Fibres have been used in construction materials for a very long time. Through previous research and investigations, the use of natural and synthetic fibres have shown promising results, as their presence has demonstrated significant benefits in terms of the overall physical and mechanical properties of the composite material. When comparing fibre reinforcement to traditional reinforcement, the ratio of fibre required is significantly less, making fibre reinforcement both energy and economically efficient. More recently, waste fibres have been studied for their potential as reinforcement in construction materials. The build-up of waste materials all around the world is a known issue, as landfill space is limited, and the incineration process requires considerable energy and produces unwanted emissions. The utilisation of waste fibres in construction materials can alleviate these issues and promote environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions that work in the industry. This study reviews the types, properties, and applications of different fibres used in a wide range of materials in the construction industry, including concrete, asphalt concrete, soil, earth materials, blocks and bricks, composites, and other applications.
Mangrovimonas sp. strain CR14 is a halophilic bacterium affiliated with family Flavobacteriaceae which was successfully isolated from mangrove soil samples obtained from Tanjung Piai National Park, Johor. The whole genome of strain CR14 was sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform (2 × 150 bp paired end). Herein, we report the genome sequence of Mangrovimonas sp. strain CR14 in which its assembled genome consisted 20 contigs with a total size of 3,590,195 bp, 3209 coding sequences, and an average 36.08% G + C content. Genome annotation and gene mining revealed that this bacterium demonstrated proteolytic activity which could be potentially applied in detergent industry. This whole-genome shotgun data of Mangrovimonas sp. strain CR14 has been deposited at DDBJ/ENA/GenBank under the accession JAAFZY000000000. The version described in this paper is version JAAFZY010000000.
Biochar has proven to be a feasible additive for mitigating nitrogen loss during the composting process. This study aims to evaluate the influence of biochar addition on bacterial community and physicochemical properties changes, including ammonium (NH4+), nitrite (NO2-) and nitrate (NO3-) contents during the composting of poultry manure. The composting was carried out by adding 20% (w/w) of biochar into the mixture of poultry manure and rice straw with a ratio of 2:1, and the same treatment without biochar was prepared as a control. The finished product of control compost recorded the high contents of NO2- and NO3- (366 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg) with reduced the total NH4+ content to 10 mg/kg. Meanwhile, biochar compost recorded a higher amount of total NH4+ content (110 mg/kg) with low NO2- and NO3- (161 mg/kg and 137 mg/kg) content in the final composting material. The principal component analysis showed that the dynamics of dominant genera related to Halomonas, Pusillimonas, and Pseudofulvimonas, all of which were known as nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, was significantly correlated with the dynamic of NO2- and NO3- content throughout the composting process. The genera related to Pusillimonas, and Pseudofulvimonas appeared as the dominant communities as the NO2- and NO3- increased. In contrast, as the NO2- and NO3- concentration decreased, the Halomonas genus were notably enriched in biochar compost. This study revealed the bacterial community shifts corresponded with the change of physicochemical properties, which provides essential information for a better understanding of monitoring and improving the composting process.
With the ever-increasing energy demands, fossil fuels are gradually depleting and eventually, these nonrenewable sources of energy will be exhausted. Hence, there is an urgent need to formulate alternative fuels that are both renewable and sustainable. Biomass is one of the reliable sources of energy because it is replenishable. Rice is the staple food in many countries, particularly in Asia. The number of paddy fields has increased tremendously over the years and is expected to increase in the future in response to the growing world population. This will lead to significant amounts of agricultural wastes annually, particularly rice straw. In some countries, open burning and soil incorporation are used to manage agricultural wastes. Open burning is the preferred method because it is inexpensive. However, this method is highly undesirable because of its detrimental impact on the environment resulting from the release of carbon dioxide and methane gas. Hence, it is important to develop an energy-harvesting method from rice straw for power generation. More studies need to be carried out on the availability and characteristics of rice straw as well as logistic analysis to assess the potential of rice straw for power generation. This paper is focused on reviewing studies pertaining to the characteristics and potential of rice straw for power generation, current rice straw management practices, and logistic analysis in order to develop a suitable energy-harvesting method from rice straw in Malaysia.
Soil requires load bearing impact assessment for stability. Therefore, this study aims to utilize the multi-channel analysis surface wave (MASW) for soil subsurface investigation and profiling around Peninsular Malaysia. The standard penetration test (SPT) was conducted for comparison between factual N-value and computed N-value from shear wave velocity (Vs ) obtained from MASW using the Imai and Tonouchi equation. The correlation coefficient (R) and coefficient of determination, (R2 ), showed strong relationship between factual N-value and computed N-value. The model of Vs and factual N-value data distribution is non-normal but the analyzed relationship shows a significant level of p-value < 0.05. The R2 for each location of Vs -N-value relationship are ranging from 0.5 to 0.9.
