Now showing 1 - 10 of 13
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Green Renewable Energy: Microbial Fuel Cell Technology

2023-01-01 , Tuesday M. , Pusphanathan K. , Sobri M.F.M. , Makhtar M.M.Z. , Shoparwe N.F. , Hafiza Shukor

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a bio-electrochemical system designed to generate energy by using electrons obtained from biological processes catalyzed by microorganisms. In MFCs, electrons are transmitted from the anode compartment (the negative terminal) to the cathode compartment (the positive terminal) via a conductive substance. Electrons are mixed with oxygen at the cathode, while protons diffuse via a proton exchange membrane. MFCs need continuous electron release from the anode and electron consumption from the cathode. Using microorganisms for effective conversion, MFC technology promises to produce clean energy from waste products produced by civilization. This technology, in contrast to renewable energy sources, recycles trash and energy created by our civilization and returns them to us, therefore reducing the adverse side effects of environmental degradation. This article examines the historical pattern of energy usage in Malaysia. In conjunction with that, this paper will review the principles of MFCs. Several designs of microbial fuel cells are utilized in this study. There has been variation in power density outcomes. Single-chamber, double-chamber, tubular, and flat-plate MFCs are examples of MFCs. Nonetheless, double-chamber and single-chamber MFCs are the focus of this paper. The substrate utilized affects the performance of MFCs; thus, several widely used substrates are also examined.

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Cyclic voltammetry studies of bioanode microbial fuel fells from batch culture of Geobacter sulfurreducens

2021-05-24 , Shoparwe N.F. , Makhtar M.M.Z. , Sata S.A. , Kew W.S. , Mohamad M. , Hafiza Shukor

The present study aims to investigate the performance of batch culture of Geobacter sulfurreducens (G. sulfurreducens) for electrical current generation via cyclic voltammetry (CV) method. The CV study was performed with an applied voltage in the range of -0.1 to 0.1 V against the standard calomel electrode (SCE) during the cell growth and attachment of G. sulfurreducens on graphite felt and initial acetate concentration of 20 mM. The kinetics of electrode reaction was investigated by conducting CV experiments at different scanning rates of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 mVs-1. The diffusion coefficients (D) and heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (ko) of both anodic and cathodic process were 1.04 x10-5 cm2.s-1, 1.73x10-6 cm2.s-1, 0.0004 cm.s-1 and 0.0011 cm.s-1, respectively. The obtained results showed that the anode exhibits high bioeletrocatalytic activity due to the attachment of G. sulfurreducens on the anode surface.

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Methane Biogas Production in Malaysia: Challenge and Future Plan

2022-01-01 , Amin M.A. , Hafiza Shukor , Yin L.S. , Farizul Hafiz Kasim , Shoparwe N.F. , Makhtar M.M.Z. , Yaser A.Z.

Biomethane is a sustainable energy that is produced from an organic and renewable resource. As the second-largest oil palm producer in the world, palm oil mill effluent (POME) is the primary source of biomethane generation in Malaysia. POME is the by-product of palm oil extraction and is extensively employed as a feedstock for the production of biomethane. Malaysia has an equatorial environment with humid and hot weather; this climate is conducive to the cultivation of numerous agricultural crops. A considerable number of agricultural wastes and residues are produced by agricultural crops, however, only 27% of them are used as fuel or to create useable products. Several publications have been published on the production of biomethane from POME; nevertheless, additional research is required on the use of other bioresources and technologies for biomethane production in Malaysia. In addition, there is a lack of comprehensive information on the future development of biomethane production in Malaysia; thus, to fill this gap, this review paper focuses on the challenges and future of Malaysia, which puts an emphasis on POME and also includes other alternative options of bioresources that can be the future feedstock for biomethane production in Malaysia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to provide a comprehensive overview of the biogas trend in Malaysia in terms of challenges and current biomethane development, as well as detailed information on a number of leading companies that are currently active in Malaysia biogas industry.

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Mixture of Sludge and Chicken Manure in Membrane-Less Microbial Fuel Cell for Simultaneous Waste Treatment and Energy Recovery

2022-07-01 , Malik N.N.A. , Sabri M.N.I.M. , Tajarudin H.A. , Shoparwe N.F. , Hafiza Shukor , Makhtar M.M.Z. , Abbas S.Z. , Yong Y.C. , Rafatullah M.

In addition to disposal issues, the abundance of sludge and chicken manure has been a rising issue in Malaysia. Membrane-less microbial fuel cell (ML-MFC) technology can be considered as one of the potential solutions to the issues of disposal and electricity generation. However, there is still a lack of information on the performance of an ML-MFC powered by sludge and chicken manure. Hence, with this project, we studied the performance of an ML-MFC supplemented with sludge and chicken manure, and its operating parameters were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) through central composite design (CCD). The optimum operating parameters were determined to be 35 °C, 75% moisture content, and an electrode distance of 3 cm. Correspondingly, the highest power density, COD removal efficiency, and biomass acquired through this study were 47.2064 mW/m2, 98.0636%, and 19.6730 mg/L, respectively. The obtained COD values for dewatered sludge and chicken manure were 708 mg/L and 571 mg/L, respectively. COD values were utilized as a standard value for the substrate degradation by Bacillus subtilis in the ML-MFC. Through proximate analyses conducted by elemental analysis and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), the composition of carbon and magnesium for sludge and chicken manure was23.75% and 34.20% and 78.1575 mg/L and 71.6098 mg/L, respectively. The proposed optimal RSM parameters were assessed and validated to determine the ML-MFC operating parameters to be optimized by RSM (CCD).

