Naimah Ibrahim
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Preferred name
Naimah Ibrahim
Official Name
Ibrahim, Naimah
Alternative Name
Ibrahim, Naimah
Ibrahim, N.
Naimah, I.
Main Affiliation
Scopus Author ID
23767004300
Researcher ID
AAA-9532-2021

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  • Publication
    Enhancement of microplastics and nanoplastics removal via filtration method using surface-engineered palm kernel shell biochar
    (Elsevier B.V, 2025-07)
    Muhammad Adli Hanif
    ;
    Naimah Ibrahim
    ;
    Nur Adlyna Hayazi
    ;
    Farrah Aini Dahalan
    ;
    Aishah Abdul Jalil
    ;
    Achmad Syafiuddin
    ;
    Umi Fazara Md Ali
    Microplastics (MP) and nanoplastics (NP) are major aquatic contaminants, raising concerns due to their strong affinity for other toxic substances. Filtration is widely employed for MP and NP removal due to its simplicity, efficiency and variety of available filtration media. In this study, the removal efficiency of MP and NP was investigated using surface-engineered biochar of palm kernel shell (PKS) origin, modified with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The modified biochar demonstrated performance superior to the unmodified biochar, achieving 95.71 % and 96.12 % polyethylene MP (2–4 μm) removal efficiency as measured by turbidity and gravimetric methods, respectively, at an optimal CTAB concentration of 1.5CMC. The optimized biochar (PKS-1.5CMC) also improved the removal efficiencies for a range of other MP and NP particles varying in size (159 nm–48 μm), shape (irregular, spherical, fibrous) and polymer type (polyethylene, polyamide). The modification with CTAB increased the biochar's surface positive charge and hydrophobicity, resulting in stronger electrostatic attraction and hydrophobic interactions with MP and NP particles, which are negatively charged and hydrophobic by nature. In terms of MP and NP properties, higher removal efficiencies were obtained for (i) larger MPs due to easier retention, (ii) NPs due to their tendency to agglomerate, resulting in larger particle size, (iii) irregularly shaped particles, because of their surface roughness, providing more attachment sites and (iv) polyethylene MPs and NPs, owing to their higher hydrophobicity and lower negative zeta potential. Significant formation of a cake layer observed on the upper surface of the filter media suggested that filtration, rather than adsorption, was the dominant mechanism for the removal of MP and NP by biochar.
  • Publication
    Sulfur dioxide removal using deep eutectic solvent–functionalized palm kernel shell–activated carbon
    (Springer, 2025-02)
    Wan Nur Amanna Wan Nuzi
    ;
    Muhammad Adli Hanif
    ;
    Naimah Ibrahim
    ;
    Farrah Aini Dahalan
    ;
    Nabilah Aminah Lutpi
    ;
    Masitah Hasan
    ;
    Raja Nazrul Hakim Raja Nazri
    ;
    Umi Fazara Md Ali
    The release of SOâ‚‚ into the atmosphere is concerning due to its role in acidification, which threatens living organisms and the environment. Adsorption processes using materials like chemically modified activated carbon (AC) have demonstrated strong potential for removing SOâ‚‚ before its release. This study evaluates the performance of AC derived from palm kernel shells, and AC functionalized with choline chloride-glycerol, a deep eutectic solvent (DES) (AC-DES), in removing SOâ‚‚ through breakthrough experiments conducted in a fixed bed reactor. AC and AC-DES achieved SOâ‚‚ adsorption capacities of 0.522 and 2.763 mg SOâ‚‚/g adsorbent, respectively. Characterization of the adsorbents indicated that DES functionalization significantly increased the number of active sites for SOâ‚‚ adsorption, leading to superior adsorption performance of AC-DES. The optimization of process parameters identified 40 Â°C and 1500 ppm inlet SOâ‚‚ concentration as the ideal conditions for optimal SOâ‚‚ adsorption. Experimental data fitted with three adsorption kinetic and isotherm models indicated that SOâ‚‚ adsorption onto AC-DES is best described by the Avrami kinetic model and the Sips isotherm model. Thermodynamics studies revealed that the process is exothermic, thermodynamically non-spontaneous, and goes from a random state to an ordered one. The findings suggest that SOâ‚‚ adsorption onto AC-DES follows a complex mixed mechanism involving both physisorption and chemisorption, with surface heterogeneity and adsorbate-adsorbent interactions playing a critical role in controlling the adsorption process.