We report the draft genome sequence of Variovorax boronicumulans strain c24, which was isolated from a soil-inoculated chemostat culture amended with phenol as a sole carbon and energy source. The genome data will provide insights into phenol and other xenobiotic compound degradation mechanisms for bioremediation applications.
Cyphellophora is a black yeast-like fungus with most of the strains being isolated from soil and plants. It tends to cause sooty blotch and flyspeck disease in plants. In humans, it is known to cause superficial skin and nail infections. This report highlights the case of a patient who initially presented with a small corneal abrasion which rapidly progressed into a corneal ulcer after the patient did not respond to the initial conventional treatment. The laboratory results from the corneal scraping found it to be Cyphellophora sp.
Grafting is regarded as an integral component of sustainable vegetable production. It is important in the management of soil-borne diseases, and reports suggest that grafting with viable rootstocks can enhance crop growth and yield. This research was conducted using splices and cleft grafting techniques to investigate graft compatibility among varieties of high yielding eggplant scion (MCV1, MCV2, CCV1, CCV2, CCV3, NCV, and TCV) grafted onto wild rootstocks (MWR, BWR, and TWR) to study their morphophysiological and yield characteristics. High yielding scions grafted onto wild relative rootstocks were compared with two controls including self-grafted and non-grafted. All the scion had a high rate of germination (≥95%) and remarkable graft success (100%) was recorded in MCV1, MCV2, and TCV using the cleft techniques. Generally, the use of rootstocks resulted in higher total and marketable fruit yield compared to the non-grafted and self-grafted scion plants, respectively. In particular, MWR and TWR rootstock conferred the highest vigour to the scion, resulting in the highest values recorded for total and marketable fruit yield, number of fruits per plant and average fruit weight. A similar result was obtained in fruit length and diameter, where long and wide fruits were observed in scions grafted onto MWR and TWR rootstocks, respectively. Grafting of high yielding eggplant scion onto resistant MWR, BWR and TWR eggplant rootstock was found to be beneficial for eggplant cultivation. The remarkable compatibility and vigour of the rootstock with scion led to the improvement in total and marketable yield of the fruits. As such, it can be concluded that the use of wild relative rootstocks of eggplant species can be a valuable method of improving eggplant production.
Nur Humaira’ Lau Abdullah, Zal U’yun Wan Mahmood, Norfaizal Mohamed @ Muhamad, Nazaratul Ashifa Abdullah Salim, Ahmad Nazrul Abd Wahid, Nor Dalila Desa, et al.
A glasshouse experiment was performed to evaluate the uptake of grasses viz. Napier and Vetiver
in radiophytoremediation of caesium-contaminated soil. The radiophytoremediation experiment
was designed according to the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The grasses were
grown in troughs filled with soil mixed with a known specific activity of 134Cs. Initial Cs activity and
activity after different cultivation time intervals of 1, 3, 6 and 9 months were analyzed using gamma
spectrometer direct measurement. The results showed the uptake of caesium by Napier and Vetiver
after 9 months with the transfer factors (TF) were 4.70 and 6.25, respectively. The remediation of
caesium from the contaminated soil during the study period was 98.08% for Napier and 98.21% for
Vetiver. Both grasses have been found to accumulate caesium, with Vetiver accumulating higher
than Napier. Thus, the present study suggests that Vetiver could be used as a potential plant for
radiophytoremediation of caesium.
Burkholderia sp. strain CCA53 was isolated from leaf soil collected in Higashi-Hiroshima City in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Here, we present a draft genome sequence of this strain, which consists of a total of 4 contigs containing 6,647,893 bp, with a G+C content of 67.0% and comprising 9,329 predicted coding sequences.
Mite foci were fenced above and below ground to prevent the entry of host animals and to prevent the migration of mites within the soil. Weekly counts were made over a period of thirty weeks with larvae being collected at the beginning and end of the study, but not during the intervening period of hot, dry weather. Post-larval forms can survive for long periods and mite foci can remain productive without being visited by the host animals. Mite foci may be missed by normal survey methods during hot, dry weather.
