Tracing the carbon flow in tropical watershed using stable isotope technique

Research on catchment area have traditionally involved concentration and flux measurement to better understand weathering, transport and cycling of materials from land to sea. Potentially, modification of terrestrial environment can alter the carbon flow in a catchment. This research is to characterize dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in Sungai Kurau and Tasik Bukit Merah. A progressive depletion of (δ¹³C–DIC: -14.20 ± 0.47‰) towards downstream (δ¹³C–DIC: -24.44 ± 0.59‰) is observed. The trend indicates photosynthesis activity at the upper stream system where microbial respiration process is observed to occur at the Tasik Bukit Merah located at downstream area. The dynamic of carbon pathway is highly affected by allochthonous input and autochthonous process in the catchment system. Land use activities within the catchment can disturb the balance between biological and geological processes which control the carbon pool in Kurau catchment

Characteristics and Assessment of Groundwater

Groundwater system is very vital to humanity and the ecosystem. Aquifers are determined based on the absence or presence of water table positioning, that is, confined, unconfined, leaky aquifers and fractured aquifers. The objective of this chapter is to discuss the characteristic and assessment of groundwater within the scope of vertical distribution of GW, types of the aquifer system, types of SW-GW interface, and SW-GW interaction at both local and regional scales. The properties of the aquifer depend on the physical characteristics of the materials (porosity, permeability, specific yield, specific storage, and hydraulic conductivities) which are determined by techniques like resistivity surveys and pumping tests followed by remote sensing and geographic information system for better information on the groundwater system. Furthermore, understanding the SW-GW interactions through available methods (seepage meter, heat tracer, and environmental tracer) is useful in watershed management, that is, risk management and assessment of the aquifer system

Time to revisit oil palm-livestock integration in the wake of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

To date, the idea of using livestock animals as biological tools to manage weeds, sequester carbon, and boost food security in oil palm plantations has not been seriously considered by industry stakeholders of major producing countries (e.g., Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Colombia, and Nigeria). We revisit the integration of oil palm cultivation with livestock farming as a silvopastoral agroforestry practice in the wake of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Oil palm-livestock integration has the potential to promote sustainable palm oil production because it can provide multiple environmental and socio-economic benefits, including carbon sequestration, restoring top soil, improving ecosystem biodiversity, reducing pesticide and fertilizer inputs, and boosting national food security. In contrast to monocultural outputs of most conventional plantations, an oil palm silvopastoral system is an ideal way to address the global food insecurity challenge as it produces bioenergy, vegetable oil/fat and animal-based protein sources (e.g., red meat). In addition, the potential of contract targeted grazing could be considered as a new type of business and income diversification for rural people. Oil palm-livestock integration is a strategy by the palm oil industry to achieve multiple SDGs. Out of the 17 SDGs, oil palm-livestock integration is likely to deliver nine SDGs. Palm oil certification bodies should recognize oil palm-livestock integration as a biological control method in weed management practices. We recommend that oil palm-livestock integration should be promoted to revitalize sustainable palm oil production and strategic biodiversity conservation policy. Policy makers should encourage major players in the palm oil industry to practice oil palm-livestock integration

One- and Two-Dimensional Hydrological Modelling and Their Uncertainties

Earth processes, which occur in land, air and ocean in different environment and at different scales, are very complex. Flooding is also a part of the complex processes, which need to be assessed accurately to know the accurate spatial and temporal changes of flooding and their causes. Hydrological modelling has been used by several researchers in river and floodplain modelling for flood analysis. In this chapter, factors affecting flash flood, possible options of basic input parameters in one- and two-dimensional hydrological models in data sparse environment, some case studies and uncertainty in hydrological modelling were discussed. This discussion will help the readers to understand the flooding factors, selection of input parameters in data sparse environment, a brief insight of one- and two-dimensional hydrological models and uncertainties in their input and model parameters and model structures

