set for the industry by the Department of Environment of Malaysia. The effluent collected during continuous anaerobic treatment at 5 days retention time was concentrated by evaporation to be used in the second stage for polyhydroxyalkanoate production. The results showed that by evaporation, the organic acids could be concentrated ten-fold to about 100 giL for use as substrates for the fed-batch fermentation. The concentrated organic acids were successfully converted to PHA by Alcaligenes eutrophus strain ATCC 17699 under a non-sterile fermentation system when the initial cell density was kept high at 4 g/L. After 150 hours, 20 g/L cells were obtained with more than 60% (gig) PHA content being produced

Interdiscursivity of incident reports in an oil and gas company and its implications for english for specific purposes

Professional communication ensures efficiency in the professional world. In understanding the professional world, discursive realities such as the use of professional genres, professional cultures and professional practices need to be highlighted. This will help to prepare learners for the real world as calls have been made to bridge the gap between what the academic programmes offer and what the professional world requires. One approach that will be able to bridge the gap is Interdiscursivity approach which refers to the relationship that a discourse has with other discourses in realizing the meaning of professional genres. Apart from that, text-external boundaries which referred to professional genre, cultures and practices are also essential in discovering why professional genres are written in a particular manner. Data for the study were collected from three sources. Firstly, a survey was conducted among 100 oil and gas engineers to identify the communicative acts performed at work such as using email, faxes, writing letters and preparing reports. Secondly, an interview was conducted with seven engineers in order to obtain qualitative data on text-external boundaries that influence the writing of the incident reports. The final data were the analysis of 15 incident reports. Data from the survey was analyzed using SPSS, the reports were analyzed using Create A Research Space (CARS) Model and text-external boundaries were analyzed using a coding procedure. Findings from the survey suggested that respondents were involved in morning briefings, giving instructions and explanation, making work-related telephone calls, writing reports, sending and receiving emails and attending meetings. Analysis of incident reports indicated that they contained descriptive, informative and instructional functions. Findings from the interview showed that text-external boundaries found in the reports were related to the safety culture of the company. Overall, the study indicated the need for a critical study of the professional world by focusing on Interdiscursivity as an interaction between professional genre, professional cultures and professional practices

Management of distal tarsometatarsal fracfure in a Hill Mynah (Gracula religiosa) by using external coaptation technique

An adult Hill Mynah (Gracula religiosa) was presented with non weight-bearing lameness on the left leg. A distal transverse fracture of the left tarsometatarsus was diagnosed by using radiography techniques. A combination of external coaptation using tape splint and ball bandage was applied. It was found that this combination technique resulted in a clinical union of the fractured site at three weeks post-treatment. This technique also provided perching and movement stability in the cage. The success of this combination technique offers another alternative for external coaptation in avian species

Preliminary Survey on Factors Influencing Gated Community Living

The gated community is becoming a popular residential among the urban population. The reason for a gated community in Malaysia generally emphasizes the need for a safer community in the surrounding area. However, certain gated and guarded communities in Malaysia contribute more than security. Therefore, this research will investigate further the factors influencing gated community living. A survey was conducted, and findings reveal ten factors influencing gated community living that should be paid serious attention by the developers before the development of gated communities was approved. Keywords: Residential development; gated community; landed strata eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i21.370

Interdiscursivity functions of incident reports

Professional communication ensures efficient work procedures in the professional world. In understanding the professional world, discursive realities such as the use of professional genres, professional cultures and professional practices need to be highlighted. This will help to prepare learners for the real world as calls have been made to bridge the gap between what the academic programmes offer and what the professional world requires. One approach that will be able to bridge the gap is Interdiscursivity approach. This is especially true as research in the area have shown that Interdiscursivity was still under researched. This gap is apparent in the oil and gas industry as it is an important industry which fuels other industries. In this qualitative research, a study was carried out in order to identify Interdiscursivity functions of incident reports obtained from an oil and gas company. Interdiscursivity refers the relation that a discourse has to other discourses in realizing the meaning of professional genres. Data collection method involved the analysis of fifteen incident reports obtained from an oil and gas company. Findings from the incident reports suggested that the reports contained three main functions: descriptive, informative and instructional

Enhanced cellulase production by a novel thermophilic Bacillus licheniformis 2D55: characterization and application in lignocellulosic saccharification

Effects of nutritional and physicochemical factors were investigated for cellulase production by the newly isolated thermophilic strain Bacillus licheniformis 2D55 (Accession No. KT799651). The optimum cellulase production in shake flask fermentation was attained at 60 °C, pH 3.5, 180 rpm, and in a medium containing untreated sugarcane bagasse and pre-treated rice husk at 7% (w/v), urea, 1 g/L, peptone, 11.0 g/L, Mg(SO4)2, 0.40 g/L, CaCl2, 0.03 g/L, Tween 80, 0.2% (w/v), and 3% inoculum. The highest carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase), filtre paperase (FPase), and β-glucosidase produced under the optimized conditions were 29.4 U/mL, 12.9 U/mL, and 0.06 U/mL, respectively, after 18 h of fermentation. Optimization of the parameters increased the CMCase, FPase, and β-glucosidase activities by 77.4-fold, 44.5-fold, and 10-fold, respectively. The crude enzyme was highly active and stable over broad temperature (50 to 80 °C) and pH (3.5 to 10.0) ranges with optimum temperature at 65 °C and 80 ºC for CMCase and FPase, respectively. The optimum pH for CMCase and FPase was 7.5 and 6.0, respectively. Saccharification of sugar cane bagasse and rice husk by crude cellulase resulted in perspective yields of 0.348 and 0.301 g g-1 dry substrate of reducing sugars. These results suggest prospects of thermostable cellulase from B. licheniformis 2D55 in application for bio-sugar production and other industrial bioprocess applications involving high temperatures

