A composite membrane was prepared by mixing epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). An
inorganic filler, MgO, was introduced into the polymer matrix by certain percentages to form a mixed matrix membrane
(MMM). The resulting membranes were characterized using FTIR, TGA, SEM and gas permeability test. FTIR results showed
the incorporation of MgO inside the membrane matrix with the appearance of an absorption peak at 3700 cm-1 which
represents the formation of Mg(OH)2
. Thermogram from TGA analysis showed two degradation stages at 250-350°C
and 370-500°C, which correspond to the decomposition of PVC and ENR and the residue of fillers at 600°C. SEM images
of the membranes showed that pores were developed as fillers were introduced to the membrane. The size of the pores
also increased with the increase of filler percentage. As for gas permeation test, the permeability values of CO2
and N2
for ENR/PVC membrane were the lowest. The permeability values increased with the addition of MgO to the membrane.
The permeability of CO2
was also the highest for all membranes.
The presence of pores plays an important role for many membrane processes especially in ultrafiltration and microfiltration. Epoxidised natural rubber (ENR)/polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membranes filled with two types of silica fillers were prepared via simultaneous solvent exchange and evaporation of solvent technique. Two types of silica, i.e. microsilica (microcrystalline
silica powder) and nanosilica (generated from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)) were used. The chemical composition, morphology and mechanical stability of the membranes were studied. Both types of silica showed good interaction with the membrane matrix. The formation of pores depended on the size of silica particles added. Microsilica produced large pores while insitu generated nanosilica produced nanosized pores. The mechanical properties of membrane improved with the addition
of silica. The tensile strength increased from 10.6 MPa to 17.8 MPa and 14.5 MPa for nanosilica and microsilica filled membrane while the tensile modulus increased from 1.6 MPa to 3.8 MPa and 3.4 MPa, respectively. Thus, both types of silica acted as a filler as well as pore forming agent for the ENR/PVC membrane.
Epoxidized natural rubber/polyvinyl chloride/microcrystalline cellulose (ENR/PVC/MCC) composite membranes were
prepared and used to treat palm oil mill effluent (POME). The loadings of MCC were varied at 0, 5, 10 and 15 w/w%. The
increment of MCC loads has intensified the hydroxyl peak of the membranes in FTIR spectrum, indicating the increase
in membrane hydrophilicity. MCC acted as a pore forming agent since the ENR/PVC/10% MCC gave the highest water
flux and well-distributed pores. After first treatment of POME, the levels of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solid (TSS) were reduced to 99.9%, 70.3%, and 16.9%, respectively. These
data showed that ENR/PVC/MCC membrane has the potential to treat POME.
The use of biodegradable material in membrane technology will be a great solution in reducing non-biodegradable
waste in the landfill. Membranes can often be useful as the recycle stream can usually be much cleaner than with other
techniques. This article describes the preparation of poly(l-lactic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLLA-PEG) free standing flat
sheet membranes with the presence of 5 wt. % activated carbon filler. PLLA-PEG crosslinked copolymer was synthesized
using PLLA with different molecular weight PEG prepolymers i.e. 4000, 6000 and 10000 g/mol; and excess hexamethylene
diisocyanate to form urethane linkages between the polymers. The reaction was carried out in a dichloromethane/
tetrahydrofuran dual-solvents system. The PLLA-PEG/AC membranes in the weight ratio of 7:3:0.5 were then fabricated
using solution casting and phase inversion techniques. The performance of the membranes was evaluated in terms of
permeation water flux (PWF), palm oil mill effluent (POME) permeation, flux decline and contact angle. It was found that
membrane containing 10000 g/mol PEG has the highest total mean in PWF, POME flux and hydraulic permeability with
values of 100.9 L/m2
.h, 51.45 L/m2
.h and 64.9º;62.9º, respectively, due to high porosity. All of the membranes were more
stable towards the flux decline of POME compared to water. At the same time, addition of AC to the copolymer considerably
enhances the texture and porosity of the fabricated membranes.
