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The Malaysian palm oil industry has grown rapidly due to Malaysia’s tropical weather and suitable terrain. Palm oil production is now categorized as the most significant agriculture-based industry in the country. Along with strong economic returns, the palm oil industry also generates an abundance of waste products, including empty fruit bunches (EFB) (23%), mesocarp fibre (12%), shells (5%) and palm oil mill effluent (POME) (60%) for every batch of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) processed in the mills. This study is meant to fill the gap from previous studies in terms of biogas productions from the POME or the combination of POME and EFB which normally been conducted under the thermophilic conditions. The appropriate mixture ratios between POME and EFB in anaerobic digestion will reduce time of treatment and space if been conducted in the low temperature (mesophilic conditions). Thus, this paper is focuses on the analysis of batch test design which consist of low temperature (mesophilic, 20-40 °C) conditions for evaluating the performance of biogas production from the combination of POME and EFB in anaerobic digestion. The aim was to determine the amount of biogas production based on different ratios of POME and EFB mixtures. Biogas 1, containing 160 mL of fresh POME mixed with 40 g of EFB, was shredded and blended with 1800 mL seed sludge. Biogas 2, containing 120 mL of fresh POME mixed with 80 g of EFB, was shredded and blended with 1800 mL seed sludge. Based on the analysis of the results, the total production of Biogas 1 was greater than that of Biogas 2. The findings also show that the ratio of POME and 20% EFB (Biogas 1) was more efficient in producing the biogas compared to the ratio POME and 40% EFB (Biogas 2) under the mesophilic conditions. Thus, the mesophilic conditions required energy saving and low-cost process, compared to the previous studies which used the high temperature (thermophilic, 41-122 °C) that definitely was costly and require more energy consumption. This study will serve as preliminary results for enhancing the treatment methods use in Malaysia and form the early basis for the development of a new technology incorporating a combination of POME and EFB.

In December 2019, a novel coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak was reported for the first time in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. This coronavirus has been referred as Coronavirus Disease 2019 or COVID-19 by World Health Organization (WHO). The spread of COVID-19 has become unstoppable, infecting around 93.5 million people worldwide, with the infections and deaths still increasing. Today, the entire planet has changed due to the greatest threat on the planet since the introduction of this lethal disease. This pandemic has left the world in turmoil and various measures have been taken by many countries including movement control order or lockdown, to slow down or mitigate the infection. Since the lockdown has been implemented almost in all affected countries, there has been a significant reduction in anthropogenic activity, including a reduction in industrial operations, vehicle numbers, and marine-related activities. All of these changes have also led to some unexpected environmental consequences. As a result of this lockdown, it had a positive and negative impact on the environment including the aquatic environment. Hence this review will therefore focus on the good and bad perspectives of the lockdown toward the aquatic environment. © 2021 Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. All rights reserved.

This study investigated the abundance and characteristics of microplastics in commercial fish species from the Bay of Bengal, off the coast of Bangladesh. The gastrointestinal tracts of 100 individuals from 10 species of commercial marine fish were examined for microplastics. Microplastics were detected in all species. A total of 215 microplastics were recovered with an average abundance in the range of 2.2 ± 0.89 microplastics per individual. Five types of microplastics were found: fibers, films, fragments, foams, and granules, which accounted for 53.4%, 40%, 3.3%, 1.9%, and 1.4% of the total, respectively. Among the identified microplastics, green (39%) was the most dominant color, and 500 μ m (85%) size was the most dominant. Polymers were polyethylene (55%), polypropylene (33%), polyester (6%), polyurethane (2%), ethylene propylene diene monomer (2%), and styrene butadiene rubber (2%). The study results show the common incident of microplastics in fish and open the way for further studies to better explain factors influencing the occurrence of microplastics in fish in the Bay of Bengal and risk assessment.

