Shafreeza Sobri

CH4 and CO2 Detection by Using Carbon Nanotube-Based Sensors

This research was carried out to investigate the effect of gas adsorption towards the electrical resistance of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) thin film. CNTs were synthesized by Floating Catalyst Chemical Vapor Deposition (FC-CVD) method on quartz substrate at 950°C under methane gas flow rate of 150 Standard Cubic Centimeters per Minute (SCCM). Then, the electrical resistance of CNTs was measured by exposing the sensors to CO2 and CH4 gases operating at room temperature. The sensors showed high responses to the gaseous molecules. In the same experimental conditions, the recovery of the sensors was different for CO2 and CH4. It was also observed that the CNTs device behaves as a p-type semiconductor when exposed to gaseous molecules. The fabrication process was relatively simple and did not require special techniques.

Decomposition and biodegradability enhancement of textile wastewater using a combination of electron beam irradiation and activated sludge process.

The research conducted a study on decomposition and biodegradability enhancement of textile wastewater using a combination of electron beam irradiation and activated sludge process. The purposes of this research are to remove pollutant through decomposition and to enhance the biodegradability of textile wastewater. The wastewater is treated using electron beam irradiation as a pre-treatment before undergo an activated sludge process. As a result, for non-irradiated wastewater, the COD removal was achieved to be between 70% and 79% after activated sludge process. The improvement of COD removal efficiency increased to 94% after irradiation of treated effluent at the dose of 50 kGy. Meanwhile, the BOD(5) removal efficiencies of non-irradiated and irradiated textile wastewater were reported to be between 80 and 87%, and 82 and 99.2%, respectively. The maximum BOD(5) removal efficiency was achieved at day 1 (HRT 5 days) of the process of an irradiated textile wastewater which is 99.2%. The biodegradability ratio of non-irradiated wastewater was reported to be between 0.34 and 0.61, while the value of biodegradability ratio of an irradiated wastewater increased to be between 0.87 and 0.96. The biodegradability enhancement of textile wastewater is increased with increasing the doses. Therefore, an electron beam radiation holds a greatest application of removing pollutants and also on enhancing the biodegradability of textile wastewater.

The Effect of CH4 and CO2 Exposure on Carbon Nanotubes Electrical Resistance

This research was carried out to monitor and investigate the gas sensing effects on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by a systematic study of the variations in the electrical resistance as sensor signal induced by adsorption of CO2 and CH4 gaseous molecules. The CNTs were synthesized by Floating Catalyst Chemical Vapor Deposition (FC-CVD) method on quartz substrate under benzene bubble at temperature of 700°C. Then, they were tested for gas sensing applications operating at room temperature. Upon exposure to gaseous molecules, the electrical resistance of CNTs dramatically increased for both CO2 and CH4 gases with short response time and high sensitivity. It was also observed that the CNTs device behaves as a p-type semiconductor when exposed to gaseous molecules. In addition, the recovery of the sensors and mechanism of gas sensing procedure are discussed.

Optimization of Synthesis of Carbon Nanotubes Using Chemical Vapor Deposition Method

Multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized using floating catalyst-chemical vapor deposition (FC-CVD) with ferrocene and benzene as catalyst and carbon source, respectively. Argon was used as a purging gas while hydrogen was used as a carrier gas. Hydrogen flow rate, reaction time and reactor temperature were varied to obtain high yield and purity of MWCNTs. The morphology and microstructures of MWCNTs produced were studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). It was found that the maximum yield and purity of MWCNTs were produced at hydrogen flow rate of 300 ml/min with reactor temperature of 900°C and reaction time 45 minutes. It was observed that the MWCNTs are film-like, randomly oriented and in some cases entangled with uniform diameter.

Chemical Characterisation of Printed Circuit Board Wastewater

Manufacturing of PCBs is highly complicated and involves many processes. Recycling of PCB wastewater receives wide concerns as the recent international growth in the electronics industry has generated a drastic increase in the amount of waste PCBs with profound environmental impacts such as soil and groundwater contamination. This paper reports on the chemical characterization of PCB wastewater as the initial investigation for selective metal recovery.