Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 72 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Production of biogas from solid organic wastes through anaerobic digestion: a review
    Muhammad Nasir I, Mohd Ghazi TI, Omar R
    Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 2012 Jul;95(2):321-9.
    PMID: 22622840 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-012-4152-7
    Anaerobic digestion treatments have often been used for biological stabilization of solid wastes. These treatment processes generate biogas which can be used as a renewable energy sources. Recently, anaerobic digestion of solid wastes has attracted more interest because of current environmental problems, most especially those concerned with global warming. Thus, laboratory-scale research on this area has increased significantly. In this review paper, the summary of the most recent research activities covering production of biogas from solid wastes according to its origin via various anaerobic technologies was presented.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  2. Fulltext Disposal practices of unused and expired pharmaceuticals among general public in Kabul
    Bashaar M, Thawani V, Hassali MA, Saleem F
    BMC Public Health, 2017 01 07;17(1):45.
    PMID: 28061902 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-3975-z
    BACKGROUND: Most of the medicine users remain unaware about the disposal of unused or expired medicines. The aim of this study was to know the disposal practices of unused and expired medicines among the general public in Kabul.

    METHODS: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional survey, conducted through face-to-face interviews using prevalidated structured questionnaire. Returned questionnaires were double-checked for accuracy. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23 was used for statistical analysis.

    RESULTS: Total of 301 valid questionnaires were returned with a response rate of 100% in which 73.4% men and 26.6% women participated. More than half of the respondents were university graduates. Interestingly, 83.4% of the interviewees purchased medicines on the prescription of which 47.2% were university graduates, while 14.6% purchased medicine over the counter. Among the respondents, 46.5/100 purchased antibiotics and the remaining purchased NSAIDs, anti-hypertensive and anti-diabetic medicines. Significantly, 97/100 checked the expiry date of medicine before buying. Majority (95.3%) of the respondents' stored medicines at home. 77.7% of the respondents discarded the expired medicines in household trash. Majority of respondents held government responsible for creation of awareness for proper medicine disposal. Almost entire sample (98%) felt that improper disposal of unused and expired medicines can affect the environment and health.

    CONCLUSION: Gaps exist in practices, therefore robust, safe and cost-effective pharmaceutical waste management program supported with media campaign is needed. Healthcare practitioners and community pharmacists should offer training to educate customers on standard medicine disposal practices.

    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  3. Effect of adding palm oil mill decanter cake slurry with regular turning operation on the composting process and quality of compost from oil palm empty fruit bunches
    Yahya A, Sye CP, Ishola TA, Suryanto H
    Bioresour Technol, 2010 Nov;101(22):8736-41.
    PMID: 20609579 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.05.073
    Formation of compost from oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) and decanter cake slurry by adding palm oil mill effluent (POME) with regular turning operation was investigated. The experiment was conducted in a commercial composting plant under the normal production process. The addition of decanter cake slurry has hastened the composting process of the EFB. The C/N ratio after 51 days for the mature compost with the decanter cake slurry was 18.65 while that of the matured compost without the decanter cake slurry remained high at 28.96. The compost formed from the addition of decanter cake to EFB and POME had 46.4% nitrogen, 17.9% phosphorus, 17.7% potassium and 23.1% calcium more than that without decanter cake. The use of compost produced from EFB, POME and decanter cake slurry could solve more environmental problems and enhance economic benefits in the oil palm industry.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  4. Simplex-centroid mixture formulation for optimised composting of kitchen waste
    Abdullah N, Chin NL
    Bioresour Technol, 2010 Nov;101(21):8205-10.
    PMID: 20624604 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.05.068
    Composting is a good recycling method to fully utilise all the organic wastes present in kitchen waste due to its high nutritious matter within the waste. In this present study, the optimised mixture proportions of kitchen waste containing vegetable scraps (V), fish processing waste (F) and newspaper (N) or onion peels (O) were determined by applying the simplex-centroid mixture design method to achieve the desired initial moisture content and carbon-to-nitrogen (CN) ratio for effective composting process. The best mixture was at 48.5% V, 17.7% F and 33.7% N for blends with newspaper while for blends with onion peels, the mixture proportion was 44.0% V, 19.7% F and 36.2% O. The predicted responses from these mixture proportions fall in the acceptable limits of moisture content of 50% to 65% and CN ratio of 20-40 and were also validated experimentally.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  5. Development of anaerobic digestion methods for palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment
    Poh PE, Chong MF
    Bioresour Technol, 2009 Jan;100(1):1-9.
