International Journal of Biomass Utilization and Sustainable Energy (IJBUSE)

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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14170/1581
The International Journal of Biomass Utilization and Sustainable Energy (IJBUSE) aim is to engage and disseminate knowledge in all the related areas of utilization of biomass, waste to wealth conversion, bioenergy, biotransformations and bioresource systems analysis, and technologies associated with conversion or production. For Bioenergy Processes, fermentations, thermochemical conversions, liquid and gaseous fuels, and petrochemical substitutes are also discussed. Types of papers published are: Full-length original research papers; Short communications; Review articles; Letters to the Editor.

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  • Publication
    2 × 1 Circularly Polarized Rectangular Microstrip Patch Array Antenna
    ( 2022-01-01)
    Sabri N.H.M.
    ;
    Jamlos M.A.
    ;
    Seng L.Y.
    This paper presents a high gain of 2 × 1 circularly polarized rectangular microstrip array antenna for wide communication. This paper study the design and the simulation of the array antenna in terms of S-parameter, antenna gain, and the axial ratio. The 2 × 1 array antenna with dimension of 130 × 80 mm is proposed. The presented design is composed of two elements of microstrip patch antenna with an array configuration. The truncated edge of the patch and the inclined slot are the techniques used in order to achieve circular polarized capability. The antenna is fed by microstrip transmission line with full ground plane and etched on Rogers RT 5880 substrate with 2.2 and 0.51 mm of dielectric constant and thickness respectively. The antenna substrate is layered by 3 layers in order to increase the substrate thickness to 1.53 mm. The patch antenna is fed by using microstrip transmission line which separated into two lines based on the number of radiating elements. The quarter wave impedance matching technique is used to match the radiating patch. The 50 Ω transmission line are utilized to be matching between 70 Ω and 100 Ω. The 2 × 1 array antenna achieved a gain of 10.77 dB with a return loss of −24. 63 dB at a desired frequency of 5.8 GHz.
  • Publication
    20 Mb/s Experimental Demonstration Using Modulated 460 nm Blue LED for Underwater Wireless Optical Communications (UOWC)
    ( 2021-06-11)
    Seow Y.L.
    ;
    Rashidi C.B.M.
    ;
    Aljunid S.A.
    ;
    Ali N.
    ;
    Endut R.
    This paper has demonstrated an experimental low power consumption underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) system with 460-nm LZ1-00DB00 Blue LED and avalanche photodetector. With the LZ1-00DB00 Blue LED operating at a driving current of 1200 mA with an optical power of 5280 mW, UWOC link offering a data rate up to 20 Mb/s over a transmission range of 5 meters under an underwater channel link. The measured bit-error rate (BER) is 3 10-3 which pass well the forward error correction (FEC) threshold.
  • Publication
    2D LiDAR Based Reinforcement Learning for Multi-Target Path Planning in Unknown Environment
    ( 2023-01-01)
    Abdalmanan N.
    ;
    Kamarudin K.
    ;
    Bakar M.A.A.
    ;
    Rahiman M.H.F.
    ;
    Zakaria A.
    ;
    Mamduh S.M.
    ;
    Kamarudin L.M.
    Global path planning techniques have been widely employed in solving path planning problems, however they have been found to be unsuitable for unknown environments. Contrarily, the traditional Q-learning method, which is a common reinforcement learning approach for local path planning, is unable to complete the task for multiple targets. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a modified Q-learning method, called Vector Field Histogram based Q-learning (VFH-QL) utilized the VFH information in state space representation and reward function, based on a 2D LiDAR sensor. We compared the performance of our proposed method with the classical Q-learning method (CQL) through training experiments that were conducted in a simulated environment with a size of 400 square pixels, representing a 20-meter square map. The environment contained static obstacles and a single mobile robot. Two experiments were conducted: experiment A involved path planning for a single target, while experiment B involved path planning for multiple targets. The results of experiment A showed that VFH-QL method had 87.06% less training time and 99.98% better obstacle avoidance compared to CQL. In experiment B, VFH-QL method was found to have an average training time that was 95.69% less than that of the CQL method and 83.99% better path quality. The VFH-QL method was then evaluated using a benchmark dataset. The results indicated that the VFH-QL exhibited superior path quality, with efficiency of 94.89% and improvements of 96.91% and 96.69% over CQL and SARSA in the task of path planning for multiple targets in unknown environments.
