Integration of Carboxymethyl Cellulose Isolated from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Waste into Bismuth Ferrite as Photocatalyst for Effective Anionic Dyes Degradation

Photocatalytic biomass valorization has proven to be a valuable approach for sustainably constructing value—added products from waste materials. The present study aimed to know about Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) nanoparticles combined into carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) obtained from oil palm empty fruit bunch waste (OCMC) and used as a catalyst composite for the degradation of anionic dyes, specifically on methyl orange (MO) and congo red (CR). The parameter that affects the formation of OCMC, such as the degree of substitution (DS), depends upon the alkalization reaction time and NaOH concentrations. The highest DS was obtained at 1.562 and found at 60% NaOH with 9 h of alkalization, very close to that of the commercial CMC (CCMC) DS value. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that OCMC as a semi-crystalline phase and the tensile strength of OCMC film increased significantly from 0.11 MPa to 3.54 MPa as compared to CCMC. The comparative study on photocatalytic degradation of MO and CR using OCMC and CCMC reinforced with 0.8% BiFeO3 showed a minor difference in removal percentage. The efficiency removal for CCMC/BFO towards CR and MO was enhanced to 95.49% and 92.93% after a 3-h treatment, and a similar result was obtained in the case of OCMC/BiFeO3 at 92.50% for CR and 89.56% for MO, respectively. Nevertheless, it is interesting that OCMC film exhibits remarkable stability with an improvement in terms of tensile strength and stays more intact than that of CCMC

COVID-19: dealing with disposables

The Ta'ruf Intellectual DIscourse (TIDE) is a course for newly appointed academic staff for permanent basis and contract basis staff. This course is one of the compulsory courses for new staff. In this course, participants will know the role and functions of various Kulliyyahs, Centres, Departments, and Institutes in the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). In 2021, for the first time, TIDE 52 was conducted online via both asynchronous & synchronous sessions. Participants were split into small groups to complete activities based on assigned themes. The final group activity was to solve a case scenario by incorporating aspects of the Insan Sejahtera Framework. This e-book is based on Group 8's efforts & ideas and embraces the concept of open access of knowledge and sustainability

Integration of Carboxymethyl Cellulose Isolated from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Waste into Bismuth Ferrite as Photocatalyst for Effective Anionic Dyes Degradation

Photocatalytic biomass valorization has proven to be a valuable approach for sustainably constructing value—added products from waste materials. The present study aimed to know about Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) nanoparticles combined into carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) obtained from oil palm empty fruit bunch waste (OCMC) and used as a catalyst composite for the degradation of anionic dyes, specifically on methyl orange (MO) and congo red (CR). The parameter that affects the formation of OCMC, such as the degree of substitution (DS), depends upon the alkalization reaction time and NaOH concentrations. The highest DS was obtained at 1.562 and found at 60% NaOH with 9 h of alkalization, very close to that of the commercial CMC (CCMC) DS value. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that OCMC as a semi-crystalline phase and the tensile strength of OCMC film increased significantly from 0.11 MPa to 3.54 MPa as compared to CCMC. The comparative study on photocatalytic degradation of MO and CR using OCMC and CCMC reinforced with 0.8% BiFeO3 showed a minor difference in removal percentage. The efficiency removal for CCMC/BFO towards CR and MO was enhanced to 95.49% and 92.93% after a 3-h treatment, and a similar result was obtained in the case of OCMC/BiFeO3 at 92.50% for CR and 89.56% for MO, respectively. Nevertheless, it is interesting that OCMC film exhibits remarkable stability with an improvement in terms of tensile strength and stays more intact than that of CCMC