Production and characterisation of cellulase from solid state fermentation of rice straw by Trichoderma harzianum SNRS3

Research on production and the use of cellulase and xylanase by commercial microbial strains is widely reported. However, research on production of cellulase and xylanase by local isolates of Trichoderma harzianum known as potential cellulase producers is still very limited. T. harzianum SNRS3 was used for cellulase and xylanase production from rice straw under solid state fermentation. Our study revealed that unlike Trichoderma sp. that is normally associated with low amounts of β-glucosidase, insufficient to perform an efficient hydrolysis, T. harzianum SNRS3 could be considered as a potential β-glucosidase producer, but not an efficient xylanase producer. As a result of storage of the crude cellulase at room temperature, β-glucosidase activity only decreased to above 80% of its original activity at the end of the 3rd week of storage. The crude cellulase produced by T. harzianum SNRS3 could be industrially applied as the enzyme is still highly active at 60°C and over a wide range of acidic pH

Potential application of LDPE plastic waste into tiles

Plastic has interesting characteristics which makes it the most used material in the world. However, plastic is known to be a non-biodegradable material which unable to naturally decompost in soil and thus contribute to environmental issue. As alternative, plastic waste has been recycled to produce quality and sustainable construction materials as the source is abundant. Thus, this study is carried out to utilize plastic waste particularly low density polyethylene (LDPE) and with sand in manufacturing tiles in two different sand and plastic waste ratios of 2:1 and 2:2. The tiles manufactured were further analyzed for their water absorption and compressive strength. It was found that the tiles made of mixture ratio of 2:2 have higher compressive strength and lower weight compared to that of 2:1 ratio. The average weight of tiles for 2:1 ratio was 891.59 g, while ratio 2:2 produced tiles with weight of 1319.5 g. Tiles manufactured from the plastic waste also showed better water absorption and compressive strength compared to normal cement tiles

Monitoring crystal development in palm oil-based fluid shortening production by FT-IR spectroscopy

The extent of crystal development of palm oil-based fluid shortening was determined using attenuated total reflectance (ATR) of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The molten fat was cooled, heated and cooled again while agitating at constant speed. Samples for solid fat content (SFC) measurements by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and FT-IR spectroscopy were taken during the crystallization process at 20C and heating process at 30C. Standards producing the best coefficient of determination (R. 2) and standard error of estimation for each temperature, calibrated with the spectrum obtained by FT-IR spectroscopy using partial least square (PLS) chemometric analysis, were selected as the PLS model. The model was independently validated by the " leave one out" method. The model accuracy and repeatability was good with a R. 2> 0.9 at 20 and 30C, thus providing good SFC estimates during the production of palm oil-based fluid shortening. The advantage of this method is that it mainly reduces the tedious sample preparation needed for the NMR measurement

Microbial synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles and their potential application as an antimicrobial agent and a feed supplement in animal industry: a review

In recent years, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have gained tremendous attention attributed to their unique properties. Notably, evidence has shown that zinc is an important nutrient in living organisms. As such, both prokaryotes and eukaryotes including bacteria, fungi and yeast are exploited for the synthesis of ZnO NPs by using microbial cells or enzyme, protein and other biomolecules compounds in either an intracellular or extracellular route. ZnO NPs exhibit antimicrobial properties, however, the properties of nanoparticles (NPs) are depended upon on their size and shape, which make them specific for various applications. Nevertheless, the desired size and shape of NPs can be obtained through the optimization process of microbes mediated synthesis by manipulating their reaction conditions. It should be noted that ZnO NPs are synthesized by various chemical and physical methods. Nonetheless, these methods are expensive and not environmentally friendly. On that account, the microbes mediated synthesis of ZnO NPs have rapidly evolved recently where the microbes are cleaner, eco-friendly, non-toxic and biocompatible as the alternatives to chemical and physical practices. Moreover, zinc in the form of NPs is more effective than their bulk counterparts and thus, they have been explored for many potential applications including in animals industry. Notably, with the advent of multi-drug resistant strains, ZnO NPs have emerged as the potential antimicrobial agents. This is mainly due to their superior properties in combating a broad spectrum of pathogens. Moreover, zinc is known as an essential trace element for most of the biological function in the animal’s body. As such, the applications of ZnO NPs have been reported to significantly enhance the health and production of the farm animals. Thus, this paper reviews the biological synthesis of ZnO NPs by the microbes, the mechanisms of the biological synthesis, parameters for the optimization process and their potential application as an antimicrobial agent and feed supplement in the animal industry as well as their toxicological hazards on animals