  • Publication
    Nitric oxide removal by zinc chloride activated oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre
    ( 2021-01-01)
    Lin Cha Soon
    ;
    Naimah Ibrahim
    ;
    Norhidayah Ahmad
    ;
    Muhammad Adli Hanif
    ;
    Abdullah S.
    Nitric oxide (NO) emission is known to pose detrimental effects towards the environment and human beings. Low-temperature NO removal by activated carbon from agricultural waste materials is affordable due to the use of low-cost materials as precursor and elimination of the need for flue gas reheating. The use of chemical agents in activated carbon production improves the performance of waste materials in NO removal. The performance of NO removal was investigated via breakthrough experiment using oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) activated with zinc chloride (ZnCl2) at different concentrations (0.1, 0.5, and 1.5 M). Activation of EFB with 0.5 M ZnCl2 resulted in the formation of well-defined micropores, but the use of higher concentration of ZnCl2 resulted in widening of developed pores and intense pore blockage which reduce the accessibility of NO molecules to the adsorption sites. An adsorption isotherm study conducted using 0.5 M ZnCl2/EFB sample with varying NO concentration between 300-1000 ppm indicated that the adsorption process was best defined by Langmuir isotherm model. In addition, adsorption kinetic was investigated at different temperatures; i.e. 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 °C. NO removal was found to follow Avrami kinetic model at T=100 °C, while upon further increase in temperature, the process was better fitted to the pseudo-second order kinetic model. NO adsorption capacity increases significantly beyond 250 °C up to 1000 mg/g. The activation energy of NO adsorption fell into two distinct regions: -4.73 kJ/mol at 100-200 °C and 84.04 kJ/mol at 200-300 °C. At lower temperature, the adsorption process was exothermic and followed physisorption path, while the increase in reaction temperature led to slower rate of reaction. It was concluded that the removal of NO using EFB modified with ZnCl2 at optimized condition could be a promising alternatives for treating NO-containing flue gas.
      1  22
  • Publication
    Sulfur dioxide removal by calcium-modified fibrous KCC-1 mesoporous silica: kinetics, thermodynamics, isotherm and mass transfer mechanism
    ( 2022-04-01)
    Muhammad Adli Hanif
    ;
    Naimah Ibrahim
    ;
    Khairuddin Md Isa
    ;
    Umi Fazara Md Ali
    ;
    Tuan Abdullah T.A.
    ;
    Jalil A.A.
    The removal of sulfur dioxide from industrial flue gas through dry flue gas desulfurization method commonly involves the use of adsorption process with porous sorbent. The efficiency of this process is highly dependent on the adsorption capacity and the adsorption rate of SO2 onto the sorbent materials. The use of KCC-1 mesoporous silica modified with calcium metal additives (Ca/KCC-1) in SO2 adsorption is examined in a fixed bed reactor system. The adsorption capacity of Ca/KCC-1 is found to be critically governed by the reaction temperature and inlet SO2 concentration where low values of both parameters are favorable to achieve the highest adsorption capacity of 3241.94 mg SO2/g sorbent. SO2 molecules are adsorbed on the surface of Ca/KCC-1 by both physisorption and chemisorption processes as assumed by the Avrami kinetic model. Thermodynamic study shows that the process is exothermic and spontaneous in nature, and changes from an ordered stage on the surface of KCC-1 towards an increasingly random stage. The process is well explained by Freundlich isotherm model indicating a slightly heterogeneous process and moderate adsorption capacity. The adsorption stage is limited by film diffusion at the initial stage and by intraparticle diffusion during the transfer of SO2 into the network of pores before adsorption takes place on the active sites.
