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Adsorption of diclofenac sodium using low-cost activated carbon in a fixed-bed column

2022-12-15 , Fadirah Fadzail , Masitah Hasan , Naimah Ibrahim , Zulfakar Mokhtar , Asih A.Y.P. , Syafiuddin A.

In recent years, the presence of pharmaceutical contaminants, such as diclofenac sodium (DCF) in water bodies and their potential influence on aquatic organisms gained much attention. As a result of high demand and usage by consumers, in addition to incomplete removal during wastewater treatment, pharmaceutical contaminants will end up on water surfaces. To mitigate this problem, the elimination of DCF by employing activated carbon derived from Dillenia Indica peels was evaluated. The adsorption of DCF was performed in a continuous process. The findings showed that the adsorption of DCF was favorable at a lower flow rate, greater bed height, and initial DCF concentration, with the highest removal percentage of 44.93%. To assess the characteristics of the breakthrough curve of DCF, the adsorption data were used to match three distinct adsorption models, namely, Boharts and Adam, Yoon-Nelson, and Thomas. The breakthrough results were well-fitted with these models, as the values of R2 for all models and parameters were higher than 0.88. Thus, it was concluded that the activated carbon from Dillenia Indica can effectively remove DCF from an aqueous solution.

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Microplastics and nanoplastics: Recent literature studies and patents on their removal from aqueous environment

2022-03-01 , Muhammad Adli Hanif , Naimah Ibrahim , Farrah Aini Dahalan , Umi Fazara Md Ali , Masitah Hasan , Jalil A.A.

The presence of microplastics (MP) and nanoplastics (NP) in the environment poses significant hazards towards microorganisms, humans, animals and plants. This paper is focused on recent literature studies and patents discussing the removal process of these plastic pollutants. Microplastics and nanoplastics can be quantified by counting, weighing, absorbance and turbidity and can be further analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and Raman tweezers. Mitigation methods reported are categorized depending on the removal characteristics: (i) Filtration and separation method: Filtration and separation, electrospun nanofiber membrane, constructed wetlands; (ii) Capture and surface attachment method: coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation (CFS), electrocoagulation, adsorption, magnetization, micromachines, superhydrophobic materials and microorganism aggregation; and (iii) Degradation method: photocatalytic degradation, microorganism degradation and thermal degradation; where removal efficiency between 58 and 100% were reported. As these methods are significantly distinctive, the parameters which affect the MP/NP removal performance e.g., pH, type of plastics, presence of interfering chemicals or ions, surface charges etc. are also discussed. 42 granted international patents related to microplastics and nanoplastics removal are also reviewed where the majority of these patents are focused on separation or filtration devices. These devices are efficient for microplastics up to 20 μm but may be ineffective for nanoplastics or fibrous plastics. Several patents were found to focus on methods similar to literature studies e.g., magnetization, CFS, biofilm and microorganism aggregation; with the addition of another method: thermal degradation.

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Removal of naproxen using low-cost Dillenia Indica peels as an activated carbon

2022-01-01 , Fadirah Fadzail , Masitah Hasan , Zulfakar Mokhtar , Naimah Ibrahim

A batch adsorption process of naproxen (NPX) using activated carbon derived from Dillenia Indica peel was performed at the laboratory scale. NPX was selected as an adsorbate due to its toxicity and large occurrence in water. The study was conducted to examine the ability of prepared activated carbon in adsorbing the NPX. The adsorption was conducted at various initial concentrations of NPX, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and pH. Results of batch adsorption showed that the maximum adsorption was reached at lower pH and adsorbent dosage of 0.4 g. 8 h is needed for the adsorption to reached equilibrium. Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich and Temkin isotherm have been used to analyse the properties of the adsorption process. The data are best suited for the Langmuir and Temkin isotherm and the adsorption follows a pseudo-second order model for kinetic study. The results suggest that the adsorption behave as a monolayer and the process is controlled by chemisorption mechanism. The adsorption capacity of 10.76 mg/g concluded that the activated carbon prepared from Dillenia Indica peel is effective in removing NPX from the water.