  • Publication
    3D Reconstruction of embedded object using ground penetrating radar
    ( 2023-01-01)
    Fadil N.D.
    ;
    Ali H.
    ;
    Zaidi A.F.A.
    ;
    Kamal W.H.B.W.
    ;
    Basri N.A.M.
    Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a non-destructive device widely used to locate and map underground utilities such as pipes, cables, etc. Its principle is based on the reflection signal of a transmitter-receiver antenna that strikes underground objects by means of the propagation of a short pulse of electromagnetic waves into the ground. The GPR will produce a hyperbolic curve as a result of the object's presence. Accurate interpretation of hyperbola curves is greatly important and highly depends on user expertise; thus, it is considered a challenge. To address this issue, this study aims to develop 3D reconstructions of embedded objects. In this study, C-scan images were acquired, and 3D interpolation and the Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT) were introduced. In this framework, the acquired data is subjected to pre-processing techniques via time-zero correction, background removal using average background subtraction, and Kirchoff's migration method. The software Reflex 3D Scan has been used to analyse and preprocess the 3D reconstruction of embedded objects. The obtained results show that 3D interpolation and SAFT methods are not only able to reconstruct 3D models but are also able to reveal information on the dimension and location of the buried object represented by voxel points in the 3D space cube.
  • Publication
    A 0.89 to 2.1 GHz Tunable Power Amplifier for Multi-band Transmitter
    ( 2023-01-01)
    Sapawi R.
    ;
    Kipli K.
    ;
    Julai N.
    ;
    Hong Ping K.
    ;
    Zainol Murad S.A.
    ;
    Awg Salleh D.N.S.
    This paper presents a multi-band power amplifier by using Benzocyclobutene inductor and tunable barium strontium titanate capacitor to achieve high quality (Q) factor to improve narrow bandwidth in tunable of power amplifier. The proposed power amplifier employed two stages with resistive shunt feedback at the input stage to provide a broadband gain and steady wideband input matching. Tunable frequency range from 0.89 GHz to 2.1 GHz is conducted by tunable BST capacitor from 1 pF to 20 pF. The tunable power amplifier achieves high power gain, good input and output matching, low power consumption and good power added efficiency over all frequency range of interest. It can be concluded that the proposed multi-band power amplifier is quite promising for future mobile terminals application.
  • Publication
    A 28 GHz high efficiency fully integrated 0.18 µm combined CMOS power amplifier using power divider technique for 5G millimeter-wave applications
    ( 2020-04-01)
    Hasan A.F.
    ;
    Murad S.A.Z.
    ;
    Bakar F.A.
    ;
    Zulkifli T.Z.A.
    A 28 GHz power amplifier (PA) using CMOS 0.18 µm Silterra process technology for milimeter wave applications is reported. Maximizing the power added efficiency (PAE) and output power are achieved by optimize the circuit with power divider and cascade configuration. In addition, reverse body bias is also employed for realizing excellent PAE and power consumption. A three stage CMOS PA with power combiner is designed and simulated. The simulation results show that the proposed PA consumes 62.56 mW and power gain (S21) of 8.08 dB is achieved at 28 GHz. The PA achieves saturated power (Psat) of 12.62 dBm and maximum PAE of 23.74% with output 1-dB compression point (OP1dB) 10.85 dBm. These results demonstrate the proposed power amplifier architecture is suitable for 5G applications.
  • Publication
    A 3.5 GHz hybrid CMOS class E power amplifier with reverse body bias design for 5G applications
    ( 2021-05-03)
    Hasan A.F.
    ;
    Zainol Murad S.A.
    ;
    Bakar F.A.
    A 3.5 GHz CMOS power amplifier (PA) using 0.18 μm Silterra process technology for 5G applications is reported. The proposed circuit consists of two stages. In the first stage, a cascade topology is adopted with a reverse body bias technique to obtain high voltage gain and minimize the current to reduce the power consumption. Meanwhile, a class-E is use in the second stage to obtain high efficiency. The simulation results of propose PA indicate that 22.6 dB of peak power gain (S21), 8.2 dBm of saturated power (Psat) and 54.6% of power added efficiency (PAE) is achieve at 3.5 GHz. These results prove that the proposed PA is suitable for low band 5G applications.