    PMID: 18657414 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2008.06.022
    Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a highly polluting wastewater that pollutes the environment if discharged directly due to its high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) concentration. Anaerobic digestion has been widely used for POME treatment with large emphasis placed on capturing the methane gas released as a product of this biodegradation treatment method. The anaerobic digestion method is recognized as a clean development mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto protocol. Certified emission reduction (CER) can be obtained by using methane gas as a renewable energy. This review aims to discuss the various anaerobic treatments of POME and factors that influence the operation of anaerobic treatment. The POME treatment at both mesophilic and thermophilic temperature ranges are also analyzed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  6. Waste recycling: utilization of coffee grounds and kitchen waste in vermicomposting
    Adi AJ, Noor ZM
    Bioresour Technol, 2009 Jan;100(2):1027-30.
    PMID: 18752936 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2008.07.024
    Vermicomposting using Lumbricus rubellus for 49 days was conducted after 21 days of pre-composting. Three different combination of treatments were prepared with eight replicates for each treatment namely cow dung: kitchen waste in 30:70 ratio (T(1)), cow dung: coffee grounds in 30:70 ratio (T(2)), and cow dung: kitchen waste: coffee grounds in 30:35:35 ratio (T(3)). The multiplication of earthworms in terms of numbers and weight were measured at the end of vermicomposting. Consequently, only T(2) showed significant increase (from it initial stage) compared to other treatments. The presence of coffee grounds in T(2) and T(3) showed higher percentage of nutrient elements in vermicompost produced. The data reveal that coffee grounds can be decomposed through vermicomposting and help to enhance the quality of vermicompost produced rather than sole use of kitchen waste in vermicomposting.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  7. Enzymatic deinking of laser printed office waste papers: some governing parameters on deinking efficiency
    Lee CK, Darah I, Ibrahim CO
    Bioresour Technol, 2007 May;98(8):1684-9.
    PMID: 17137782
    The protocol for the enzymatic deinking of laser printed waste papers on a laboratory scale using cellulase (C) and hemicellulase (H) of Aspergillus niger (Amano) was developed as an effective method for paper recycling. A maximum deinking efficiency of almost 73% by the enzyme combination of C:H was obtained using the deinking conditions of pulping consistency of 1.0% (w/v) with the pulping time of 1.0min, temperature of 50 degrees C, pH=3.5, agitation rate of 60rpm, pulp concentration of 4% (w/v), concentration of each enzyme of 2.5U/g air dried pulp and the enzyme ratio of 1:1. The deinking efficiency was further enhanced to 95% using the optimized flotation system consisting of pH=6.0, Tween 80 of concentration 0.5% (w/w), working air flow rate of 10.0L/min and temperature of 45 degrees C. The deinked papers were found to exhibit properties comparable to the commercial papers suggesting the effectiveness of the enzymatic process developed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  8. Optimization studies on acid hydrolysis of oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber for production of xylose
    Rahman SH, Choudhury JP, Ahmad AL, Kamaruddin AH
    Bioresour Technol, 2007 Feb;98(3):554-9.
    PMID: 16647852
    Oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber is a lignocellulosic waste from palm oil mills. It is a potential source of xylose which can be used as a raw material for production of xylitol, a high value product. The increasing interest on use of lignocellulosic waste for bioconversion to fuels and chemicals is justifiable as these materials are low cost, renewable and widespread sources of sugars. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of H(2)SO(4) concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time for production of xylose. Batch reactions were carried out under various reaction temperature, reaction time and acid concentrations and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was followed to optimize the hydrolysis process in order to obtain high xylose yield. The optimum reaction temperature, reaction time and acid concentration found were 119 degrees C, 60 min and 2%, respectively. Under these conditions xylose yield and selectivity were found to be 91.27% and 17.97 g/g, respectively.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods
  9. Colour removal from landfill leachate by coagulation and flocculation processes
    Aziz HA, Alias S, Adlan MN, Faridah, Asaari AH, Zahari MS
    Bioresour Technol, 2007 Jan;98(1):218-20.
