Guinea Grass ( Megathyrsus maximus ) Fibres as Sorbent in Diesel Bioremediation

Farah Eryssa Khalid, Nur Nadhirah Zakaria, Alyza Azzura Azmi (), Noor Azmi Shaharuddin, Suriana Sabri, Khalilah Abdul Khalil, Claudio Gomez-Fuentes, Azham Zulkharnain, Sooa Lim and Siti Aqlima Ahmad ()
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Farah Eryssa Khalid: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Nur Nadhirah Zakaria: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Alyza Azzura Azmi: Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus 21030, Terengganu, Malaysia
Noor Azmi Shaharuddin: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Suriana Sabri: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Khalilah Abdul Khalil: School of Biology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam 40450, Selangor, Malaysia
Claudio Gomez-Fuentes: Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidad de Magallanes, Avda. Bulnes, Punta Arenas 01855, Chile
Azham Zulkharnain: Department of Bioscience and Engineering, College of Systems Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology, 307 Fukasaku, Minumaku, Saitama 337-8570, Japan
Sooa Lim: Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Hoseo University, Asan-si 31499, Chungnam, Republic of Korea
Siti Aqlima Ahmad: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: In this study, the ability of a natural grass named Megathyrsus maximus (Guinea grass) as a sorbent for cleaning up diesel spills in water was investigated. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify the physicochemical properties of untreated and treated GG. Several parameters influencing the efficiency of oil absorbed by guinea grass were optimised using established One Factor at a Time (OFAT) and followed by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) approaches. The optimised parameters include heat treatment, time of heating, packing density, and diesel concentration, with only the significant factors proceeded to statistical optimisation through RSM. As a result of OFAT analysis, 18.83 mL of oil was absorbed at 110 °C for 15 min time of heating, with packing density of 14 g/cm 3 and oil concentration of 10% ( v / v ). Through RSM, the predicted model was significant, confirming that packing density and oil concentration significantly influenced the efficiency of oil absorption by GG. The software predicted an oil absorption efficiency of 16.64 mL, whereas the experimental model validated the design with 22.33 mL of oil absorbed at a constant temperature and time, respectively. The RSM technique has proven better efficiency and effectiveness in absorbing oil compared to OFAT. This research advances our understanding of the utilisation of natural sorbents as a diesel pollution remediation strategy.

Keywords: guinea grass; sorbent; optimisation; oil absorption; diesel pollution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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