  • Publication
    A brief overview of detectors used for terahertz imaging systems
    ( 2020-01-08)
    Kasjoo S.
    ;
    Mokhar M.
    ;
    Zakaria N.
    ;
    Juhari N.
    This paper presents a short review on terahertz imaging systems based on several types of technology used in the terahertz detection schemes. Some commercial products from ThruVision Systems Limited Company have utilized GaAs Schottky diode detector at 0.25 THz to produce passive terahertz images for public and homeland security. On the other hand, TeraSense Group Incorporated Company has developed and invented a ground-breaking technology which employs sensor consisting of a matrix of plasmonic semiconductor detectors in their latest products to generate terahertz images in the 0.1 - 1.0 THz frequency range. Recently, the utilization of two-terminal unipolar nanodiodes, known as the self-switching diodes (SSDs), as terahertz detectors has shown promising results. The planar structure of SSD not only enables the device to operate at high frequencies due to low intrinsic parasitic capacitance, but also allows the realization of the device using only a single lithography step. This makes the fabrication process of SSDs faster, more simple, and at lower cost when compared to other electronic devices such as Schottky diodes. The development and recent achievement of SSDs as terahertz detectors are also presented in this paper.
  • Publication
    A Brief Review on Atmospheric Air Plasma
    ( 2021-11-25)
    Zabidi N.Z.A.
    ;
    Zaaba S.K.
    ;
    Sut K.D.E.
    ;
    Mohamad C.W.S.R.
    ;
    Masiman R.I.
    Atmospheric pressure air plasma is an attractive technology because it is easyto set up and handle, cheap, and safe. In this paper, a brief review on air plasma configuration and the results of air plasma is presented. One of the important propertiesof any plasma treatment is the generation of reactive atom species such as oxygen(O), nitrogen(N) also known as RONS, and other ions molecules particles. Air plasma has been found to have the same effect when treating surfaces. Surface modification, hydrophilicity, and decontamination effect were observed when materials are exposed to air plasma. The advancement of air plasma technology will improve the surface processing technology by reducing its operating cost.
  • Publication
    A cascade hyperbolic recognition of buried objects using hybrid feature extraction in ground penetrating radar images
    ( 2021-08-27)
    Ali H.
    ;
    Ahmad Zaidi A.F.
    ;
    Wan Ahmad W.K.
    ;
    Zanar Azalan M.S.
    ;
    Tengku Amran T.S.
    ;
    Ahmad M.R.
    ;
    Elshaikh M.
    Ground penetrating radar (GPR) has been acknowledged as effective nondestructive technique for imaging the subsurface. But the process of recognizing hyperbolic pattern of buried objects is subjective and mainly relies upon operator's knowledge and experience. This project proposed a hyperbolic recognition of buried objects using hybrid feature extraction in GPR subsurface mapping. In this framework, a cascade hyperbolic recognition by means of Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) are used as hybrid feature recognizing hyperbolic of buried objects. The rationale for an initial focus on cascade hyperbolic recognition is motivated by unique features exhibits by EMD and DWT behaviour in characterizing the hyperbolic pattern which make them particularly well suited to utilities detection in GPR. A series of experiments has been conducted on hyperbolic pattern based on hybrid features using four different geometrical shapes of cubic, cylindrical disc and spherical. Based on the results obtained, the hybrid features of IMF1+ wavelet transform (cH1) shows promising recognition rate in recognizing the hyperbolic that having different geometrical shapes of buried objects.
  • Publication
    A case study of industry 4.0 adoption for the manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia - Are we ready?
    ( 2021-05-03)
    Azhar M.N.
    ;
    Omar M.N.
    ;
    Shaiful A.I.M.
