International Journal of Biomass Utilization and Sustainable Energy (IJBUSE)

Optimization of Natural Dye Extraction from Coconut Husk

Khairul Farihan Kasim, Nur Ain Abdul Ghafar, Nawwal Abdul Kadir — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This work aims to optimize the extraction of natural dye from coconut husks for use in the textile industry. The optimization process was carried out using the One-Factor-at-a-Time (OFAT) approach. Before optimization, different parts of the coconut husk i.e., endocarp, exocarp, mesocarp, and a mixture of mesocarp and exocarp were screened for their potential to be used as dye. It was found that the combination of mesocarp and exocarp has the highest potential in terms of physicochemical and phytochemical properties as it resulted in the best yield of extract, pH and colour intensity, and the highest Total Flavonoid Content, Total Phenolic Content, and Total Tannin Content. The optimal parameters to extract dye from coconut husk (combination of mesocarp and exocarps) are particle size of 2 mm, sample to solvent ratio of 1:100, extraction time of 60 min, and a temperature of 100 °C. The dye extract was tested for use on cotton fabric. It was found that regardless of the mordanting method, acetic acid is the best mordant to use. It resulted in a brighter and more intense colour than alum. The usage of acetic acid as the mordant combined with the pre-mordant method was found to be the best for colour fixation of the natural dye from coconut husk on cotton fabric.

Asam Gelugur-based Carbon Aerogels for Highly Recyclable Oil Adsorption

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Rapid development of the oil industries and improper oil management caused a huge amount of oil pollutant released into the water environment. Oil pollutant is toxic and may harm aquatic biodiversity. The present work highlights the facile preparation of carbon aerogels based from Asam Gelugur (CA@Ga) for oil remediation from aqueous. Analysis on the structure of CA@Ga using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), confirmed the successful preparation of CA@Ga through hydrothermal carbonization. The main parameters affecting the adsorption of oil such as the sorption time, pH and mass of sorbent were screened and oil adsorption studies revealed that the optimum conditions were at contact time of 3 minutes, pH of solution at 7 and the adsorbent mass of 2 g with the highest adsorption capacity of 0.82 + 0.01 g/g. CA@Ga displayed a good stability towards thermal treatment and exhibited good adsorption ability towards several types of oil. Recyclability study depicts that CA@Ga could be regenerated by simple physical treatments and retained a high sorption after 10 cycles with adsorption capacity of 0.80 + 0.01 g/g. Therefore, the prepared CA@Ga has potential in application of oil recovery and environmental protection.

Development of Vegetarian Burger Patties from Jackfruits’ (Artocarpus heteropyllus) Inner Skin

Noor Shazliana Aizee Abidin, Mageswaran Murugiya, Siti Nadherah Mohamad — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Jackfruit is a native kind of Malaysian fruit. During its fruiting season, the peels are usually discarded as waste and become a source of pollution. From the research that has been done, the inner skin, which is about 60% of the fruit, has a high nutritional value which can be utilized for human consumption, mainly as a source of dietary fiber. Hence, this paper reports the chemical compositions, comprising the percentage of the moisture content, ash, crude fiber, fat, protein, and carbohydrate, as well as the physical properties; texture analysis, color, and sensory evaluation of the jackfruit inner skin (JIS) vegetarian patty. Overall, JIS vegetarian patties consist of 62.75% moisture, 2.67% ash, 23.93% protein, 1.80% fat, and 18.50% crude fiber. These values have contributed to the calculation of carbohydrate and calorific value, 8.88% and 143kcal/100g respectively, lower than the control. In terms of physical properties, the texture analysis shows higher hardness and chewiness which is indirectly associated with the overall acceptance of the panelists on sensory evaluation. Within the hedonic values 1 to 9 which 9 being the highest, on average the panelist rated JIS vegetarian burger patties as 7.61. This value is in overall acceptance for the color, texture, odor, and taste of the JIS patties.