Imidazolinones are a family of herbicides that are used to control a broad range of weeds. Their high persistence and leaching potential make them probable risk to the ecosystems. In this study, biochar, the biomass-derived solid material, was produced from oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) and rice husk (RH) through pyrolysis process. Feedstock and pyrolysis variables can control biochar sorption capacity. Therefore, the present study attempts to evaluate effects of three pyrolysis variables (temperature, heating rate and retention time) on abilities of biochars for removal of imazapic and imazapyr herbicides from soil. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used for optimizing the variables to achieve maximum sorption performance of the biochars. Experimental data were interpreted accurately by quadratic models. Based on the results, sorption capacities of both biochars raised when temperature decreased to 300 °C, mainly because of increased biochars effective functionality in sorption of polar molecules. Heating rate of 3°C/min provided optimum conditions to maximize the sorption capacities of both biochars. Retention time of about 1 h and 3 h were found to be the best for EFB and RH biochars, respectively. EFB biochar was more efficient in removal of the herbicides, especially imazapyr due to its chemical composition and higher polarity index (0.42) rather than RH biochar (0.39). Besides, higher cation exchange capacity (CEC) values of EFB biochar (83.90 cmolc/kg) in comparison with RH biochar (70.73 cmolc/kg) represented its higher surface polarity effective in sorption of the polar herbicides.
Surface coverage and some properties soil chemicals were assessed at the Punta Fort William, Greenwich Island during the summer from 1–11 February 2008. Twenty sampling points were established along two strip transects covering a total area of 160 m2. Punta Fort William was basically barren. Rocks, stones and pebbles covered 89.4% of the Punta Fort William. The diversity of vegetation in Punta Fort William was relatively low as compared to other South Shetland Islands. Mosses predominated the area and covered 9.1% of the total surface. Colobantus quitensis was the only vascular plant found at the Punta Fort William. It covered 0.5% of the total surface area. Lichens contributed 0.2% of the surface coverage. Although lichen coverage was low, its frequency of occurrence was among the highest. Total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) in the study area ranged from 1 g to 39 g C kg–1 and 12 μg to 3892 μg N kg–1, respectively. The level of TOC and TN were comparable to those reported in other maritime locations in Antarctic. Higher levels of TOC and TN were detected in the areas with intensive biological activities. Hydrocarbon concentration was very low in this area and the sources of hydrocarbons were both natural and anthropogenic. The natural hydrocarbons source was mostly biogenic while the petrogenic hydrocarbons input was anthropogenic.
The development of a new, low-cost building material that is composed of non-fired, pressed laterite bricks incorporating oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) fibre was investigated in this study. The main aim of this research was to study the physical and mechanical properties of laterite brick reinforced with OPEFB fibre, including dimensions, weight, density, water absorption and compressive strength. The tests were carried out according to BS 3921:1985 for water absorption and compressive strength tests. The mix proportion of the control bricks was 70% soil, 24% sand, and 6% cement. Meanwhile, the OPEFB fibre contents ranged from 1% to 5% by weight of cement. The specimens were taken from a total of 120 bricks. The findings withdrawn from this research were: firstly, the density of laterite bricks was decreased with the increase in the OPEFB fibre content of the bricks. Secondly, it was found that the addition of the OPEFB fibres improved the compressive strength of the bricks, and the maximum compressive strength determined in this study for bricks was with 3% fibre content. Finally, the water absorption results indicated a small increase in water absorption with the increase in the OPEFB fibre content in laterite bricks.
Shotcrete is a process where concrete is projected or “shot” under pressure, using a feeder or a
“gun” onto a surface to form structural shapes including walls, floors, and roofs. The surface can
be wood, steel, polystyrene, or any other surfaces that concrete can be projected onto. The surface
can be trowel led smooth while the concrete is still wet. Shotcrete has high strength, durability, low
permeability, excellent bond, and limitless shape possibilities. These properties allow shotcrete
to be used as a structural material in most cases. Although the hardened properties of shotcrete
are similar to conventional cast-in-place concrete, the nature of the placement process provides
additional benefits, such as excellent bond with most substrates and instant or rapid capabilities,
particularly on complex forms or shapes. In addition to building homes, shotcrete can also be used
to build pools. The practice of underground tunneling shows that the degree of stability of tunnels
is dependent on the state of the soil, rock mass, and shotcrete around the tunnel contour. The
development in the urban or suburban areas leads to the construction of tunnels in all kinds of soil
and rock. Meanwhile, the construction of tunnels in shallow depth or soft soils causes the ground
to displace. The determination of soil and rock mechanical properties to assess the stability of New
Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) tunnels and design the support system is one of the most
important steps in tunnelling. This paper provides information pertaining to the safety and increase
the stability of NATM tunnel before, during and after the operation of the tunnel. Therefore, the
shotcrete process is a recognized method for cemented sandy silt stabilization, with the aid of high
pressure shot concrete to increase the stability of tunnels.