Penyelidikan dijalankan bagi menilai kesan penggunaan filem boleh makan dan filem polietilena (PE) sebagai bahan
penyalut untuk ubi keledek (Ipomoea batatas) goreng. Kepingan ubi keledek disalut dengan lapisan filem boleh makan
yang terdiri daripada 0.045 g/mL selulosa metil (MC), 0.045 g/mL selulosa hidroksipropil metil (HPMC) dan 0.16 g/mL
jagung zein (CZ) sebelum digoreng di dalam minyak sawit pada suhu 170-180°C selama 3 min. Manakala ubi keledek juga
disalut dengan filem tak boleh makan iaitu polietilena (PE) (nisbah PE kepada minyak 1:100 g/g) sebagai perbandingan.
Ubi goreng tanpa salutan filem digunakan sebagai sampel kawalan. Ciri fizikokimia ubi goreng bersalut dianalisa.
Keputusan menunjukkan semua filem melekat pada permukaan ubi setelah digoreng. Penggunaan filem CZ menjadikan
permukaan filem licin dan wujud tanpa sebarang retakan. Filem MC pula memberi lapisan permukaan yang tidak rata
tetapi menyaluti permukaan sampel dengan sekata. Tambahan pula, ubi bersalut MC menunjukkan peratusan lemak paling
sedikit (13.6%) selain kandungan kelembapan yang paling tinggi (17.5%) berbanding sampel lain. Secara keseluruhan,
MC merupakan filem yang terbaik untuk mengekalkan kelembapan bahan goreng dan mengurangkan penyerapan lemak.
In this study, Bacterial cellulose (BC) grafted with Acrylic acid (AA) was prepared using Co60 γ-rays source (30 KGy).
Although many samples were prepared, BC: AA with ratio of 1:1 labelled as A1 and 2:1 labelled as A2 gave the most
significant results. Hence these particular ratios have been selected and further investigated. AA was proven grafted onto
BC by using ATR-FTIR due to the absent of C-O stretching (1040 cm-1) in both hydrogels. The SEM image of both hydrogels
samples showed highly porosity networks structure have been produced. The physical properties of the hydrogels such
as equilibrium water content (%) and swelling ratio (%) in different pH buffer solution were measured. It was found
that the equilibrium water content (%) of A1 was 93.10% while A2 was 74.83%, respectively. The results indicated that
the equilibrium water content (%) increased by gaining the AA concentration. At pH10, the A2 swelling ratio (%) was
two folded with 3350% in comparison with the A1. For the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution, the
results from the UV-VIS spectroscopy demonstrated that the A2 sample hydrogel was also an effective absorbent material
Setiap kejadian semula jadi merupakan rahmat dan memberi kemaslahatan kepada manusia termasuklah pendarahan haid dalam kalangan wanita. Haid merupakan suatu proses yang unik dan terancang yang melibatkan tiga fasa utama iaitu fasa haid, fasa folikel dan fasa luteal. Objektif penyelidikan ini ialah untuk mengkaji dan menghubungkaitkan kebaikan haid daripada perspektif sains dan maqasid syariah. Kajian ini dijalankan dengan menggunakan ulasan literatur secara deskriptif. Kajian mendapati bahawa perubahan hormon, warna darah dan faktor fiziokimia lain memberi kesan terhadap kenormalan kitaran haid. Darah haid juga dikenal pasti mempunyai agen antimikrob terutamanya terhadap bakteria E. coli dan bakteria Gram-negatif lain. Hal ini bertepatan dengan maqasid syariah memelihara jiwa kerana haid mampu juga memelihara kesihatan wanita. Selain itu, kajian lepas menemukan bahawa darah haid terdiri daripada sel stem yang boleh digunakan dalam aktiviti klinikal pada masa akan datang. Maqasid syariah melindungi keturunan juga dapat dilihat dengan kehadiran haid yang sering digunakan bagi menjangkakan waktu subur bagi merancang kehamilan. Hikmah Islam melarang mendekatkan diri (bersetubuh) dengan wanita yang sedang haid adalah satu rahmat yang besar, kerana wanita yang sedang haid biasanya mempunyai kelaziman gejala prahaid (PMS) yang melibatkan isu kesihatan. Oleh itu, haid daripada perspektif sains adalah bertepatan dengan maqasid syariah.
