Browsing by Author "Su Shiung Lam"

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    Fruit waste as feedstock for recovery by pyrolysis technique
    (International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation, 2016) Su Shiung Lam; Rock Keey Liew; Xin Yi Lim; Farid Nasir Ani; Ahmad Jusoh
    Fruit wastes of mango endocarp and waste fruits peel from banana, orange and watermelon were pyrolysed respectively and subjected to different analyses to examine their thermal behaviour, chemical functional group, elemental and proximate content. The fruit wastes were dominated by volatile matter (52e67 wt%) containing aliphatic hydrocarbons, fatty acids and lignocellulosic components that can be recovered as potential fuel or chemical feedstock via pyrolysis. The wastes were also detected to have considerable amounts of fixed carbon (30e36 wt%), thus showing potential to be pyrolysed to produce biochar for use as activated carbon or catalyst support. The wastes can be pyrolysed at 400 C to convert the majority of the waste content into volatiles for recovery as useful bio-oil and bio-gas, and the remaining solid mass can be recovered as bio-char. The results demonstrate that the fruit wastes show exceptional promise as a feedstock for pyrolysis conversion into potentially useful products.
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    Optimization of biomass harvesting of microalgae, Chlorella sp. utilizing auto-flocculating microalgae, Ankistrodesmus sp. as bio-flocculant
    (International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation, 2016) Fathurrahman Lananan; Fareza Hanis Mohd Yunos; Nurfarahana Mohd Nasir; Nur Syuhada Abu Bakar; Su Shiung Lam; Ahmad Jusoh
    Current microalgae harvesting technology depends on sophisticated and complex approaches such as hollow fiber filtration, chemical flocculants and centrifugation, which are deemed feasible if high value products were obtained. In this study the potential of auto-flocculating microalgae Ankistrodesmus sp. was examined for its potential as bio-flocculant to harvest Chlorella sp. Zeta Potential Analysis was performed on the microalgae in the pH range of 4.16e9.55 before subjecting the microalgae to the coagulation e flocculation assay. The isoelectric point of microalgae suspension was observed in the range of pH 5e8 and the magnitude of zeta potentials ranged between 10 mv to 35 mV. Ankistrodesmus sp. was inoculated at a dosage of 50% (v/v) into a batch of Chlorella sp. culture during the coagulation e flocculation assay. The removal efficiency shown by Ankistrodesmus sp. was 82% at pH 7.1 followed by 55% at pH 6.2. Utilizing Ankistrodesmus sp. for flocculation was efficient since it did not require any changes of pH because isoelectric point was observed within the normal pH of Chlorella sp. growth condition. Development of innovative microalgae treatment technology incorporating continuous bio-harvesting with microalgae-microalgae flocculation could provide a low-cost and sustainable wastewater treatment approach. In addition, the use of microalgae itself to harvest microalgae biomass harvesting could simplify downstream processing, saving resources and would reduce the production cost for future microalgae-based technology.
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    Recovery of diesel-like fuel from waste palm oil by pyrolysis using a microwave heated bed of activated carbon
    (Energy, 2016) Su Shiung Lam; Wan Adibah Wan Mahari; Chin Kui Cheng; Rozita Omar; Cheng Tung Chong; Howard A. Chase
    Microwave pyrolysis using a well-mixed bed of activated carbon as both the microwave absorber and reaction bed was investigated for its potential to recover useful products fromwaste palm cooking oil e a cooking oil widely used in Asia. The carbon bed provided rapid heating (~18 C/min) and a localized reaction hot zone that thermally promoted extensive pyrolysis cracking of the waste oil at 450 C, leading to increased production of a biofuel product in a process taking less than 25 min. It also created a reducing reaction environment that prevented the formation of undesirable oxidized compounds in the biofuel. The pyrolysis produced a biofuel product that is low in oxygen, free of sulphur, carboxylic acid and triglycerides, and which also contains light C10-C15 hydrocarbons and a high calorific value nearly comparable to diesel fuel, thus showing great potential to be used as fuel. This pyrolysis approach offers an attractive alternative to transesterification that avoids the use of solvents and catalysts, and the need to remove free fatty acids and glycerol from the hydrocarbon product. The pyrolysis apparatus operated with an electrical power input of 1.12 kW was capable of producing a biofuel with an energy content equivalent to about 3 kW, showing a positive energy ratio of 2.7 and 73% recovery of the energy input to the system. The results show that the pyrolysis approach has huge potential as a technically and energetically viable means for the recovery of biofuels from the waste oil.