A comparison of newly invented plant-based coagulant (dragon fruit's foliage) with commercial coagulants for treatment of latex oncentrated effluent / Juferi Idris

This study investigated the effect of coagulation process on wastewater from latex concentrate industry. The coagulation performances of dragon fruit 's foliage which was a newly invented plant based coagulant and commercial coagulants such as alum. ferric chloride , polyaluminium chloride , magnesium chloride , ferrous sulfate, ferric sulfate and calcium hydroxide were studied using a jar test. The study also compared different dosages and pH values of the coagulation processes. The analysis of dragon fruit's foliage was also studied. The results revealed that the percentage removals in terms of COD, SS and turbidity of commercial coagulants (alum, ferrous sulfate , calcium hydroxide , PAC, ferric chloride and ferric sulfate) have been found to be around 97-99%, 94-97% and 99% respectively , whereas the newly invented plant-based coagulant at the same dosage of 300 - 600 mg/L demonstrates the same performances as any commercial coagulants. All the coagulants used give high percentage of BOD removal which is from 1327 mg/l before treatment to below 100 mg/l after treatment except for dragon fruit coagulants which gives 173.67 mg/L. However , others parameters such as sulfate , NH₃₋N and several heavy metals are in compliance with standard B set by Department of Environment, Malaysia. The study has proven the existence of alum compound in the dragon fruit's foliage under the XRay Diffractometer (X-RD) analysis and therefore the dragon fruit's foliage can be used as a coagulant and has a great potential as a new plant-based coagulant in latex concentrated wastewater treatment

自己燃焼下におけるアブラヤシの空果房炭化に関する研究と山仙式炭化法によるバイオチャ―の製造

九州工業大学博士学位論文（要旨） 学位記番号:生工博甲第236号 学位授与年月日:平成27年3月25

Optimum levels of N, P, and K nutrition for oil palm seedlings grown in tropical peat soil

Balanced nutrition can improve the growth of oil palm seedlings grown under limited nutrient condition in tropical peat soil. However, optimum levels of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) nutrition of oil palm seedlings, grown in tropical peat soil at nursery stage, have not been reported. This paper examines the growth, biomass accumulation, nutrient concentration, and partitioning in the plant parts of oil palm seedlings at different levels of N, P, and K nutrition. Six levels of N, P₂O₅, and K₂O were used in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five replications. Parameters measured at harvest include plant height, leaf number/plant, stem diameter, and SPAD chlorophyll value, biomass accumulation, and nutrient concentration in palm parts. Findings revealed that, treatment levels of N, P₂O₅, and K₂O nutrition at 22, 22, and 40 g/plant showed significant effects and enhanced oil palm seedlings vegetative growth in tropical peat soil

Production of biochar with high mineral content from oil palm biomass

Carbonization of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) biomass for the production of high mineral content biochar under an uncontrolled carbonization temperature and controlled air flow rate was studied using a pilot-scale brick carbonization reactor. The maximum temperature during the carbonization process was found to be in the range of 543 to 564 oC at exhaust gas flow rate of 36 m3/hr. All minerals (i.e P, K ,Mg, Ca, Na, Mn, Fe, Cr, AI) showed an increased from the feedstock concentration up to 300 %. The concentration of heavy metal extracted from OPEFB biochar was lower than listed ceiling permitted levels. This proposed system without electrical control and heating source is preferable to the industry due to its simplicity, ease of operation and low energy requirement making it suitable for OPEFB biochar production for mulching purposes with more than double the mineral content compared to raw OPEFB biomass

Treatment of POME final discharge using Napier grass in wetland system

POME is the most expensive and difficult waste to manage since it was generated in large volume in tons at a time. POME usually will discharge to nearby land or river since it is the easiest and cheapest method to disposal. Since the POME final discharge quality still not meet the river water quality, the approach that will use is the wetland system. This wetland system is more compatible compare to another system to treat the POME final discharge since it is more cost efficient and fewer side effects compared to the biological and chemical approach. The system in this study contains a few ponds that is connected to serial form. Each stage serves a different purpose like the phytoremediation pond. Phytoremediation is a process that uses plants to degrade and remove contaminants from the environment. Phytoremediation can degrade, remove, transform, or immobilize toxic compounds located in soils, sediments, and more recently in polluted ground water and wastewater in treatment. The plant that been use in this system is the Napier Grass. At the end of the experiment, this system shows good quality water by reducing the level of COD by 71.57%, TSS by 83.59% and ammonia by 85.97%. From this research, it has been prove that the wetland system can reduce the contamination from the final discharge to meet the river water quality

Reduction of POME final discharge residual using activated bioadsorbent from oil palm kernel shell

A double insulated carbonisation-activation reactor was developed in order to produce activated carbon with high yield and surface area. This reactor was double insulated using low cement castable and covered around the internal space of the reactor with stainless steel plated and fibre glass jacketed heat insulation layer, which allow efficient heat transfer into the bed of material in the reactor. The carbonisation of oil palm kernel shell (OPKS) at 400 °C, followed by steam activation at 500–1000 °C continuously in the same reactor, with steam flow rate of 12.80–18.17 L/min had improved the activated carbon surface area from 305 ± 10.2 m2/g to 935 ± 36.7 m2/g and gave a high yield of 30% within 7 h retention time with a low gaseous emission. The activated carbon produced was successfully applied as bioadsorbent for the treatment of POME final discharge with the reduction of TSS, COD, colour and BOD up to 90%, 68%, 97% and 83%, respectively which met the standard set by Department of Environment Malaysia (DOE)