Bioconversion of Organic Wastes by Black Soldier Fly for Chitin, Lipid and Protein Production

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The bioconversion of organic waste into black soldier fly (BSF) larvae, which is a valuable source of lipid, and protein, is part on an ongoing creative effort in valorising waste. Besides lipid and protein, BSF larvae also contain significant amounts of chitin, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine that make up the backbone of the polysaccharide structure normally found in insects. In this study, the effects of organic waste type and moisture content on biomass conversion ratio were investigated. BSF larval development (larvae to prepupae to pupae) was found to occur to the highest extent (98.90 ± 0.71 % biomass converted) when kitchen waste (KW) was used compared to when vegetables waste (VW) (84.6 ± 1.41 % biomass converted) or fruit waste (FW) was used (87.5± 0.71 % biomass converted). The optimal moisture content of the kitchen waste was found to be 80 %, which results in the highest waste biomass conversion of 99.8 % ± 0.58. The BSF larvae were found to have approximately 38 – 42 % crude lipid, 34 – 41 % crude protein, and 8 – 9 % ash content. Chitin was isolated through a three-step process of deproteinization, demineralization, and decolorization. A yellowish-grey powder was obtained at the end of the isolation process and the chitin yield was determined to be 4 – 6% (g/g). Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) analyses confirmed the chitin yield by identifying the -OH, -CH₃CONH, and -CO stretching of its polysaccharides and glucosamine rings; and the lipid yield by noting the disappearance of the hydroxyl stretching that had been present in the spectra of unprocessed BSF larvae, and the appearance of X–H stretching which indicates the presence of triglyceride functional groups.

Synthesis and Optimization Study of Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) through Acid Hydrolysis from Confiscated Cigarette

Kaarthiga Manogaran, Akmal Hadi Ma’Radzi — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Tobacco is a type of plant which is used to make some products such as cigarettes and cigarettes are known to have a lot of harmful effects. There are few factors which causes the Royal Malaysian Custom Department to confiscate cigarettes which are white smuggled cigarette, contraband and false while storing the confiscated cigarettes for long time does not give any benefits. Therefore, cigarette butts which are chosen for this research study come from these confiscated cigarettes to utilize the waste. The tobacco was first undergoing alkaline pretreatment followed by bleaching process. Finally, hydrolysis process was done to synthesize microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). In this research, various acids (hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, and nitric acid) were used for the hydrolysis process. It was found that the best acid to synthesize MCC was nitric acid where the highest percentage of MCC yield was 76.83%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows the surface morphology of MCC which is observed to be like rod-like structure, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate that the crystalline and crystalline size of MCC was 74.28% and 4.61nm, respectively. FTIR spectra shows a successful removal of lignin structure from raw cigarette butts after hydrolysis process. Besides that, optimization of acid hydrolysis using Design of Expert software (DOE) were conducted where three independent variables were chosen which are hydrolysis time, hydrolysis temperature and acid concentration (nitric acid). Through this study, the highest yield of MCC obtained was 78% and the optimum conditions of parameters are 60 minutes, 60°C and 1.25M of nitric acid. The results of this study can be used to eliminate the hazards of the cigarette butts scattered in the environment and create the added value for the overall process.

Effect of Microwave-Assisted CO2 Pyrolysis on the Production of Activated Carbon from Confiscated Cigarettes

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Confiscated cigarettes are a significant problem worldwide, and in Malaysia, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (RMCD) Perlis had confiscated 1.5 billion sticks of cigarettes from 2016 to 2019 and the cost of disposal reached RM1.2 billion. Confiscated cigarettes are commonly disposed by incineration which can cause environmental pollution. In this study, the cigarette tobacco was converted into activated carbon (AC) via microwave-assisted CO₂ pyrolysis. The tobacco was first carbonized at 300℃, followed by carbon dioxide (CO₂) activation under microwave heating. The highest yield, 31% was obtained at 616W for 6 min. The BET surface area for tobacco, char and the best AC produced were 1.99, 1.21 and 1.69 m²/g, respectively. Response surface methodology (RSM) of dye removal from AC showed that the optimum condition with the best adsorption properties was achieved at 364 Watt for 2 minutes, which resulted in 87.4% removal of methylene blue (MB). Due to the low surface area, the capability of the AC to adsorb MB dye might be assisted by a diversified factors that contributes to the adsorption mechanism. Modelling of the adsorption data also showed that the adsorption process occurs in multilayers of the adsorbent, best fit to the Freundlich isotherm. Microwave-assisted CO₂ pyrolysis shows potential in the production of AC from tobacco and could be further improved to increase the surface area.

