Scholarship voyage

The Merdeka Award Lecture covers the various stages of development in the voyage of scholarship of Zaini Ujang; from childhood to professorship, from personal experience to philosophical maturity, from uncertainties to idealism, and from pure chemistry to professional insights on water sustainability. The focus of the talk is on traits of scholarship and inlellectual development as well as university and intellectual idealism. The role of academia in value creation, innovation and creativity will be highlighted, focusing on the strategy and initiative towards an innovation ecosystem and dynamic intellectual climate which Zaini believes should thrive if the academia wants to remain relevant and competitive. Important milestones in the academic pursuit and scholastic excellence expounded by Zaini are also highlighted in his strive towards creating a vibrant knowledge culture and fertile intellectual ecosystem in UTM where he leads as the Vice Chancellor. Special reference to his academic venture in water sciences and sustainability is also included

Akademia baru memartabatkan UTM berjenama global 2012–2020

Perutusan Naib Canselor 2012 yang bermauduk “Akademia Baru: Memartabat UTM Berjenama Global 2012–2020” adalah merupakan keluaran perutusan yang keempat sejak diterbitkan pada tahun 2009. Sebagai sebuah universiti yang sejak dari awal penubuhannya berpaksikan mendaulatkan tradisi ilmu, UTM berusaha untuk mendokumentasikan perancangan tahunan, pelan strategik dan ucapan penting untuk dijadikan panduan dan rujukan. Isi kandungan buku ini wajar difahami dan dihayati oleh seluruh warga UTM untuk membolehkan mereka merancang proses kerja secara sistematik dan efisien serta dapat memantau pencapaian sepanjang tahun 2012. Tema buku ini juga menjurus kepada pemikiran, falsafah, kerangka pengajian tinggi dan pedagogi baru berasaskan paradigma Akademia Baru. Tema ini bermatlamat untuk pembinaan sebuah institusi pengajian tinggi yang melepasi gelanggang tempatan. Tema ini memberi isyarat jelas untuk menggembleng seluruh sumber seadanya bagi meletakkan UTM dalam peta akademia global untuk tampil bergaya sebaris dengan institusi ilmu tersohor dunia. Seluruh warga UTM dituntut mengukuhkan semangat dan iltizam bagi menjayakan cita–cita tersebut demi “Kerana Tuhan Untuk Manusia”

Finding of coefficients and oxidizable nitrogen from palm oil mill effluent (POME) for activated sludge models(ASMs)

Activated Sludge Models (ASMs) have been widely used as a basis for further model development in wastewater treatment processes. Values for parameters to be used are vital for the accuracy of the modeling approach. The objective of this study is to determine coefficients of the system, and oxidizable nitrogen of palm oil mill effluent (POME). A continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), with continuous flow for 20 hours, was used in this study. The DO profile for 11 days was monitored. The total, soluble, insoluble COD and soluble ammonia nitrogen were measured at the beginning and end of the experiment. Also, the coefficients and oxidizable nitrogen fractions are determined

Budaya keintelektualan mäkln subur Transformasi pengajian tinggi menerusi PSPTN tingkat kualiti akademi di IPT

HOLISTIK dalam konteks pembangunan modal insan dalam Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK 9) tidak terbatas kepada disiplin ilmu dan pemantapan kemahiran saja malah turut merangkumi aspek pembangunan minda Spiritual sahsiah dan etika Dengan kata lain pembangunan modal insan turut memberi tumpuan kepada aspek keinsanan yang terbina menerusi falsafah hidup pegangan agama dan dokongan moral

Microbial Biopolimerization Production from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)

Malaysia is one of the world leaders in the production and export of crude palm oil. In Malaysia, the oil palm industry has contributed vastly towards the country’s economic well being. During the economic crisis in the late 1990s, the industry has helped to cushion the impact of the economic downturn through its export-oriented activities, which provided the much needed foreign exchange for the country. Crude palm oil (CPO) production has increased from only 1.3 million tonnes in 1975, to 4.1 million tonnes in 1985 and 7.8 million tonnes in 1995 to 17.56 million tonnes in 2009 (Malaysian Palm Oil Board-MPOB, 2010)