Determination of optimum levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium of oil palm seedlings in solution culture

Balanced nutrient elements in fertilizer play a critical role in oil palm seedling successful growth and development, and at the same time reduces of fertilizer losses in the environment. This study examines the effect of different levels of N, P2O5 and K2O for oil palm seedlings in solution culture on growth traits, nutrient uptake in plant tissues and biomass accumulation under nursery conditions. Five concentration levels of N (50, 100, 300, 600 and 900 mg L–1), P2O5 and K2O (15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 mg L–1) were used in a completely randomized design (CRD) with five replications for each. Parameters measured during the growing period include - plant height, leaf number/plant, stem diameter, SPAD chlorophyll value, and at harvest – total leaf area, root dry weight, shoot dry weight and total dry weight. Different levels of N, P2O5 and K2O showed significant effects on all the parameters studied. The highest values for diameter, plant height, leaf number/plant, total leaf area, root dry weight, shoot dry weight and total dry biomass were obtained using 100, 90 and 300 mg/L levels of N, P2O5 and K2O, respectively. Most of the growth parameters, declined with lower levels of N, P2O5 and K2O. The results of this study provide a new knowledge to produce oil palm plant with better nutrient management at the nursery under solution culture

Utilization of response surface methodology and regression model in optimizing bioretention performance

In recent years, the popularity of optimization of bioretention systems through statistical experimental design had increased due to rapid urbanization, which directly impacted the water quality and quantity of stormwater runoff from an increasing area of impervious surface. Experimental design is necessary for developing interaction between two or more responses with various affecting factors. Due to this significant possibility of combining several variables in optimizing experimentation results, statistical analysis is essential to observe the process and optimize the responses data accurately. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is the most commonly used statistical analysis method. There is a wide range of RSM applications from science to industrial practice. The RSM method can handle multiple factors and responses in a short amount of time compared to conventional analysis. Hence, this paper highlights the significance of RSM in optimizing pollutants rate and regulation effects in bioretention cells. From the analytical literature observation, optimization of improved and conventional bioretention system shows positive interaction effect and responses value through various bioretention design factors manipulation. The validity of the regression model also shows adequate results and wellmatched between experimental and statistical predicted values

Plant-Based Tacca leontopetaloides Biopolymer Flocculant (TBPF) Produced High Removal of Turbidity, TSS, and Color for Leachate Treatment

Wastewater treatment is crucial to ensure a sustainable supply of clean water, especially for human use. Natural flocculants can overcome the disadvantages of chemical flocculants in wastewater treatment. This study proposes a new natural-based flocculant from the Tacca leontopetaloides plant for leachate treatment. The plant tuber was processed through gelatinization to produce Tacca leontopetaloides biopolymer flocculant (TBPF). The characterization of TBPF for flocculant properties was investigated, and the performance of TBPF on leachate treatment using a standard jar test procedure was examined at different pH values of leachate and TBPF dosages. The characteristics of TBPF in terms of amylose/amylopectin fraction, viscosity, and zeta potential were 26:74, 0.037–0.04 Pa·s, and −13.14 mV, respectively. The presence of –COOH and –OH structure in TBPF indicates the flocculant properties. TBPF reduced the turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), and color from 218 NTU, 214 mg/L, 14201 PtCo to 45.8–54.5 NTU, 19.3–19.9 mg/L, and 852–994 PtCo, respectively, using 240 mg/L of TBPF at pH 3. These results show a high potential of the new plant-based TBPF for leachate treatment and water industry applications

Plant-based tacca leontopetaloides biopolymer flocculant (TBPF) produced high removal of heavy metal ions at low dosage

High removal of heavy metals using plant-based bioflocculant under low concentration is required due to its low cost, abundant source, and nontoxicity for improved wastewater management and utilization in the water industry. This paper presents a treatment of synthetic wastewater using plant-based Tacca leontopetaloides biopolymer flocculant (TBPF) without modification on its structural polymer chains. It produced a high removal of heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Ni, and Cd) at a low concentration of TBPF dosage. In our previous report, TBPF was characterized and successfully reduced the turbidity, total suspended solids, and color for leachate treatment; however, its effectiveness for heavy metal removal has not been reported. The removal of these heavy metals was performed using a standard jar test procedure at different pH values of synthetic wastewater and TBPF dosages. The effects of hydroxide ion, pH, initial TBPF concentration, initial metal ion concentration, and TBPF dosage were examined using one factorial at the time (OFAT). The results show that the highest removal for Zn, Pb, Ni, and Cd metal ions were 98.4–98.5%, 79–80%, 97–98%, and 92–93%, respectively, using 120 mg/L dosage from the initial concentration of 10% TBPF at pH 10. The final concentrations for Zn, Pb, Ni, and Cd metal ions were 0.043–0.044, 0.41–0.43, 0.037–0.054, and 0.11–0.13 mg/L, respectively, which are below the Standard B discharge limit set by the Department of Environment (DOE), Malaysia. The results show that TBPF has a high potential for the removal of heavy metals, particularly Zn, Pb, Ni, and Cd, in real wastewater treatment