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Comparative Study of Sulfur Dioxide Removal Using Mesoporous Silica KCC-1 and SBA-15

2022-01-01 , Muhammad Adli Hanif , Naimah Ibrahim , Khairuddin Md Isa , Masitah Hasan , Tuan Abdullah T.A. , Jalil A.A.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emitted into the atmosphere by fossil fuel burning in the industries posed significant negative effects on humans and the environment. SO2 removal performance of two mesoporous silica: KCC-1 and SBA-15, are compared through breakthrough experiments on a lab-scale fixed bed reactor. The mesoporous silicas were characterized via nitrogen (N2) adsorption-desorption isotherm and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). KCC-1 demonstrates characteristics of capillary condensation and non-uniform slit-shaped pores while SBA-15 displays characteristic of a narrow range of mesopores with minimal network effects. Surface area, total pore volume and average pore diameter of KCC-1 are significantly greater than SBA-15 due to the presence of dendrimeric fibrous morphology. Under tested conditions, SO2 adsorption capacities of KCC-1 and SBA-15 are 614.01 mg/g and 274.64 mg/g, respectively. Superior performance by KCC-1 can be attributed to better accessibility of SO2 towards the active sites due to higher surface area provided by the dendrimer fibers.

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Optimization of copper adsorption from synthetic wastewater by oil palm-based adsorbent using Central Composite Design

2020-06-10 , Wong H.W. , Naimah Ibrahim , Muhammad Adli Hanif , Norazian Mohamed Noor , Sara Yasina Yusuf , Masitah Hasan

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) was chemically activated by phosphoric acid and heat treatment to produce porous activated carbon (AC) for adsorption of copper ions from synthetic wastewater using static batch test. Copper adsorption process was optimized using Response Surface Method (RSM) by varying four operating parameters i.e. pH (A), initial concentration (B), adsorbent dosage (C) and contact time (D) through a quadratic model developed based on Central Composite Design (CCD) approach. Within the tested parameter range, copper adsorption was found to be at optimum condition at pH 5, initial concentration of 200 mg/L, adsorbent dosage of 0.55 g per 200 mL copper solution and contact time of 2.5 hours, yielding 52.5% of copper removal. A good agreement was achieved by comparing the predicted model with experimental data (R2=0.9618). All four operating parameters tested are significant in affecting the adsorption process, with pH being the most significant with an F-value of 171.70. The interaction between pH and initial concentration (AB) has the most significant interacting effects (F-value of 18.30), while quadratic effects of pH (A2) and adsorbent dosage (C2) are most significant with F-values of 62.80 and 42.58 respectively.

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Biochar: A review of its history, characteristics, factors that influence its yield, methods of production, application in wastewater treatment and recent development

2022-12-15 , Nur Salsabila Kamarudin , Farrah Aini Dahalan , Masitah Hasan , Ong Soon An , Nor Azizah Parmin , Naimah Ibrahim , Hamdzah M. , Zain N.A.M. , Muda K. , Wikurendra E.A.

Biochar can alleviate several issues, and it should also be inexpensive to produce. Most biochars have a high pore structure and diverse functional groups that assist in the adsorption process. Due to the attributed properties of biochar, several studies have demonstrated that biochar is getting more attention for its efficiency in facilitating wastewater treatment. However, to ensure the feasibility of biochar in wastewater treatment, the factors involved in the preparation of biochar that influences its characteristics and adsorption capacity must be understood. This study reviews the history, characteristics, factors that influence its yield, production methods, application, and recent development of biochar in wastewater treatment.

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Performance optimization of sulfur dioxide (So2) desulfurization by oil palm-based activated carbon using box-behnken design

2022-12-15 , Sooriyan S. Kathiroly , Naimah Ibrahim , Muhammad Adli Hanif , Masitah Hasan , Abdullah S. , Adriansyah A.A. , Setianto B. , Syafiuddin A.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission into the atmosphere brought by the burning of fossil fuels in the industries posed significant negative effects on the environment and human beings. Adsorption using activated carbon from agricultural wastes is a viable method commonly used to counter this major problem. SO2 breakthrough experiment was conducted on a fixed bed reactor using oil palm empty fruit bunch activated carbon. The sorbent utilized in this study was characterized via N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Three parameters, i.e., reaction temperature, inlet SO2 concentration, and adsorbent dosage, were optimized using Box-Behnken Design. The highest SO2 removal was obtained at 70 °C, 2000 ppm of SO2, and 1 g of adsorbent with adsorption capacity of approximately 1101 mg SO2 /g activated carbon. The developed model was validated using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and good agreement between predicted and actual values was obtained. Inlet SO2 concentration, adsorbent dosage, the interaction between these two parameters, and all quadratic terms were found to be significant factors, with adsorbent dosage being most significant based on its highest F-value.