IAEA Soil-6 is a reference material with a certified value for 226Ra fall between 69.6 – 93.4 Bq/kg at 95% confidence level. This material has been used as a sample and performed repeat measurement weekly between years 2006 – 2009 using a same gamma spectrometry system. The activity concentration of this material is calculated automatically using the operational commercial software and compared with activity obtained from the manual calculation. Study found that only 76.9%, 64.1%, 56.3%, and 79.3% of the results from the software calculation lie within the confidence level for year 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, respectively. However, u-score calculation revealed that 94.9 %, 89.7%, 79.2% and 84.9% data set have no significant bias (u < 2.58) for year 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, respectively. On the other hand, all manual calculation data were found to be within the 95 % confidence level. Factors suspected to cause differences between these two approaches were discussed here. Manually peak search, marking and calculation still remains as the preferred option for calculating the gamma radionuclides activity unless limitations of the spectrum analysis software, as described in this paper can be resolved/improved upon.
The adsorption equilibrium time and effects of pH and concentration of ¹⁴C-labeled chlorpyrifos
O,O-diethyl O-(3, 5, 6 trichloro-2-pyridyl)-phosphorothiote in soil were investigated. Two types of Malaysian soil under oil palm were used in this study; namely clay loam and clay soil obtained from the Sungai Sedu and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Estates, respectively. Equilibrium studies of chlorpyrifos between the agricultural soil and the pesticide solution were conducted. Adsorption equilibrium time was achieved within 6 and 24 hours for clay loam and clay soil, respectively. It was found that chlorpyrifos adsorbed by the soil samples was characterized by an initial rapid adsorption after which adsorption remained approximately constant. The percentage of ¹⁴C-labeled chlorpyrifos adsorption on soil was found to be higher in clay loam than in clay soils. Results of the study demonstrated that pH affected the adsorption of chlorpyrifos on both clay loam and clay soils. The adsorption of chlorpyrifos on both types of soil was higher at low pH with the adsorption reduced as the pH increased. Results also suggest that chlorpyrifos sorption by soil is concentration dependent.
The existence of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) such as K-40 was studied all over the world for their characteristics and effects on human and environment. K-40 exist in the earth crust with the concentration about 1.8 mg/kg or 481 Bq/g.. In this study, the level of K-40 in soil samples were measured using gamma spectrometer equipped with hyper pure germanium detector. The samples were collected from an oil palm cultivated area of Jengka 15, in Maran District, Pahang. The results show the level of K-40 activities at various locations. The activities of K-40 are in the range 52.9-150.5 Bq/kg and total potassium concentrations are 1.60-4.50%. There are no correlation between activities of K-40 with elevation i.e. R2= 0.0885.
Effect of AP+, Ca", Cu" and Fe" on the removal of radium-226 from radium-contaminated soil using humic acid extracted from a Malaysian peat soil was investigated using batch washing method. The concentration of Al,+ Ca", Cu" and Fe" ranged from 0 to 100 ppm. The radioactivity concentration of radium-226 was determined by gamma spectrometer. The removal of radium-226 was enhanced in the presence of AP' with concentration between 20 - 60 ppm. Meanwhile, higher concentration of 80 - 100 ppm did not lead to further increase in the removal of radium-226. The removal of radium-226 was decreased in the presence of Ca" and Cu". In the presence of Fe" with concentration between 20 - 60 ppm, decrease in the removal of radium-226 was also observed. Nevertheless, at concentration between 80 - 100 ppm, the presence of Fe" led to increase in the removal of radium-226.
The purpose of this study was to determine the adsorption coefficient (Koc) of chlorpyrifos in clay soil by measuring the Freundlich adsorption coefficient (Kads(f)) and desorption coefficient (1/n value) of chlorpyrifos. It was found that the Freundlich adsorption coefficient (Kads(f)) and the linear regression (r 2 ) of the Freundlich adsorption isotherm for chlorpyrifos in the clay soil were 52.6 L/kg and 0.5344, respectively. Adsoprtion equilibrium time was achieved within 24 hours for clay soil. This adsoprtion equilibrium time was used to determine the effect of concentration on adsorption. The adsorption coefficient (Koc) of clay soil was found to be 2783 L/kg with an initial concentration solution of 1 µg/g, soil-solution ratio (1:5) at 30 o C when the equilibrium between the soil matrix and solution was 24 hours. The Kdes decreased over four repetitions of the desorption process. The chlorpyrifos residues may be strongly adsorbed onto the surface of clay.