Aziatul Niza Sadikin

Pineapple peel fibre biocomposite: Characterisation and biodegradation studies

In this study, pineapple peel fibre (PAPF) based low density polyethylene (LDPE) biocomposites for green packaging was studied. The PAPF was first being treated with alkali before compounded with LDPE. The mixture was compounded using twin screw extruder and the test samples were prepared using hot press machine. The compatibility of the PAPF as biocomposites was observed through the characterisation analysis and thermal properties and also the biodegradation analysis. Melt flow index (MFI) analysis was conducted to determine the process ability of the biocomposites. As the fibre loading in the biocomposites increases, the MFI values were decreased. The amount of water absorption was increased with the increases of PAPF loading due to the higher cellulose content. Thermal stability studies of biocomposites were undergoing thermogravimetry (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Melting temperature (Tm) for the biocomposite was determined from the DSC analysis while the degradation temperature was determined by using the TGA analysis. The thermal properties of PAPF biocomposites were more or less the same as the LDPE properties. The biocomposites was buried in the soil for a month and exposed to fungi environment for 28 d for biodegradation analysis and the highest PAPF/LDPE loading biocomposites degraded the most. Therefore, PAPF biocomposites was compatible for green packaging.

A Simple and Cost-Effective Method for Fabricating Chitosan-Filled Filter Media from Lignocellulosic Biomass

The newly developed non-woven filter media are composed of randomly oriented fibrous fibers from lignocellulosic biomass. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of incorporating chitosan solution in fibrous filter media made from lignocellulosic biomass. The wet lay-up method was adopted for filter media fabrication. Diluted acetic acid was used as medium to dissolve the chitosan powder. Chitosan solution was applied to the fiber using two different deposition techniques, namely, spray method and addition method. The tensile test demonstrated that the filter media using spray method outperformed a filter media made from by addition technique. From the FT-IR spectrum, when the chitosan was added to empty fruit bunches fibers, the absorption peaks at around 1642 cm-1 are clearly identified that showing the presence of amine group in the fibers. The changes observed in the spectra indicated the possible interaction of functional groups between chitosan and cellulose in the fibers. The newly developed non-woven filter media integrates the functions for both the deep filtration and mechanical screen, thus it will be an alternative medium in oily wastewater treatment industry.

Effect of Pre-Treatment of Lignocellulosic Fiber on Mechanical Properties of Chitosan-Filled Filter Media

The newly developed non-woven filter media are composed of randomly oriented fibrous fibers from empty fruit bunch fibers. The wet lay-up method was adopted for filter media fabrication. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of pre-treatment of lignocellulosic fibers on the mechanical properties of fibrous filter media. The study also aims to examine the effect of chitosan application as binder on the tensile strength of fibrous filter media from treated and untreated fibers. The fibers were treated with sodium hydroxide solution, diethyl ether, ethanol and hot water. The pre-treatment enhance the fibrous filter media properties, while filter media from untreated empty fruit bunch fibers showed lower mechanical properties. The changes in mechanical properties followed the order: alkali-treated > diethyl ether > ethanol > hot water > untreated empty fruit bunch fibers.

Bio‐composite Nonwoven Media Based on Chitosan and Empty Fruit Bunches for Wastewater Application

Fibrous filter media in the form of non-woven filters have been used extensively in water treatment as pre-filters or to support the medium that does the separation. Lignocellulosic such as empty fruit bunches have potential to be used as a low cost filter media as they represent unused resources, widely available and are environmentally friendly. Laboratory filtration tests were performed to investigate the potential application of empty fruit bunches that enriched with chitosan as a fiber filter media to remove suspended solids, oil and grease, and organics in terms of chemical oxygen demand from palm oil mill effluent. The present paper studies the effect of chitosan concentration on the filter media performance. Bench-scaled experiment results indicated that pre-treatment using the fiber filtration system removed up to 67.3% of total suspended solid, 65.1% of oil and grease and 46.1% of chemical oxygen demand. The results show that the lignocellulosic fiber filter could be a potential technology for primary wastewater treatment.