Effects of Steam Pretreated Rice Biomass Condensate Containing Soluble Solid Inhibitors on Disruption of Pomacea Canaliculata Egg

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Pomacea canaliculata is an invasive freshwater snail species that has become a serious pest of rice in irrigation and paddy fields and is popularly known as the golden apple snail. They are species that are capable of surviving and spreading rapidly, causing significant changes in the ecosystem. The application of natural by-products of a physicochemical method of biomass steam pre-treated condensate is one option for disrupting Pomacea Canaliculata egg. This experiment was conducted to investigate the feasibility of steam pre-treated rice biomass condensate which contained soluble solid inhibitors as a biopesticide to eradicate Pomacea canaliculata. Rice straw, rice husk, and a combination of rice straw and rice husk (1:1) were pre-treated by the saturated steam pre-treatment in a batch reactor at high temperatures (190°C and 210°C) for 10 min. The steam condensate produced from this system was analysed for major degraded products or inhibitors such as furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and phenol. The steam condensate which contained soluble solid inhibitors was then analysed for solubility test on P. canaliculata eggs. The effect of soluble solid inhibitors on the eggs was structurally examined by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results revealed that rice husk which was pre-treated at 210^°C reflected the highest contents of furfural (0.300 g/L), HMF (1.670 g/L), and phenol (0.087 g/L). However, the combination of rice biomass sample (1:1) condensate at 210°C demonstrated the greatest solubility percentage (11.51%) when treated to the eggs P. canaliculata eggs. The image of the egg structure examined by SEM clearly displayed the fractures forming on the cuticle layer of the eggs. SEM results demonstrated that the condensate from saturated steam pre-treated rice biomass has the possibility to be used as a biopesticide to disrupt the eggs and eventually could prevent the snails’ invasion.

Investigation of the White-rot Fungus Biomass Extraction Conditions and Their Impact on Phenolic, Flavonoids Content and Antioxidant Activities

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

White-rot fungus are known as natural source of antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic, and other enzymes through extraction processes. In this study, Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Panus tigrinus biomass were subjected into different extraction conditions to determine the best optimal level for the extraction of phenolic and flavonoids compounds. P. chrysosporium produced high yield of phenolic (0.7041 mg/mL) and flavonoids (0.0286 mg/mL) compared to P. tigrinus; 0.3755 mg/mL and 0.0109 mg/mL of phenolic and flavonoids compounds, respectively. P. chrysosporium has higher antioxidant activity (70.31%) compared with P. tigrinus (25.30%). Therefore, P. chrysosporium was selected to determine the optimum condition for extraction method of phenolic and flavonoids compounds using aquoues-two phase system. The conditions used in the extraction was time within the range of 30 min to 180 min and temperature range from 250°C to 650°C. The conditions were optimized using Response Surface Method (RSM) under Central Composite Design. The best optimum condition was 105 min and 450°C, this condition produced the highest concentrations of phenolic, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity (AA%) at 0.4269 mg/mL, 0.0695 mg/mL, and 76.13% respectively. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) was used to determine the presence of phenolic and flavonoids in the sample. The Rf value from P. chrysosporium was 0.98 closed to the Rf values of gallic acid and 3,4-hydroxybenzoic acid at 0.95 and 0.97, respectively. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy shows that P. chrysosporium have gallic acid, 3,4 hydroxybenzoic acid and small amount of quercetin.