This paper explains preparation of activated carbon from empty fruit bunch (EFB) using steam activation under optimum conditions; activation temperature of 765°C and activation time of 77min and analyzes their physical and chemical properties using proximate and ultimate analysis, fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis, x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Results show activated carbon EFB consists of 68.32 wt% carbon, 3.12 wt% hydrogen, 2.12 wt% nitrogen and 26.44 wt% oxygen content. FT-IR spectroscopy result indicate that raw EFB was successfully converted to carbon after activation process and was proven by spectra of commercial activated carbon. The XRD study confirms the presence of some crystalline (graphite) phase around peaks 26oand 43o. Characterization by using BET and SEM analysis showed that activated carbon produced from EFB has good properties with high surface area (720.0 m2/g) and well developed pores.
Objective and Background: Synergistic extraction was introduced to replace single extraction due to enhanced extraction efficiency of heavy metal. Methodology: In order to improve extraction efficiency, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) was mixed with isodecanol to provide a synergistic effect together with leaching solution which is thiourea. From the single extraction system, the optimum temperature is found at 30°C producing the highest yield of %E of 91.30%. The single extraction also happened better with the presence of Fe(III) solution and thiourea as the %E is at 91.23%. Results and Conclusion: It was found that the synergistic D2EHPA-isodecanol extraction is successful as it yields higher %E than the single D2EHPA extraction.
Dihydroxystearic acid (DHSA) is a product derived from a chemical modification of palm oleic acid. Application of these valuable fatty acids can be found in cosmetics, as a thickening agent and as a coating agent for pigments due to its unique structure. This study investigates the effect of a catalyst on epoxidation and the formation of DHSA by peracid mechanism. The epoxidation yield calculated by relative conversion to oxirane (RCO%) with a high yield of 95% achieved. Thereafter, the epoxidized oleic acid was hydrolyzed to produce DHSA. The formation of DHSA was verified by analysed the physicochemical properties using Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR). The kinetic model was being conducted to determine reaction rate using Particle Swarm (PS). The result showed that PS obtained a minimum error of 0.2005 and a correlation coefficient, r of 0.9999.
Coal Bottom Ash (CBA) is normally associated as a by-product from the thermal power plants. Due to the current situation where the power plant is facing an increase in the production of CBA at an alarming rate reaching up to hundreds of thousands of tonnes in Malaysia alone, without known economic value CBA commonly ends up in ash ponds. As sustainable solid waste management has become a growing concern, this research present the recent development achieved on the utilization of CBA as partial replacement of cement in concrete bricks manufacturing. The influence of different amount of CBA on the water absorption, compressive strength performances and UPV test on bricks are presented. With the addition of CBA as a partial replacement of cement also causes an increase in physical performance compared to regular bricks. As a conclusion, the bricks produced passed the required value of typical commercial bricks for water absorption, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and compressive strength test for industrial purposes. Hence, incorporating CBA in construction materials will significantly reduce the dumping of the by-products in landfills and thus reduce the adverse effect towards the environmental.
This study investigated the effects of simulated flue gas temperature and mercury inlet concentration on the mercury removal efficiency using activated carbon produced from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) which is prepared using physical (steam) activation method. The elemental, proximate, porous structure and particle size were performed for the oil palm EFB activated carbon. At low temperature, performance of activated carbon showed a good potential for adsorption of mercury. However, as temperature increase from 90 to 180°C, the efficiency of mercury was found to be decreased from 92 to 64 %. When the inlet mercury concentration was increased, the mercury removal efficiency is increased from 55 to 98 %. It was observed that mercury removal was favoured at lower temperature, such as 30 and 90°C and higher mercury concentration, such as 0.192 ppm for virgin oil palm EFB activated carbon.
The waste generation of palm oil boiler ash has been one of its big problems as it is less used and deposited in landfills as a by-product. Geopolymer is a new green technology that has been intensively studied in concrete applications. However, few studies on geopolymers have been conducted in soil applications. Thus, this study investigated the influence of palm oil boiler ash-based geopolymer in laterite soil strength. Different percentages, 5, 10, 15, and 20% of geopolymer mixtures, were added to laterite soil. The process of producing a geopolymer binder was performed by sieving boiler ash (150 µm), then mixing with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) as an alkaline activator at a ratio of 1:2. This material effectiveness was tested through compaction test using a standard proctor, unconfined compressive strength, and the scanning electron microscope (SEM). 15% of geopolymer in laterite soil indicated the best-mixed design with a maximum dry density of 2.23 Mg/m3 with a moisture content of 13.58%. The unconfined compressive strength test at curing times of zero, seven, and twenty-eight days on the LS-15.0 GPOBA sample, show a slightly increased strength of 47, 58, and 76 kPa, respectively. The SEM images proved that the geopolymer gel's development stabilized the soil structure from a loose structure to a denser soil structure. This study aims to investigate the influence of geopolymer in laterite soil. Boiler ash as an alternative material in geotechnical applications was studied to understand and develop new green alternative materials to sustain the environment from industrial waste and to enhance laterite soil properties. ABSTRAK: Abu kelapa sawit adalah salah satu sisa utama yang terhasil dari industri kelapa sawit tetapi penggunaannya kurang dimanfaatkan dan dibuang ke tempat pembuangan sampah. Teknologi hijau baru yang dikenali sebagai geopolimer telah dikaji secara intensif dengan kekuatan konkrit tetapi hanya sedikit kajian telah dibuat dalam penggunaan tanah. Tujuan kajian ini adalah bagi mengesan geopolimer berasaskan abu kelapa sawit terhadap kekuatan tanah laterit. Peratusan campuran geopolimer yang berbeza (0, 5, 10, 15 dan 20%) dicampur pada tanah laterit. Bagi menghasilkan geopolimer, saiz 150 ?m abu kelapa sawit disintesis dengan kombinasi bahan kimia natrium hidroksida (NaOH) dan natrium silikat (Na2SiO3) pada nisbah 1:2 bagi semua campuran sebagai pengaktif alkali. Ujian terhadap keberkesanan bahan adalah melalui proses ujian pemampatan menggunakan proktor standard, kekuatan pemampatan tidak terbatas, dan Pengimbas Mikroskop Elektron (SEM). Berdasarkan dapatan ujian pemadatan, 15% geopolimer di tanah laterit menunjukkan campuran terbaik dengan memberikan kepadatan pengeringan maksimum 2.23 Mg/m3 pada kelembapan 13.58%. Ujian kekuatan mampatan tidak terbatas pada masa pempolimeran sebanyak 0, 7 dan 28 hari diuji pada sampel LS-15.0GPOBA bagi menguji kekuatan campuran. Dapatan menunjukkan kekuatan geopolimer sedikit meningkat pada 47, 58 dan 76, masing-masing. Imej SEM membuktikan pengembangan gel geopolimer menstabilkan struktur tanah daripada struktur lopong kepada struktur tanah padat. Oleh itu, abu kelapa sawit berasaskan geopolimer dan tanah laterit berpotensi sebagai alternatif bagi merawat tanah dalam aplikasi geoteknik dan berpotensi mengurangkan kadar kebolehtelapan.
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