    PMID: 16386895
    A study was conducted to investigate the efficiency of coagulation and flocculation processes for removing colour from a semi-aerobic landfill leachate from one of the landfill sites in Malaysia. Four types of coagulant namely aluminium (III) sulphate (alum), ferric (III) chloride, ferrous (II) sulphate and ferric (III) sulphate were studied using standard jar test apparatus. Results indicated that ferric chloride was superior to the other coagulants and removed 94% of colour at an optimum dose of 800 mg/l at pH 4. The effect of coagulant dosages on colour removal showed similar trend as for COD, turbidity and suspended solids. This suggested that colour in landfill leachate was mainly contributed by organic matters with some insoluble forms that exhibited turbidity and suspended solids readings. The results from this study suggested that ferric chloride could be a viable coagulant in managing colour problems associated with landfill leachate.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods
  10. Production of methanol from biomass waste via pyrolysis
    Kamarudin SK, Shamsul NS, Ghani JA, Chia SK, Liew HS, Samsudin AS
    Bioresour Technol, 2013 Feb;129:463-8.
    PMID: 23266847 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.11.016
    The production of methanol from agricultural, forestry, livestock, poultry, and fishery waste via pyrolysis was investigated. Pyrolysis was conducted in a tube furnace at 450-500 °C. Sugarcane bagasse showed the methanol production (5.93 wt.%), followed by roots and sawdust with 4.36 and 4.22 wt.%, respectively. Animal waste offered the lowest content of methanol, as only 0.46, 0.80, and 0.61 wt.% were obtained from fishery, goat, and cow waste, respectively. It was also observed that the percentage of methanol increased with an increase in volatile compounds while the percentage of ethanol increased with the percentage of ash and fix carbon. The data indicate that, pyrolysis is a means for production of methanol and ethanol after further optimization of the process and sample treatment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  11. Synthesis of methyl esters from waste cooking oil using construction waste material as solid base catalyst
    Balakrishnan K, Olutoye MA, Hameed BH
    Bioresour Technol, 2013 Jan;128:788-91.
    PMID: 23186664 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.10.023
    The current research investigates synthesis of methyl esters by transesterification of waste cooking oil in a heterogeneous system, using barium meliorated construction site waste marble as solid base catalyst. The pretreated catalyst was calcined at 830 °C for 4h prior to its activity test to obtained solid oxide characterized by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy, BET surface area and pore size measurement. It was found that the as prepared catalyst has large pores which contributed to its high activity in transesterification reaction. The methyl ester yield of 88% was obtained when the methanol/oil molar ratio was 9:1, reaction temperature at 65 °C, reaction time 3h and catalyst/oil mass ratio of 3.0 wt.%. The catalyst can be reused over three cycles, offer low operating conditions, reduce energy consumption and waste generation in the production of biodiesel.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  12. Bioelectricity generation in microbial fuel cell using natural microflora and isolated pure culture bacteria from anaerobic palm oil mill effluent sludge
    Nor MH, Mubarak MF, Elmi HSh, Ibrahim N, Wahab MF, Ibrahim Z
    Bioresour Technol, 2015 Aug;190:458-65.
    PMID: 25799955 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.02.103
    A double-chambered membrane microbial fuel cell (MFC) was constructed to investigate the potential use of natural microflora anaerobic palm oil mill effluent (POME) sludge and pure culture bacteria isolated from anaerobic POME sludge as inoculum for electricity generation. Sterilized final discharge POME was used as the substrate with no addition of nutrients. MFC operation using natural microflora anaerobic POME sludge showed a maximum power density and current density of 85.11mW/m(2) and 91.12mA/m(2) respectively. Bacterial identification using 16S rRNA analysis of the pure culture isolated from the biofilm on the anode MFC was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain ZH1. The electricity generated in MFC using P. aeruginosa strain ZH1 showed maximum power density and current density of 451.26mW/m(2) and 654.90mA/m(2) respectively which were five times higher in power density and seven times higher in current density compared to that of MFC using anaerobic POME sludge.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods
  13. Optimization and characterization of bio-oil produced by microwave assisted pyrolysis of oil palm shell waste biomass with microwave absorber
    Mushtaq F, Abdullah TA, Mat R, Ani FN
    Bioresour Technol, 2015 Aug;190:442-50.
    PMID: 25794811 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.02.055
    In this study, solid oil palm shell (OPS) waste biomass was subjected to microwave pyrolysis conditions with uniformly distributed coconut activated carbon (CAC) microwave absorber. The effects of CAC loading (wt%), microwave power (W) and N2 flow rate (LPM) were investigated on heating profile, bio-oil yield and its composition. Response surface methodology based on central composite design was used to study the significance of process parameters on bio-oil yield. The coefficient of determination (R(2)) for the bio-oil yield is 0.89017 indicating 89.017% of data variability is accounted to the model. The largest effect on bio-oil yield is from linear and quadratic terms of N2 flow rate. The phenol content in bio-oil is 32.24-58.09% GC-MS area. The bio-oil also contain 1,1-dimethyl hydrazine of 10.54-21.20% GC-MS area. The presence of phenol and 1,1-dimethyl hydrazine implies that the microwave pyrolysis of OPS with carbon absorber has the potential to produce valuable fuel products.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  14. Feature extraction using Hough transform for solid waste bin level detection and classification
    Hannan MA, Zaila WA, Arebey M, Begum RA, Basri H
    Environ Monit Assess, 2014 Sep;186(9):5381-91.
