Influence of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) agro-waste properties as filtration medium to improve urban stormwater

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) is recommended as a filtration medium due to its fibrous characteristics and abundance as an agricultural byproduct. OPEFB is utilized to treat urban stormwater using a deep bed filter column. Urban stormwater samples were collected from Sembulan River, which flows through the Kota Kinabalu city area of Sabah, Malaysia. The samples were filtered through single and combination designs of OPEFB and river sand (RS) in mix ratios ranging between 25-75%. Each design’s performance was evaluated in terms of Total Suspended Solid (TSS), turbidity, colour, temperature, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), and Ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N) removal. Single medium designs demonstrated the poorest performance compared to dual mediums design. The optimum mixed design was 50:50 with ability to remove 52% color, 49% turbidity, 44% TSS, 59% COD, 84% BOD, and 94% NH3-N. Further OPEFB water-washing treatment followed by a backwashing process achieved better separation results than a straightforward maintenance process. The optimized dual-filtration of stormwater was able to increase the urban stormwater quality from Class III up to Class I according to the Malaysian Interim National Water Quality Standard (INWQS), thus classified as suitable for water supply and conservation for natural environment uses

A Consistency Check of Concrete Compressive Strength using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient

The efficiency of the concrete ready mix service provider is undoubtedly and has become a widespread trend among contractors in which facilitates and eliminated a large budget surplus in maintenance, operating costs and is preferred as it reflects more efficient asset utilization. However, the quality assurance of concrete supplied is always raised associated with the inconsistencies of concrete compressive strength at the age of 28 days. The objective(s) of this study are to determine the correlations between the compressive strength of ready mix concrete, to evaluate the consistencies of the results and to identify the irregular sources that lead to the inconsistencies. Based on the compressive strength values obtained from the existing experimental data using different concrete mixes from the batching plant, a statistical analysis was conducted. A total of 90 concrete cubes specimens were attained from 15 concrete batches. A correlation analysis was conducted using the Pearson Correlation calculation to check the consistency of concrete compressive strength. The calculation showed the Pearson correlation coefficient of this study is +0.990. This indicated that there are significant linear relationship exists between the concrete compressive strength and the density of concrete batches which is positively high. In conclusion, the analysis reveals that the design of ready mix concrete compressive strength is in high consistencies and acceptable in practices for the proposed mix design to the contractor. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091672 Full Text: PD

The efficiency of sewage treatment plant: A case study at the main campus of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

The aquatic nature, including streams, rivers, marine, and groundwater, becomes susceptible to most contaminants' effects through various pathways known as point and nonpoint sources. Point source pollution from inefficient sewage treatment plants (STP) will likely produce effluents that could deteriorate the environment. Therefore, this study assesses the efficiency of STP at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) based on the Malaysian Sewerage Industry Guidelines (MSIG). The design parameters of the STP and its influent and effluent physicochemical parameters are evaluated and compared between usage peak time (lectureweek) and non-peak (semester-break) conditions. The measurement was based on the Standard Methods of Examination of Water and Wastewater. The permissible limits of influent and effluent from Malaysia Sewerage Industry Guidelines (MSIG) are referred. In contrast, the efficiency of the STP is calculated as the percentage reduction of pollutants. The findings revealed that the current STP's design parameters complied with the MSIG standard. The suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), oil and grease (O&G) at influent during peak time is typically higher than during the non-peak time, albeit a timely sudden increase can be observed. The effluent quality is inconsistent but is still within permissible limits, except for O&G, which occasionally exceeds the allowable value. As for the BOD, a consistent 80% removal efficiency is observed. Hence the effluent reuse for agricultural purposed and landscape irrigation is proposed due to the environmental quality potential and reduction to direct released toward the receiving water streams

The impact of Building Information Modelling (BIM) strategies in energy sustainability elements to sustainable campus using PLS-SEM approach

This paper establishes a structural relationship between BIM strategies in eleven (11) energy sustainability elements divided into management and technical aspects that impact a sustainable campus. The work established thirteen (13) benchmarks for independent variables and one (1) dependent variable. The exploratory research design used in this study led to the structural model development being the central focus of the study. A judgmental sampling technique was used to distribute a questionnaire survey among local engineers, assistant engineers, and technicians in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. The research population survey employed 78 returned questionnaires. The analysis used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypotheses. The result indicates that the management and technical aspects of Energy Sustainability Elements (ESE) significantly impact sustainable campus with path coefficients of 2.447 and 5.032, respectively. Furthermore, the findings have revealed that Hypothesis 1 and Hypothesis 2 were all positive and significant at the 0.05 level, indicating that these two hypotheses are valid and supported. This study provides valuable information and insights for Malaysian universities to achieve a sustainable campus by adopting building information modeling (BIM) strategies in the context of energy efficiency