    In Malaysia, the manufacturing SME's competitiveness plays a vital role in boosting the economy. The SMEs manufacturers need to react according to the changes driven by the Industry 4.0 concepts, which now become imperative for the manufacturers to improve their global competitiveness. To compete globally and aligning with the Industry 4.0 implementation, each SMEs can adopt by participating through the Industry4WRD readiness assessment (RA) program organized by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Hence, the main objective for this paper is to conduct a case study to assess the current readiness levels of the SMEs, and to examine the relationship of various shift factors, thrust, and dimensions representing the key variables towards defining the Industry 4.0 readiness profile for the selected manufacturing SMEs. This paper presented and discussed RA case study methodology and processes of applying the Industry4WRD RA model to help the SMEs to identify the current baseline, gaps, and area for improvement plan towards Industry 4.0 full-scale implementation. The study has identified two manufacturing companies identified as SMEs A and SMEs B, which fall according to the SMEs definition by SME Corporation of Malaysia but in two different business portfolio in order to be able to gauge and compare the results quantitatively. The results will also focus on the qualitative finding of the Industry 4.0 strategy dimension between the two samples SMEs as a comparison and reference for future improvement and study.
  • Publication
    A Comparative Study of Hybrid Energy Storage System using Battery and Supercapacitor for Stand-Alone Solar PV System
    ( 2022-01-01)
    Uloom N.A.
    ;
    Mansur T.M.N.T.
    ;
    Ali R.
    ;
    Baharudin N.H.
    ;
    Abdullah A.M.
    The standalone solar power system has long been used to meet the electrical needs of basic building structures. To counter the natural supply-demand imbalance caused by solar energy, standalone solar PV system often include energy storage devices, primarily lead-acid batteries. Due to lead-acid battery limitations, solar systems often have higher operational costs compared to traditional power systems. It has been discovered that a supercapacitor-battery hybrid energy storage device can be used to prolong the cycle life of a battery system by reducing the charge-discharge stress caused by variable power exchange. This research examines the influence of a supercapacitor on a photovoltaic system that makes use of a hybrid energy storage system that includes both batteries and supercapacitors in order to lessen the stress placed on the batteries. The methodology involves data collection for load profile and meteorological information, designing solar PV system, and simulation using Matlab SIMULINK to study the effect of supercapacitor on battery current of the evaluated system. Three different energy storage system topologies in building applications were simulated, and their ability in managing battery stress was investigated and evaluated. From the result, it is clear that by applying passive HES system, 53% of battery current can be reduced compared to battery-only system and 92% of reduction can be achieved by using semi-active HES system.
  • Publication
    A Comparative Study on Generation and Composition of Food Waste in Desa Pandan Kuala Lumpur During Covid-19 Outbreak
    ( 2022-01-01)
    Zakarya I.A.
    ;
    Rashidy N.A.
    ;
    Izhar T.N.T.
    ;
    Ngaa M.H.
    ;
    Laslo L.
    Food waste is a type of solid waste that is heavily influenced by consumers. The composition (%) and the total weight generation (kg) of food waste were determined during the Covid-19 outbreak. The data was obtained by direct weighing of the food waste collected where it was generated throughout the day. Findings have shown that 63.3% of the composition of uncooked food waste types identified is generated by internal organs, vegetables, fruits, and eggshells, while 36.7% of the identified composition of cooked food waste types is generated by rice and noodles, bones, vegetables, fruits, and others in Desa Pandan. During six days of collection, the total food waste generated by 30 households, 10 restaurants, and 3 schools was 146.5 kg (0.20 kg/capita/day), 231.7 kg (0.026 kg/capita/day), and 155.4 kg (0.010 kg/capita/day) respectively. A food waste awareness survey was conducted online with 100 respondents using Google Forms. Findings show that the Covid-19 pandemic did influence people's attitudes and practices regarding food purchase, management, and consumption habits, all of which have a substantial impact on reducing food waste generation at the household level.
  • Publication
    A Comparative Study on Lossless compression mode in WebP, Better Portable Graphics (BPG), and JPEG XL Image Compression Algorithms
    ( 2021-06-22)
    Mandeel T.H.
    ;
    Imran Ahmad M.
    ;
    Khalid N.A.A.
    ;
    Md Isa M.N.