    PMID: 24829160 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-014-3786-6
    This paper deals with the solid waste image detection and classification to detect and classify the solid waste bin level. To do so, Hough transform techniques is used for feature extraction to identify the line detection based on image's gradient field. The feedforward neural network (FFNN) model is used to classify the level content of solid waste based on learning concept. Numbers of training have been performed using FFNN to learn and match the targets of the testing images to compute the sum squared error with the performance goal met. The images for each class are used as input samples for classification. Result from the neural network and the rules decision are used to build the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) graph. Decision graph shows the performance of the system waste system based on area under curve (AUC), WS-class reached 0.9875 for excellent result and WS-grade reached 0.8293 for good result. The system has been successfully designated with the motivation of solid waste bin monitoring system that can applied to a wide variety of local municipal authorities system.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  15. Empirical gas emission and oxidation measurement at cover soil of dumping site: example from Malaysia
    Abushammala MF, Basri NE, Basri H, Kadhum AA, El-Shafie AH
    Environ Monit Assess, 2013 Jun;185(6):4919-32.
    PMID: 23054277 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-012-2913-5
    Methane (CH₄) is one of the most relevant greenhouse gases and it has a global warming potential 25 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO₂), risking human health and the environment. Microbial CH₄ oxidation in landfill cover soils may constitute a means of controlling CH₄ emissions. The study was intended to quantify CH₄ and CO₂ emissions rates at the Sungai Sedu open dumping landfill during the dry season, characterize their spatial and temporal variations, and measure the CH₄ oxidation associated with the landfill cover soil using a homemade static flux chamber. Concentrations of the gases were analyzed by a Micro-GC CP-4900. Two methods, kriging values and inverse distance weighting (IDW), were found almost identical. The findings of the proposed method show that the ratio of CH₄ to CO₂ emissions was 25.4 %, indicating higher CO₂ emissions than CH₄ emissions. Also, the average CH₄ oxidation in the landfill cover soil was 52.5 %. The CH₄ and CO₂ emissions did not show fixed-pattern temporal variation based on daytime measurements. Statistically, a negative relationship was found between CH₄ emissions and oxidation (R(2) = 0.46). It can be concluded that the variation in the CH₄ oxidation was mainly attributed to the properties of the landfill cover soil.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  16. Removal of phenols and other pollutants from different landfill leachates using powdered activated carbon supplemented SBR technology
    Aziz SQ, Aziz HA, Yusoff MS, Mohajeri S
    Environ Monit Assess, 2012 Oct;184(10):6147-58.
    PMID: 22068314 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-011-2409-8
    In this research, two types of sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) with 8 h of cycle times, namely non-powdered activated carbon (NPAC-SBR) and powdered activated carbon (PAC-SBR), were used for the treatment of raw leachates at Kulim and Pulau Burung landfill sites. To test the performance of SBRs, phenols, total iron, zinc, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, color, suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, and total dissolved salts removal efficiencies and sludge volume index (SVI) were studied at both sites. The rates of phenols removal, for instance in NPAC-SBRs and PAC-SBRs at Kulim, were 25% and 55%, respectively, whereas those at Pulau Buring were 94.81% and 97.75%, respectively. PAC as adsorbent in PAC-SBRs enhanced the removal efficiencies of the aforementioned pollutants from leachates at both sites. In addition, PAC as adsorbent decreased the SVI values at Kulim (59.7 mL/g) and Pulau Burung (91.4 mL/g) leachates and improved the nitrification and denitrification processes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  17. Integrated technologies for solid waste bin monitoring system
    Arebey M, Hannan MA, Basri H, Begum RA, Abdullah H
    Environ Monit Assess, 2011 Jun;177(1-4):399-408.
