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Bioethanol from oil palm empty fruit bunches as a second-generation bioethanol (bioethanol G2) has been developed. It produces high amounts of black liquor wastewater which also contains alkaline solution (NaOH). Black liquor wastewater is harmful to aquatic ecosystems if discharge directly into waters. This study aimed to determine decolorization of black liquor wastewater by using chemical and biological methods. Coagulation-flocculation method by using Poly Aluminium Chloride (PAC) and alumwith different ratio was also investigated. This study also identified the ability of white-rot fungi to decolorize black liquor wastewater on agar and liquid medium.The results showed that black liquor wastewater with initial concentration 30,000 ppm can be decolorized by using two methods, coagulation-flocculation and decolorization by white-rot fungi.The optimum condition to obtain 96% decolorization was using concentration coagulant 1% combination alum-PAC 3:1 with total retention time 33 minutes.Out of the three fungi studied, Trametes versicolor U97 showed the most degraded fungus onagar medium containing black liquor. In liquid medium, the percentage of decolorization ranged from 70% to 89% at 30 days depending on the fungal strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trametes versicolor U97 isolated from nature degraded 73% of the 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT) in a malt extract liquid medium after a 40-d incubation period. This paper presents a kinetic study of microbial growth using the Monod equation. T. versicolor U97 degraded DDT during an exponential growth phase, using glucose as a carbon source for growth. The growth of T. versicolor U97 was not affected by DDT. DDT was degraded by T. versicolor U97 only when the secondary metabolism coincided with the production of several enzymes. Furthermore, modeling of several inhibitors using the partial least squares function in Minitab 15, revealed lignin peroxidase (98.7U/l) plays a role in the degradation of DDT. T. versicolor U97 produced several metabolites included a single-ring aromatic compound, 4-chlorobenzoic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Potential use of EFB-nanocellulose as super-adsorbent for water remediation. • Remarkable Pb2+ adsorption with 86% efficiency at only 2 wt.% EFB-nanocellulose. • Possible adsorption mechanism of EFB-nanocellulose is also proposed. • EFB-nanocellulose/activated carbon showed notable COD reduction to 93%. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB)-based nanocellulose (NC) was successfully produced as a super-adsorbent for water remediation via sulfuric (NCS) and phosphoric (NCP) acid hydrolysis and functionalized with activated carbon (AC). The formation of sulfonic groups on the NCS surface could achieve higher remediation capabilities than that of EFB-NCP. In a very short period, 2 wt.% of the formulated EFB-NCS super-adsorbent showed a selective and remarkable metal adsorption capability to Pb2+ at 86% efficiency and 24.94 mg/g adsorption capacity, which were double compared to those of rice-straw NC, and maintained a similar adsorptive capacity after second reusability. Conversely, the insignificant improvement in the adsorption capacity of NCS/AC was attributed to the disturbed surface functionality of micron-size AC. The NCS/AC showed notable organic degradation capability for reducing the chemical oxygen demand (COD) to 93%. All super-adsorbents could maintain the pH, TDS, sulfate and phosphate contents within the government water quality specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia is the second-largest contributor of microplastics (MPs) pollution in the marine ecosystem. Most MPs pollution-related studies in Indonesia focus on seawater, sediment, with less information found on the commercially important fish species used for human consumption. Skipjack Tuna (Euthynnus affinis) is one of the major exporting fishery commodities from Indonesia. This exploratory study aimed to determine MPs presence in the digestive tract of Skipjack Tuna from the Southern Coast of Java, Indonesia. The fish samples were collected from five different fish traditional auction market along the Southern Coast of Java, Indonesia, namely Pangandaran, Pamayang Sari, Ciletuh, Santolo, and Palabuhan Ratu. The gastrointestinal tract of Skipjack tuna was pretreated using alkaline destruction and filtered. The presence of MPs in the treated samples was visually identified using an optical microscope, while Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) contaminants were analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 19 suspected MPs particles were found in the form of filament (84%), angular (11%), and round (5%). This result would provide a better indication of the MPs contamination in marine life species in the Southern Coast of Java, Indonesia, as useful information for marine environmental monitoring program in the future. [Display omitted] • MPs were found in the Skipjack tuna from the Southern Coast of Java, Indonesia. • MPs were found in the form of filament (84%), angular (11%), and round (5%). • The size of the detected MPs was found between 0.25 and 5 mm. • PBDEs is a potential marker for the detection of microplastic contamination in fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]