Poly(ethylene glycol)-polydimethylsiloxane (PEG-PDMS) crosslinked copolymers with mol ratios PEG:PDMS:Glycerol
of 5:3:2, 6:2:2 and 7:1:2 have been prepared and characterized. The synthesis of the copolymers was carried out
by the reaction between hydroxyl groups of PEG, PDMS and glycerol with isocyanate groups of 1,6-hexamethyelene
diisocyanate (HMDI). In the reaction, glycerol was acted as the cross linker. The copolymers were then characterized
by FTIR spectroscopy. The thermal behaviour was investigated by DSC and TGA. Based on FTIR results, the crosslinked
structure of the copolymers was confirmed by the presence of absorption peak at 3350 and 1710 cm-1 which indicated
the (-N-H) stretching and carbonyl (-C=O) correspond to urethane links. This showed that the hydroxyl groups of PEG,
PDMS and glycerol have reacted to isocyanate groups of HMDI. The copolymers showed melting temperature (Tm) of PEG
segments from 22°C to 27°C and glass transition temperature (Tg
) from -11°C to -6°C. Meanwhile, the PDMS segment
showed values from -53°C to -56°C for Tm, and Tg
from -118°C to -122°C. Data obtained from the thermal analysis
indicate that thermal stability increases with increasing PDMS mol ratio.
Glycerol, the main by-product in biodiesel manufacturing, is a useful and environment-friendly solvent for many organic
and inorganic substrates. This study investigates the effects of soaking using glycerol, silicone oil, dimethyl sulfoxide
(DMSO) and Organosolv (1:1 water: ethanol) on energy consumption in the process of grinding kempas wood and on
the particle size of ground kempas. Kempas wood chips were soaked in various solvents at 90°C for 1 h. The structural
characterisation of untreated and treated kempas was analysed using CHNS, ATR-FTIR and XRD. Meanwhile, the grinding
energy was calculated based on power per unit time while particle size was analysed using nested column sieves. Glycerol
has high stability, good compatibility with other chemicals and is environmentally friendly. Glycerol-soaked kempas
consumed less energy which led to energy saving of up to 0.015 W h and exhibited the smallest average particle size
(263 µm) close to that of untreated kempas due to glycerol lubricating properties. Therefore, glycerol can be used as
an alternative to conventional solvents in reducing the grinding energy consumption and particle size of lignocellulosic
biomass.
Islam merupakan satu agama yang menitikberatkan kesihatan manusia termasuklah sistem pencernaan manusia. Najis
(tinja) manusia yang dibincangkan dalam kajian ini merupakan hasil buangan manusia yang menjadi salah satu kaedah
untuk melihat sudut kesihatan manusia. Objektif penyelidikan ini ialah untuk mengkaji fizikokimia dan ciri-ciri najis
serta kegunaannya daripada perspektif sains dan sudut pandangan Islam terutamanya mengenai diet yang diamalkan
oleh Rasulullah SAW. Kajian ini dijalankan dengan menggunakan ulasan literatur secara deskriptif. Kajian mendapati
bahawa sistem pencernaan merupakan satu sistem yang rumit. Tinja terdiri daripada 75% air dan 25% bahan pepejal
serta ciri-ciri tinja seperti bentuk, warna dan bau memberi kesan kepada kesihatan manusia. Daripada sudut Islam
warna, bau dan rasa tinja merupakan perkara asas yang dititikberatkan semasa proses pembersihan najis terutamanya
bagi memulakan sesuatu ibadah. Selain itu, diet, senaman, umur dan jantina merupakan faktor-faktor yang membezakan
jenis tinja bagi setiap individu. Malah, kajian ini juga merungkai beberapa alternatif yang kini diguna pakai bagi
mengurus najis-najis manusia dalam menjamin kesihatan dan pemeliharaan alam sekitar. Kajian ini kemudiannya
mengupas diet makanan-makanan sunnah yang terdapat di dalam Al-Quran dan hadis yang terbukti kaya dengan serat
dan sihat untuk manusia terutamanya bagi sistem pencernaan manusia. Oleh itu, najis (tinja) manusia daripada sudut
sains mampu menggambarkan kesihatan seseorang dan amalan diet makanan-makanan sunnah sangat baik dalam
memelihara sistem pencernaan manusia.