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Biomass to biobutanol: Current trends and challenges

2024-08-23 , Amin M.A. , Hafiza Shukor , Shoparwe N.F. , Makhtar M.M.Z. , Jalil R.

The term "biofuel" refers to a liquid or gas fuel obtained mostly from biomass for use in transportation. Biobutanol is a potential replacement biofuel for fossil-based liquid fuels as they become depleted. Biobutanol is a transportation fuel that may be simply combined with either gas or petrol at any ratio. Clostridia are the most prevalent fermentative organisms used in biobutanol production. It might well be recognized for its ability to use the acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation route to convert various types of renewable biomass to biobutanol. Various aspects of biobutanol fermentation, including butanol toxicity and product titer, have also been addressed. The recent advancement in lignocellulosic biomass treatment technology, which is significantly greener and safer for the environment, has been clearly articulated. This chapter also covers several metabolic engineering and simple engineering laboratory approaches such as Adaptive Laboratory Evolution (ALE) for strain improvement to overcome butanol toxicity. These biobutanol difficulties could be solved to improve microorganism resistance to high solvent concentrations and hence increase biobutanol output. The final section of this chapter will discuss the future of biobutanol production as a new sustainable and renewable future transportation fuel. Overall, this chapter will provide a better grasp of current trends and issues in biomass-based biobutanol production.

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Mixed Matrix Membrane (MMMs) as Membrane Based Separation Technology: A Review

2023-01-01 , Pusphanathan K. , Hafiza Shukor , Shoparwe N.F. , Makhtar M.M.Z. , Zainuddin N.I. , Jullok N.

Mixed matrix membrane (MMMs) is an innovative membrane based-separation technology that plays an essential role in liquid and gas separation and purification recently. This review emphasizes mainly on the current MMMs technology. The discussion begins with a background of the MMMs technologies, followed by a comparison between the MMMs technology porous and non-porous membranes. Following that, state-of-the-art MMMs are featured, which contain a variety of polymers and non-polymers, as well as inorganic fillers and materials. The binary filler approach is also explained, which combines two filler materials to achieve synergistic improvements in MMMs. The development of new robust, high-performance materials is one type of revolutionary membrane preparation approach for harsh and inconsiderate environments. In comparison to pristine polymeric membranes, blended mixed matrix membranes with polymer, solvent, and additives are believed for efficient performance. In addition, fabrication strategies for MMMs preparation are addressed. The fabrication technique can be used to improve membrane performance in a number of ways, including resilience to extremes in process conditions and higher mixture resolution when separating gases and liquids. After that, membrane characterization is performed to analyze the membrane's structural and morphological properties. Based on that, critical evaluation of the performances of the MMMs based on the characterization of the membrane is evaluated in context. Finally, the opportunities, as well as future prospects for the integration of MMMs units for process intensification in various sectors, are also significant of the review.

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Efficiency of Fabricated Adsorptive Polysulfone Mixed Matrix Membrane for Acetic Acid Separation

2023-06-01 , Pusphanathan K. , Hafiza Shukor , Shoparwe N.F. , Makhtar M.M.Z. , Zainuddin N.I. , Jullok N. , Siddiqui M.R. , Alam M. , Rafatullah M.

The ultrafiltration mixed matrix membrane (UF MMMs) process represents an applicable approach for the removal of diluted acetic acid at low concentrations, owing to the low pressures applied. The addition of efficient additives represents an approach to further improve membrane porosity and, subsequently, enhance acetic acid removal. This work demonstrates the incorporation of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as additives into polysulfone (PSf) polymer via the non-solvent-induced phase-inversion (NIPS) method to improve the performance of PSf MMMs performance. Eight PSf MMMs samples designated as M0 to M7, each with independent formulations, were prepared and investigated for their respective density, porosity, and degree of AA retention. Morphology analysis through scanning electron microscopy elucidated sample M7 (PSf/TiO2/PEG 6000) to have the highest density and porosity among all samples with concomitant highest AA retention at approximately 92.2%. The application of the concentration polarization method further supported this finding by the higher concentration of AA solute present on the surface of the membrane compared to that of AA feed for sample M7. Overall, this study successfully demonstrates the significance of TiO2 and PEG as high MW additives in improving PSf MMM performance.