      2  31
  • Publication
    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.
      7  29
  • Publication
    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.
      2  32
  • Publication
    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.
      4  33
  • Publication
    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.
      1  41
  • Publication
    Sulfur dioxide removal by mesoporous silica KCC-1 modified with low-coverage metal nitrates
    ( 2021-01-01)
    Muhammad Adli Hanif
    ;
    Naimah Ibrahim
    ;
    Khairuddin Md Isa
    ;
    Tuan Abdullah T.A.
    ;
    Abdul Jalil A.
    The removal of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from flue gas using fibrous mesoporous silica KCC-1 synthesized via microwave-assisted hydrothermal method was observed. The sorbent was modified by introducing nitrate salts of sodium (Na) and calcium (Ca) at 5 wt. % metal loading via incipient wet impregnation method. The SO2breakthrough experiment was conducted in a vertical quartz-column reactor at atmospheric pressure and temperature of 323 K in the presence of 0.3 % SO2/N2. The SEM micrograph of KCC-1 exhibited a well-defined fibrous morphology consisting of colloidal spheres of 240-1160 nm in diameter. Addition of metal nitrates resulted in the reduction of surface area, total pore volume and minor breakage of the silica framework. The adsorption capacities of all samples were measured at C/C0= 0.5, where the addition of sodium (Na5/KCC-1) and calcium (Ca5/KCC-1) enhanced the removal capacity by 1.88 and 2 times higher than the parent KCC-1 respectively. Even though sodium is expected to achieve better removal capacity due to its higher basicity and dispersion related to the lower crystallite size, its performance ultimately suffered from significant agglomeration of sodium oxide which created pore blockage, subsequently resulting in poor accessibility to the active sites.
      2  38
  • Publication
    Tailoring the properties of calcium modified fibrous mesoporous silica KCC-1 for optimized sulfur dioxide removal
    ( 2022-01-01)
    Muhammad Adli Hanif
    ;
    Naimah Ibrahim
    ;
    Khairuddin Md Isa
    ;
    Fahmi Muhammad Ridwan
    ;
    Tuan Abdullah T.A.
    ;
    Jalil A.A.
    Dry regenerative flue gas desulfurization (FGD) is a promising method to tackle industrial issues regarding SO2 emission into the atmosphere due to its sorbent being highly accessible, the lack of water dependency and reduction in waste management. This study examined the feasibility of using fibrous mesoporous silica KCC-1 which has been reported to possess better properties than several other predecessor mesoporous silica as alternative sorbents for dry FGD. Calcium metal was introduced to overcome the lack of active sites available on KCC-1 while simultaneously providing sufficient basicity to counter the increase in acidity brought by SO2 adsorption. Three sorbent modification parameters were analyzed: metal loading (5–15 wt %), calcination temperature (823–973 K) and calcination time (5.5–7 h), and the prepared samples were characterized using BET surface area and pore analyzer, FESEM-EDX, XRD and H2-TPR. The breakthrough experiment was conducted using a lab scale fixed bed reactor system with 1500 ppm SO2/N2 at 200 mL/min. SO2 removal was optimized by sorbent prepared with calcium loading of 5 wt %, calcination temperature of 923 K and calcination time of 6.5 h with adsorption capacity of 3241.94 mg SO2/g KCC-1. The optimized sorbent demonstrated highest surface area, good pore development, high dispersion of calcium metal, appropriate impregnation of calcium oxide which caused only minor distortion to the silica framework of KCC-1. Subjecting the optimized sample to five consecutive regeneration cycles by heating at 773 K while simultaneously flowing N2 gas for an hour shows good regeneration performance with a total final reduction of only 25% from the initial adsorption capacity obtained from a fresh sample.
      1  54