Project-Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which a student gains knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic project, engaging in complex questions, problems, or challenges. The PBL for sustainability management course was designed to achieve the student learning outcomes and to help develop skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, and self-management. The project features a real-problem in an Orang Asli Settlement at Pos Kuala Mu, Perak. The challenge for the students is to propose sustainable eco-tourism activities and at the same time conserve and uphold the traditional knowledge and Orang Asli heritage. The target of this project is to increase the income of the Orang Asli and thus improve their economic sustainability. Students were engaged in a rigorous, extended process of asking questions, finding resources, applying their knowledge and gathering information. The project was successfully implemented and can be concluded that implementation of PBL in sustainability management course for postgraduate students achieved the course outcomes and the programmes outcomes. Keywords: Project-based Learning (PBL), Sustainability Management, Postgraduate

Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill has generated leachate that causes a significant effect to the surface water and groundwater. The discharge of leachate into the water system must comply with the standards and regulations set by the Department of Environment (DOE), Malaysia. Therefore, it is important to treat the landfill leachate complying to those standards in order to protect the environment. In doing so, there have been many techniques developed to treat the landfill leachate and one of them is an ion exchange treatment having zeolite as its adsorbent. Therefore, this study evaluated the removal of ammonia-nitrogen and heavy metals (manganese and cadmium) using zeolite. The ability of zeolite to remove ammonia-nitrogen, manganese and cadmium as selective ion was also studied. Two media of samples were used. The first medium was synthetic leachate and the second was pre-treated leachate taken from Jeram Sanitary Landfill, Selangor. The experiment was conducted for five days in batch modes. The initial ammonia-nitrogen concentration of each medium was set to 20 mg/L, 40 mg/L, and 60 mg/L. It was found that the reduction of ammonia-nitrogen, manganese, and cadmium concentrations was 93%, 15% and 83% in synthetic medium, respectively. While in the pre-treated leachate sample, the reduction was in the order of 75%, 23%, and 86% for ammonia-nitrogen, manganese, and cadmium. The nitrification occurred in the batch culture experiment by supplying an additional aeration to the system. This was concurrently supported by the results of ammonia-nitrogen, which was reduced to nitrite-nitrogen and to nitrate-nitrogen in the pre-treated leachate sample. Hence, it is concluded that the nitrifying bacteria did exist in these batch experiments.

Anaerobic treatability of municipal landfill leachate was evaluated using lab-scale anaerobic batch reactors. The batch reactor contained two columns. Column 1 consisted of 3 litres of raw leachate and artificial substrate. Column 2 consisted of 3 litres of raw leachate, artificial substrate (mixture of wheat flour and water), and 600 g of deodoriser from the extraction of lemongrass. Before anaerobic digestion occurred, the characteristics parameter of the leachate sample was identified. Then, the process began by adding the artificial substrate into both columns and deodoriser into the column 2. After the anaerobic digestion happened, the biogas was produced. Next, the parameters of the sample were tested again to compare with the initial sample. Data showed that anaerobic digestion could treat the leachate sample and produced the biogas (column 1: 7,550 mg/L and column 2: 7,100 mg/L). The performance of biogas production shows the significant result with present of deodoriser.

Coastal reclamation activities on the coastline of Johor, which are underway seen to be affecting the quality of coastal waters and rivers nearby. Therefore, this study was undertaken to monitor and identify the extent to which the assumptions say that the water quality will be affected by the results of the coastal reclamation activities. After a couple of water sampling locations are identified, reading the parameters of water quality were conducted. The results of the monitoring conducted found that the water qualities in that area are in good condition.

Constructed wetland has the potential to provide significant treatment for quality of stormwater runoff, especially in total suspended solid and total phosphorus concentration. The aim of this research is to investigate the trend of total phosphorus on total suspended solid reduction in constructed wetland in order to enhance the urban stormwater quality. This study was conducted in actual constructed wetland located in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Engineering Campus, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia. The water samples were taken using grab sampling method from 14 sampling stations for seven months based on 14 stormwater events. The results showed a positive value of Pearson’s r as the total suspended solid had a positive correlation with the total phosphorus approximately, r = 0.78, which can be considered a large effect on the reduction trend. The coefficient of determination, R 2 = 0.93, was obtained from the relationship between total suspended solid and total phosphorus. Thus, the decreasing trend of total suspended solid concentration also showed the decreasing concentration of total phosphorus. The appropriate selection of macrophyte, water depth, and hydraulic residence time are vital to enhance the stormwater quality before discharge to the receiving water body.