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The Effect of Different Pretreatment of Chicken Manure for Electricity Generation in Membrane-Less Microbial Fuel Cell

2022-08-01 , Mohd Azmi N. , Mohd Sabri M.N.I. , Tajarudin H.A. , Shoparwe N.F. , Makhtar M.M.Z. , Hafiza Shukor , Alam M. , Siddiqui M.R. , Rafatullah M.

The need for energy resources is growing all the time, which means that more fossil fuels are needed to provide them. People prefer to consume chicken as a source of protein, and this creates an abundance of waste. Thus, microbial fuel cells represent a new technological approach with the potential to generate electricity through the action of electrogenic bacteria toward chicken manure, while reducing the abundance of chicken manure. This study investigated the effect of different pretreatment (thermal, alkaline, and sonication pretreatment) of chicken manure to improve the performance of a membrane-less microbial fuel cell (ML-MFC). Statistical response surface methodology (RSM) through a central composite design (CCD) under a quadratic model was conducted for optimization of the ML-MFC performance focusing on the COD removal efficiency (R2 = 0.8917), biomass (R2 = 0.9101), and power density response (R2 = 0.8794). The study demonstrated that the highest COD removal (80.68%), biomass (7.8539 mg/L), and power density (220 mW/m2) were obtained when the pretreatment conditions were 140 °C, 20 kHz, and pH 10. The polarization curve of the best condition of ML-MFC was plotted to classify the behavior of the ML-MFC. The kinetic growth of Bacillus subtillis (BS) showed that, in treated chicken manure, the specific growth rate µ = 0.20 h−1 and doubling time Td = 3.43 h, whereas, in untreated chicken manure, µ = 0.11 h−1 and Td = 6.08.

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Arthropods-mediated Green Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles using Cellar Spider Extract: A Biocompatible Remediation for Environmental Approach

2024-06-12 , Muzamir Isa , Muhammad Nur Aiman Uda , Irfan M.A.R. , Uda Hashim , Subash Chandra Bose Gopinath , Hafiza Shukor , Afnan Uda M.N. , Huzaifah M.R.M. , Ali M.M. , Ibrahim N.H. , Makhtar M.M.Z. , Ng Q.H. , Mohd Khairul Rabani Hashim , Zainal Abidin Arsat , Nor Azizah Parmin , Liyana Ahmad Sofri , Ruslan M.A.M. , Tijjani Adam

This study presents an eco-friendly approach to synthesizing zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using extracts from cellar spiders, addressing environmental and health concerns associated with conventional methods. The spider extract efficiently reduced zinc acetate dihydrate, and the synthesized ZnO NPs underwent comprehensive quantitative characterization, including size, shape, morphology, surface chemistry, thermal stability, and optical properties using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta potential measurements, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and UV-vis spectroscopy. The nanoparticles exhibited intended characteristics, and their adsorption capability for methylene blue (MB) was quantitatively assessed using the Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model, providing numerical insights into MB removal efficiency. The study demonstrates the potential of these green-synthesized ZnO NPs for applications in environmental remediation, wastewater treatment, and antibacterial therapies, contributing to both sustainable nanomaterial development and quantitative understanding of their functional properties.

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Fabrication of active food packaging based on PLA/Chitosan/CNC-containing Coleus aromaticus essential oil: application to Harumanis mango

2023-12-01 , Hasnida Raja Hashim R. , Ahmad Anas Nagoor Gunny , Sam Sung Ting , Subash Chandra Bose Gopinath , Fong Y.Y. , Pareek S. , Makhtar M.M.Z. , Hafiza Shukor

This study aimed to determine the effect of Coleus aromaticus essential oil (CAEO) on the properties of an active film based on polylactic acid (PLA), chitosan (Cs), and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) in fruit packaging. The films were fabricated via solvent casting technique. The obtained films’ antimicrobial, antioxidant, microstructural, and mechanical properties were studied. Mechanical properties state how adding essentials oil into film improves the elongation breaks significantly (p < 0.05) by 5.3 and 6.1%, respectively, with the addition of 0.4 wt% and 0.8 wt% CAEO which reflets its flexibility. The antioxidant activity of biopolymer film increased significantly (p < 0.05), with antioxidant values ranging from 6.50 to 57.50% with the elevation of CAEO. The inhibitory impact of the film against pathogenic fungus was evaluated in vitro and in vivo by comparing the film with different concentrations of essential oil (EO), as well as the control and chemical fungicide. Disc diffusion was utilised to test mycelial growth suppression, and the film containing 1.2 wt% EO produced the best results. The biofilm containing 1.2 wt% EO successfully reduced illness incidence in vivo with damaged mango. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy imaging were used to observe the incorporation of CAEO in the matrix of the film. All Fourier-Transform Infrared spectra of PLA/Cs/CNC and EO blends exhibited the characteristic bands of PLA-based materials. The results indicate that the PLA/Cs/CNC/CAEO films provide a new way to improve microbial safety and extend the shelf life of mango fruit and have the potential for replacement of petroleum-based plastic for fruit packaging applications at the industrial level.