The effect of mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) on biofouling in a hybrid membrane bioreactor for the treatment of high concentration organic wastewater

Biofouling is a crucial factor in membrane bioreactor (MBR) applications, particularly for high organic loading operations. This paper reports a study on biofouling in an MBR to establish a relationship between critical flux, J(c), mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) (ranging from 5 to 20 g L(-1)) and volumetric loading rate (6.3 kg COD m(-3) h(-1)) of palm oil mill effluent (POME). A lab-scale 100 L hybrid MBR consisting of anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic reactors was used with flat sheet microfiltration (MF) submerged in the aerobic compartment. The food-to-microorganism (F/M) ratio was maintained at 0.18 kg COD kg(-1) MLSSd(-1). The biofouling tendency of the membrane was obtained based on the flux against the transmembrane pressure (TMP) behaviour. The critical flux is sensitive to the MLSS. At the MLSS 20 g L(-1) the critical flux is about four times lower than that for the MLSS concentration of 5 g L(-1). The results showed high removal efficiency of denitrification and nitrification up to 97% at the MLSS concentration 20 g L(-1.) The results show that the operation has to compromise between a high and a low MLSS concentration. The former will favour a higher removal rate, while the latter will favour a higher critical flux

Photosynthetic microbial granules developed from palm oil mill effluent (POME)

In the 1980s, carbon dioxide (CO2) gas was proven to be one of the most hazardous greenhouse gases (GHG) as it increases from 57 to 80% of the current GHG contribution to global warming. In Malaysia, one of the major sources of GHG is from industrial wastewater treatment such as the ponding system to treat palm oil mill effluent (POME). Alternatively, this study looks into the possibility of applying biogranulation technology by growing photosynthetic bacteria to consume CO2 gas within a treatment system. The photosynthetic microbial granule was cultivated for 100 days in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system by applying an organic loading rate (OLR) of 1.53 kg COD/m3. day, hydraulic retention time (HRT) at 8 hours and superficial air velocity of 0.58 cm/s. The results showed the morphological structure of sludge evolved from dispersed loose shaped into a more stable and smoother compact granular form with good settling properties. The settleability of the sludge improved from 18.0 to 103 m/h periodically due to the increased of biomass concentrations (6.90 - 8.25 g/L) as well as achieving maximum granule size of 2.8 mm. The granules also displayed great physical characteristics in strength and stability, which attained low integrity coefficient (2.22%). Based on the pigment analysis using the UV-Vis spectrophotometer (380-1100 nm), the presence of purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria were detected in the sludge. The average wavelength adsorption obtained was within 976 to 1050 nm which implied the existence of bacteriochlorophyll

Formation and characteristics of microbial granules containing photosynthetic bacteria using palm oil mill effluent (POME)

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of applying bacterial photosynthesis using granulation technology method in minimizing carbon dioxide (CO2) gas emitted within a treatment system. By using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system with palm oil mill effluent (POME) as feeding, the photosynthetic microbial granules were developed after 100 days at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 1.53 kg COD/m3. day and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 8 hours (cycle time = 4 h). In terms of the morphological structure, the sludge evolved from dispersed loose shaped into a more stable and smoother compact granular form with good settling properties. The sludge settleability also improved from 0.50 to 2.88 cm/s periodically due to the increased of biomass concentrations (6.90 - 8.25 g/L) with a maximum granule size of 3.2 mm obtained. Other than that, the physical characteristics of the granules displayed great strength and stability as they attained low integrity coefficient at 2.22%. Based on the pigment analysis result using the UV-Vis spectrophotometer, the bacteriochlorophyll and carotenoids were found to correspond to that of purple non sulphur bacteria within the ranges of 801nm to 865nm (the existence of bacteriochlorophyll b) and 400nm to 500nm respectively