Irradiation Pretreatment of Tropical Biomass and Biofiber for Biofuel Production

Interest on biofuel production from biomass and biofiber has gain great attention globally because these materials are abundant, inexpensive, renewable, and sustainable. Generally, the conversion of biomass and biofiber to biofuel involves several processes including biomass production, pretreatment, hydrolysis, and fermentation. Selecting the most efficient pretreatment is crucial to ensure the success of biofuel production since pretreatment has been reported to contribute substantial portion on the production cost. The main goal of the pretreatment is to enhance digestibility of the biomass and biofiber, and to increase sugar production prior to fermentation process. To date, several pretreatment methods have been introduced to pretreat biomass and biofiber including irradiation. This book chapter reviews and discusses different leading irradiation pretreatment technologies along with their mechanism involved during pretreatment of various tropical biomass and biofiber. This chapter also reviews the effect of irradiation pretreatment on the biomass and biofiber component, which could assist the enzymatic saccharification process

Land use change in Kelantan: review of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an essential process in minimizing the adverse environmental impact and to ensure sustainable land use. In Malaysia, under Section 34A, Environmental Quality Act 1974, the EIA was made compulsory for any project that can be a threat to the environment. All EIA reports require approval from the Department of Environment prior to the project commencement. This study argues that land use change for agriculture and logging in Kelantan has a direct connection on the approved EIA. The objectives of this study is to identify a list of EIA reports that have been previously approved in Kelantan since 2000 to 2015; and to analyze the EIA reports embracing the trends of approval, the type of project, territory involved, the consultant involved, the time of approval, potential impacts and mitigation measures. This study had been reviewed 192 EIA report in DOE Kelantan and covered year 2000 to 2015. The review process to look at the type of project, territory involved, the consultant involved, the time of approval, potential impacts and mitigation measures. It’s covered three district of Tanah Merah, Kuala Krai and Gua Musang. To date, a total of 222 EIA reports have been approved in Kelantan. The results showed a notable increment in the approval trend of EIA reports. A total of 149 conducted EIA projects are fall within the territory of Gua Musang. Majority of the approvals are granted to agriculture and logging projects. Majority projects have passed over the area of secondary forest, oil palm and rubber plantations, permanent reserve forest and the watershed of tributaries of Sungai Kelantan. Land-clearing activities for agriculture and logging on a large scale have a significant impact to environmental change in Kelantan

Pelaksanaan strategi pelajar sebelum mempraktikkan kemahiran menulis tugasan akademik

Masalah berkenaan penguasaan pelajar dalam penulisan akademik semakin membimbangkan ketika tahap kualiti pendidikan semasa terus dipertingkatkan. Penurunan kualiti hasil penulisan, kelemahan diri dan sikap negatif pelajar serta kekurangan guru berkemahiran turut menyumbang kepada masalah ini. Kajian dijalankan bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti strategi pelajar sebelum mempraktikkan kemahiran menulis tugasan akademik dalam kalangan pelajar Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Selangor. Sampel kajian ini adalah seramai 266 orang responden yang melibatkan pelajar dari pelbagai latar belakang akademik. Dapatan kajian ini diperoleh menggunakan kaedah tinjauan yang menggunakan soal selidik sebagai instrument kajian dengan menggunakan persampelan rawak mudah. Hasil kajian menunjukkan 174 pelajar mempunyai minat terhadap kemahiran menulis dan majoriti dari 266 pelajar mengamalkan strategi tertentu untuk memastikan kualiti penulisan akademik yang dihasilkan mencapai tahap yang dikehendaki oleh pelajar dan keperluan tugasan. Ini membuktikan bahawa kualiti sesuatu tugasan akademik memerlukan pelajar mempraktikkan kemahiran merancang, mengurus, dan melaksana yang konsisten untuk memastikan hasil penulisan memperoleh gred yang baik sepanjang masa. Oleh itu, pelajar institusi pendidikan tinggi perlu mempunyai strategi pembelajaran yang tersusun agar segala aktiviti dan tugasan pembelajaran dapat dilaksanakan dengan baik mengikut keperluan dan kehendak program. Pelaksanaan strategi pembelajaran seperti ini penting dalam memastikan pelajar dapat mencapai keputusan gred yang cemerlang bagi setiap kursus yang diambil