Technology Adoption among Fishermen in Malaysia

Abstract: Technologies have been improved as a crucial tool in developing the agriculture industry. Fisheries, one of the agriculture branches have benefited a lot from the technologies invention. Advanced tools such as sonar, echo sounder and GPS for example have been proven to have impacts on the fisheries industry particularly on the fishermen socio-economic aspects. As the technologies adoption is crucial among the fishermen, it is important to understand the factors that determine their adoption of technologies and this study attempts to reveal a number of potential impingement factors. This is a qualitative study where the discussion is made based on literature and documents analyses. Data gained have revealed that factors such as level of education, finance, extension workers' roles, fishermen future expectation and prediction, behavioral factors and other demographic factors. It is recommended that relevant agencies to accentuate on these factors on their planning strategies and expectantly it can assist in enhancing technologies adoption among the fishermen

Testis maturation stages of mud crab (Scylla olivacea) broodstock on different diets

The aim of this study was to investigate how various diets influence testis maturation stages in mud crab (Scylla olivacea) broodstock. Morphological and histological assessments were performed in triplicate (10 male crabs each). Daily, subject crabs were fed a squid (Loligo sp.) and a fish (Decapterus sp.) diet at 5-10% of body weight. Diets were analyzed following methods from the Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC). In comparison to control (wild) crabs, the two diets generally did not cause significant differences (p>0.05) in body weight, carapace width and gonadosomatic index (GSI), except in the GSI of squid-fed crabs (p<0.05). At the end of the experiment, crabs that reached Stage 3 testis maturation included were 6 fish-fed individuals and 23 squid-fed individuals. Additionally, differences in crude protein and fat levels across diets influenced the nature of male gonadal development. In conclusion, a squid diet was sufficient to induce Stage 3 testis maturation in Scylla olivacea within 60 days of culture. Our results prove the usefulness in developing appropriate feeding regimes for male Scylla olivacea broodstock

An overview of the transportation issues in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

The explosive growth of population in Sabah has caused the rise of private vehicle ownership and utilizations which give significant defects on transportation and environmental conditions, especially in the central city of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu. As the demand in transportation increased, traffic congestion occurs due to the abundance of a private vehicle on the road while the improvement of traffic facilities is weak and slow. Traffic congestion is an urban mobility problem that worsens traffic flow and eventually, causing economic hindrance to happen. In order to overcome this problem, a good plan, systematic and safe transportation system should be developed. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to study and understand the transportation system in Kota Kinabalu and the feasibility of existing transportation plans for Kota Kinabalu. This paper outlines an overview of the existing transportation system available in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, the issues encountered, as well as the impacts regarding the current city transport system. In summary, urban transportation relies on proper planning by experts based on passenger experience to find proper solutions to complex urban transport issues in Kota Kinabalu

Development of transportation models based on students’ interest in a parking charging system at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

Transportation management and sustainable transportation planning were critical. A well-planned transportation system is extremely beneficial in terms of efficiency and environmental friendliness. To that end, parking charging was one of the transportation management topics covered in this study. A parking charging system is one in which a user can leave their vehicle at a particular place and pay a price based on the amount of time it was left unattended. Given the rising use of private vehicles, which has resulted in an increase in congestion and air pollution, it is believed that a parking fee system can be implemented to alleviate the situation. The primary purpose of this research is to develop a transportation model based on the parking price factor in Ringgit Malaysia (RM). At the completion of the study, a transportation model based on parking rates will be developed, and it is projected that once implemented, the percentage of private vehicles that use public transportation will increase. This model is deemed necessary in order to mitigate the harmful effect of an excessive number of private vehicles at UMS. The State Preference Survey (SPS) method was used. A questionnaire form was developed and distributed online to 300 respondents among the students of the Faculty of Engineering at UMS, in order to collect the required data. The data collected was then analyzed using linear regression to develop several transportation logistic models. The transportation models that have been developed in the form of a logistic model that can reflect the willingness of UMS students to shift from private vehicles to public transport. These models predict that when the parking price increases, the percentage shift of private vehicles to public transport will increase linearly. It is also found that 100% of drivers are willing to shift from private vehicles to public transport if the parking price per hour is RM 4.00. Shifting private vehicle users to public transportation may assist lower the number of private vehicles on the road and thus indirectly help mitigate the negative consequences of an excess of private automobiles