    On daily basis, millions of images related to the fields of medicine, astronomy, and remote sensing are generated. According to the sensitivity of the information, the generated images require storing them without any pictorial information loss. The lossless mode in image compression algorithms didn't introduce any loss to the pictorial information while compressing the image size by a ratio called the compression ratio (CR). In this study, the most recent and promising general image compression algorithms are compared side by side in terms of CR. The tested algorithms are WebP, BPG, and JPEG XL. The dataset used in this study is the TESTIMAGES archive which has been used due to its futuristic features such as high dynamic range (HDR) and high resolution as well as the availability of both natural and synthetic images. The results indicate that JPEG XL has the best CR on average compared to the other two algorithms when images with 8 bits per channel are used. Unlike the BPG and WebP, the JPEG XL offered real compression when HDR images, i.e., with 16 bits per channel, are feed for compression while the other algorithms didn't support such bit depth and generated images with 8 bits per channel.
  • Publication
    A comparison study of font reconstruction using differential evolution
    ( 2021-01-01)
    Roslan N.
    ;
    Yahya Z.R.
    ;
    Muhamad W.Z.A.W.
    ;
    Rusdi N.A.
    The use of Differential Evolution (DE) to simultaneously optimize parameter t and middle control points (P1 and P2) of cubic Bézier curve is presented in this paper. The main objective of this research is to reduce the error of the numerical result. In addition, the numerical result from this research also being compared with the previous article [4] and [5]. The main steps involved are boundary extraction and corner point detection of the images. Then, followed by the process of DE in optimizing the parameter t and middle control points. Finally, by using the optimized value, the piecewise cubic Bézier curve is fitted to each segment. In addition, the Sum Square Error (SSE) has been used as an objective function to calculate the distance of the fitted Cubic Bézier curve with the boundary of the original images. The numerical result for this research produced more errors because of two parameter value that were optimized has been run simulataneously. The result that has been obtained does not guarantee that this algorithm is not good because the use of DE is subjective. DE is an interesting algorithm that can be explored in more detail and can be applied in various problems. The new research of DE can be extended more to its various mutation strategies.
  • Publication
    A comprehensive review of flexible cadmium telluride solar cells with back surface field layer
    ( 2023-11-01)
    Ahmad N.I.
    ;
    Kar Y.B.
    ;
    Doroody C.
    ;
    Kiong T.S.
    ;
    Rahman K.S.
    ;
    Harif M.N.
    ;
    Amin N.
    Recent advancements in CdTe solar cell technology have introduced the integration of flexible substrates, providing lightweight and adaptable energy solutions for various applications. Some of the notable applications of flexible solar photovoltaic technology include building integrated photovoltaic systems (BIPV), transportation, aerospace, satellites, etc. However, despite this advancement, certain issues regarding metal and p-CdTe remained unresolved. Besides, the fabrication of a full-working device on flexible glass is challenging and requires special consideration due to the unstable morphology and structural properties of deposited film on ultra-thin glass substrates. The existing gap in knowledge about the vast potential of flexible CdTe solar cells on UTG substrates and their possible applications blocks their full capacity utilization. Hence, this comprehensive review paper exclusively concentrates on the obstacles associated with the implementation of CdTe solar cells on UTG substrates with a potential back surface field (BSF) layer. The significance of this study lies in its meticulous identification and analysis of the substantial challenges associated with integrating flexible CdTe onto UTG substrates and leveraging Cu-doped ZnTe as a potential BSF layer to enhance the performance of flexible CdTe solar cells.
  • Publication
    A Comprehensive Study on Magnetic Materials Selection for Power Electronic Converters
    ( 2023-01-01)
    Rahman M.Z.
    ;
    Mukhtar N.M.
    The size and efficiency of converters are key considerations to ensure optimal power management across electrical networks, which significantly affect industrial, aeronautical, and automobile use. Frequently, the converter's most important component is the inductor. The appropriate inductor can eliminate the current ripple at the converter's input. Therefore, choosing the right component is crucial for a converter design. The operating frequency range of power converters is selected from 20 kHz to 150 kHz. Whenever the switching frequency is raised from 20 to 150 kHz, the converter volume shrinks by 59.5% and weight is lowered by 58.4%. This study compares the magnetic materials utilized in a realistic design. Iron-based amorphous metals, nanocrystalline, alloy-powdered, silicon steel and ferrite materials are among the substances under this research. The type of converters, magnetic materials, features and their shape selection are discussed. Finally, based on some prior research, we proposed that powdered material cores are the best choice for power electronic converters.