    PMID: 20703798 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-010-1642-x
    The integration of communication technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID), global positioning system (GPS), general packet radio system (GPRS), and geographic information system (GIS) with a camera are constructed for solid waste monitoring system. The aim is to improve the way of responding to customer's inquiry and emergency cases and estimate the solid waste amount without any involvement of the truck driver. The proposed system consists of RFID tag mounted on the bin, RFID reader as in truck, GPRS/GSM as web server, and GIS as map server, database server, and control server. The tracking devices mounted in the trucks collect location information in real time via the GPS. This information is transferred continuously through GPRS to a central database. The users are able to view the current location of each truck in the collection stage via a web-based application and thereby manage the fleet. The trucks positions and trash bin information are displayed on a digital map, which is made available by a map server. Thus, the solid waste of the bin and the truck are being monitored using the developed system.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods
  18. Toward sustainable solid waste minimization by manufacturing firms in Malaysia: strengths and weaknesses
    Mallak SK, Ishak MB, Mohamed AF, Iranmanesh M
    Environ Monit Assess, 2018 Sep 06;190(10):575.
    PMID: 30191321 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-018-6935-5
    Malaysia is facing an increasing trend in industrial solid waste generation due to industrial development. Thus, there is a paramount need in taking practical actions and measurements to move toward sustainable industrial waste management. The main aim of this study is to assess practicing solid waste minimization by manufacturing firms. Analysis showed that majority of firms (92%) dispose of their wastes rather than utilize other sustainable waste management options. Also, waste minimization methods such as segregation of wastes, on-site recycle and reuse, improved housekeeping, and equipment modification were found to have significant contribution to waste reduction (p 
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  19. An overview of municipal solid waste management and landfill leachate treatment: Malaysia and Asian perspectives
    Kamaruddin MA, Yusoff MS, Rui LM, Isa AM, Zawawi MH, Alrozi R
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Dec;24(35):26988-27020.
    PMID: 29067615 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0303-9
    Currently, generation of solid waste per capita in Malaysia is about 1.1 kg/day. Over 26,500 t of solid waste is disposed almost solely through 166 operating landfills in the country every day. Despite the availability of other disposal methods, landfill is the most widely accepted and prevalent method for municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal in developing countries, including Malaysia. This is mainly ascribed to its inherent forte in terms cost saving and simpler operational mechanism. However, there is a downside. Environmental pollution caused by the landfill leachate has been one of the typical dilemmas of landfilling method. Leachate is the liquid produced when water percolates through solid waste and contains dissolved or suspended materials from various disposed materials and biodecomposition processes. It is often a high-strength wastewater with extreme pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), inorganic salts and toxicity. Its composition differs over the time and space within a particular landfill, influenced by a broad spectrum of factors, namely waste composition, landfilling practice (solid waste contouring and compacting), local climatic conditions, landfill's physico-chemical conditions, biogeochemistry and landfill age. This paper summarises an overview of landfill operation and leachate treatment availability reported in literature: a broad spectrum of landfill management opportunity, leachate parameter discussions and the way forward of landfill leachate treatment applicability.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
  20. Physicochemical profile of microbial-assisted composting on empty fruit bunches of oil palm trees
    Lim LY, Bong CP, Chua LS, Lee CT
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2015 Dec;22(24):19814-22.
    PMID: 26286798 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5156-5
    This study was carried out to investigate the physicochemical properties of compost from oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) inoculated with effective microorganisms (EM∙1™). The duration of microbial-assisted composting was shorter (∼7 days) than control samples (2 months) in a laboratory scale (2 kg) experiment. The temperature profile of EFB compost fluctuated between 26 and 52 °C without the presence of consistent thermophilic phase. The pH of compost changed from weak acidic (pH ∼5) to mild alkaline (pH ∼8) because of the formation of nitrogenous ions such as ammonium (NH4 (+)), nitrite (NO2 (-)), and nitrate (NO3 (-)) from organic substances during mineralization. The pH of the microbial-treated compost was less than 8.5 which is important to prevent the loss of nitrogen as ammonia gas in a strong alkaline condition. Similarly, carbon mineralization could be determined by measuring CO2 emission. The microbial-treated compost could maintain longer period (∼13 days) of high CO2 emission resulted from high microbial activity and reached the threshold value (120 mg CO2-C kg(-1) day(-1)) for compost maturity earlier (7 days). Microbial-treated compost slightly improved the content of minerals such as Mg, K, Ca, and B, as well as key metabolite, 5-aminolevulinic acid for plant growth at the maturity stage of compost. Graphical Abstract Microbial-assisted composting on empty fruit bunches.
    Matched MeSH terms: Refuse Disposal/methods*
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links