Bionanocomposite based on cellulose nanowhisker from oil palm biomass-filled poly(lactic acid)

Cellulose nanowhiskers (CNW) extracted from plant fibers exhibit remarkable properties that make them suitable for use in the development of bionanocomposites. CNW have demonstrated the capability to enhance the properties of a polymer matrix at low filler loading. In this study, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) bionanocomposites were prepared using the solution casting technique, by incorporating the PLA with the CNW obtained from an oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed no significant changes in the PLA peak positions, which indicates that incorporating the CNW into the PLA did not result in any significant changes in the chemical structure of the PLA. Thermogravimetric analysis, on the other hand, revealed that the bionanocomposites (PLA-CNW) had better thermal stability than the pure PLA. The tensile strength of PLA-CNW increased by 84% with the addition of 3 parts of CNW per hundred resins (phr), and decreased thereafter. Moreover, a linear relationship was observed between the Young's modulus and CNW loading. Elongation at break, however, decreased with the addition of 1-phr CNW, and remained constant with further addition. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that agglomeration of CNW occurred at 5-phr loading, consistent with the tensile strength results. Overall, the CNW obtained from OPEFB can enhance the tensile and the thermal properties of bionanocomposites

Utilization of agrowaste-derived nanoparticles as reinforcement in microfilled epoxy composites

The substantial release of oil palm ash into ground water has been a serious concern to the environmentalist due to the enormous generation of oil palm ash waste from oil palm incineration. The effective utilization of this agrowaste is yet to be fully exploited. In this context, herein we, investigated the potential of oil palm ash nanofiller as an effective reinforcement in epoxy-based composites. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the prepared oil palm ash nanoparticles had circular morphology with particle size in the range of 20to 25 nm. X-ray diffraction patterns of the prepared oil palm ash nanoparticles revealed the crystalline nature of the oil palm ash nanoparticles. Tensile strength and tensile modulus of the epoxy composites were substantially improved to 64, 67, 70,and 75 MPa and 1.01,1.05,1.16,and 1.18 MP a at oil palm ash nanofiller loading of 1%,2%,3%,and %,respectively.The impact strength of nanocomposite was enhanced from 2.7015 ± 0.13 kJ/m2to 3.98 ± 0.17kJ/m2 at 3% of oil palm ash nanofiller loading. The optimum values of mechanical properties were attained at 4% filler loading,after which further loading resulted in the decrement of mechanical properties of epoxy nanocomposite. Thermal stability of the epoxy nanocomposite was enhanced substantially to 435 °C by the incorporation of oil palm ash nanofillers. This study proved that nano-sized oil palm ash could be an efficient reinforcement in polymer composite

Various Natural and Anthropogenic Factors Responsible for Water Quality Degradation: A Review

Recognition of sustainability issues around water resource consumption is gaining traction under global warming and land utilization complexities. These concerns increase the challenge of gaining an appropriate comprehension of the anthropogenic activities and natural processes, as well as how they influence the quality of surface water and groundwater systems. The characteristics of water resources cause difficulties in the comprehensive assessment regarding the source types, pathways, and pollutants behaviors. As the behavior and prediction of widely known contaminants in the water resources remain challenging, some new issues have developed regarding heavy metal pollutants. The main aim of this review is to focus on certain essential pollutants’ discharge from anthropogenic activities categorized based on land-use sectors such as industrial applications (solid/liquid wastes, chemical compounds, mining activities, spills, and leaks), urban development (municipal wastes, land use practices, and others), and agricultural practices (pesticides and fertilizers). Further, important pollutants released from natural processes classified based on climate change, natural disasters, geological factors, soil/matrix, and hyporheic exchange in the aquatic environment, are also discussed. Moreover, this study addresses the major inorganic substances (nitrogen, fluoride, and heavy metals concentrations). This study also emphasizes the necessity of transdisciplinary research and cross-border communication to achieve sustainable water quality using sound science, adaptable legislation, and management systems