  • Publication
    A Controlled Growth of Carbon Nanofibers (CNFs) on Graphene
    ( 2023-12-01)
    Fiyatillah M.
    ;
    Sabki S.N.
    ;
    Norzilah A.H.
    ;
    Kita L.K.W.
    ;
    Idris M.A.
    ;
    Othman N.
    ;
    Abd Rahim A.F.
    Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) have superior properties such as high conductivity, good mechanical strength, high specific surface area, and chemical stability. CNFs-graphene hybrid material can be used as a high-quality electrode in electronics applications. In the CNFs on graphene synthesis, the growth parameters must be well controlled. This work observes the evolution of the CNF's growth on graphene on Ni at reaction temperatures of 800oC and 860oC and at different reaction times of 30 min, 60 min, and 120 min. This research aims to find suitable conditions for obtaining controllable growth of CNFs on graphene. Based on the SEM measurement, it was found that the 860oC reaction temperature at 60 min and 120 min reaction time led to longer and smaller widths of CNFs with high coverage and distribution on graphene. The CNFs on graphene formation were confirmed by the XRD analysis.
  • Publication
    A Decade of Soft Computing Approaches in Power System Investment Planning
    ( 2021-06-11)
    Yaakob S.B.
    ;
    Rahman A.S.F.
    ;
    Mukhtar N.M.
    ;
    Yaakob M.N.
    ;
    Arbaiy N.
    ;
    Lin P.C.
    This paper opens up an issue regarding to power system investment planning. In order to obtain a sustainable electricity supply, the power outage should be minimized. Maintenance cost plays as an essential element in investment planning, therefore misdirect investment should be avoided. Since soft computing can solved this problem, this paper offers a review in solving investment planning problem through such approaches. The main objective of this paper is to examine the concept and findings by the researchers in power system investment planning problem. Besides, this paper will highlight the most relevant contributions and limitations that can be improve in the other research. Finally, this paper will be pointed out some trends in power system investment planning problem.
  • Publication
    A deep neural networks-based image reconstruction algorithm for a reduced sensor model in large-scale tomography system
    ( 2022-12-01)
    Lee C.C.
    ;
    Fazalul Rahiman M.H.
    ;
    Leow P.L.
    ;
    Rahim R.A.
    ;
    Ahmad Saad F.S.
    Image reconstruction for soft-field tomography is a highly nonlinear and ill-posed inverse problem. Owing to the highly complicated nature of soft-field, the reconstructed images are always poor in quality. One of the factors that affect image quality is the number of sensors in a tomography system. It is commonly assumed that increasing the number of sensors in a tomography system will improve the ill-posed condition in image reconstruction and hence improve image quality. However, as the number of sensors increases, challenges such as more complicated and expensive hardware, slower data acquisition rates, longer image reconstruction times, and larger sensitivity matrices will arise, resulting in a greater ill-posed condition. Since deep learning (DL) is capable of expressing complex nonlinear functions, the majority of research efforts have been directed toward developing a robust DL-based inverse solver for image reconstruction. However, no study has been conducted to solve the inverse problem and improve the quality of the reconstructed image using a reduced sensor model for a large-scale tomography system. This paper proposed an image reconstruction algorithm based on Deep Neural Networks (DNN) to investigate its feasibility in solving the ill-posed inverse problem caused by the reduced sensor model for a large-scale tomography system. The proposed DNN model is based on a supervised, feed-forward, fully connected, backpropagation network. It comprises an input layer, three hidden layers and an output layer. Also, it was trained using large data samples obtained from COMSOL simulation. The relationship between the scattered electromagnetic field measurement and the corresponding true electromagnetic field distribution vector is determined. During the image reconstruction process, the untrained scattered electromagnetic field measurement samples are used as inputs to the trained DNN model, and the model output is an estimate of the electromagnetic field distribution. The results show that the proposed DNN can accurately describe the distribution of electromagnetic field and boundary shape of phantom compared to traditional algorithms (LBP, FBP, Noser and Tikhonov), regardless of the size and number of phantoms within the monitoring area. Hence, the proposed DNN is more robust and has a high degree of generalization.