Water is one of the most important sources of human life. Rainfall is abundant source that can provide water for human consumption. However, the clean water source cannot be relished, as a result of pollution caused by humans. Development and modernization cause water to become filthy and not suitable to be used directly and require rigorous treatment. Kerayong River that passes through residential and industrial area in Kuala Lumpur also became a victim of water pollution. 6 sampling points along the Kerayong River in this study showed the high rate of ammoniacal nitrogen and phosphorus in the river water, which is 6.92–10.83 mg/L and 2.22–3.53 mg/L, respectively. The presence of nitrate and nitrite concentration can also be detected from 0.09–0.22 mg/L to 0.05–0.17 mg/L, respectively. Pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, Shigella, E.coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were detected in concentrations up to 173 cfu/ml in the river water, overcoming the limits. Although only in sampling points 1–4 could detect Vibrio spp. with low concentration, but it still needs to be concerned. Overall, the river water is not suitable for use directly without going through the proper water treatment process.

A fast and highly sensitive detection of noroviruses was established by Reverse Transcriptase PCR amplification using primers adapted from loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) of noroviruses (RT-L-NoV PCR amplification). The amplification was carried out in 30-min early incubation in 50 °C for reverse transcription activity and further 35 PCR short cycles for total finishing time within 60 min with no cross-reactivity with other common environmental species and strains. The LOD of this method was 10−15 × 100 ng/ulor 1zg/ul of pIDTSMART-NoV gene per reaction which is reported to be the highest sensitivity conventional PCR-based detection method for noroviruses. These early findings give hope for a potentially useful RT-L-NoV PCR amplification assay for a highly sensitive detection of NoV genomes especially in diluted concentration sample like water.

Stormwater carries a broad mix of toxic chemicals, bacteria, sediments, fertilisers, oil and grease to nearby water bodies, which makes it polluted for other use. Under Malaysia climate, abundance stormwater runoff can be collected, treated and then reused for other purposes depending on the treated water quality. For the purpose of the study, a site in UPM Serdang was identified and selected to house a treatment unit with stormwater feed system using porous rock matrices as treatment media. The rock matrix is originally used as landscape tool due to its aesthetic value. However, the porous nature of the rock matrix has potential to remove stormwater impurities via biological treatment. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the treatment efficiency of the porous rock matrices as treatment media. The research methodologies involve design, build and commission of the treatment unit followed by water quality test for selected parameters. The treatment unit achieved the following removal efficiency for total suspended solid (TSS) (57–72 %), turbidity (15–87 %), colour (55–87 %) and dissolved oxygen (DO) (2–17 %). pH value shows an increasing trend of 7–40 %. Nevertheless, the result for total dissolved solid (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC) fluctuates throughout the treatment process.

The rapid growth of shrimp farm activities began since last 40 years. It is due to high demands and can generate economy to the country. In Malaysia, thousands tonnes of shrimp were produced every year for local demand and export as well. However high demand in this industry, causes problem of water pollution in shrimp ponds which subsequently contaminated discharge from the pond due to presence of bacteria. In this study, it was found that shrimp farm water and effluent containing pathogenic bacteria which is resistant to certain antibiotic. These antibiotic resistance bacteria could be harmful to human. Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Shigella flexneri and E. coli were detected in the water and effluent from the shrimp farm. Total of Vibrio in 3 and 6 months pond were higher than allowable limit, which is 1625 and 2650 cfu/ml, respectively. E. coli in this study was recorded at low concentration, however dramatically increased in 4 months pond (438 cfu/ml) before plunging to 13 cfu/ml in 6 months pond. It can be concluded that the higher number of pathogenic bacteria (>1000 cfu/ml of Vibrio) were detected in shrimp pond water and effluent can cause illness to human health.

End of year, flood normally hits the eastern coast of the Peninsular Malaysia. The natural hazard usually causes property damage and loss of lives. However, pathogenic bacteria in flood water should be taken into account to ensure that it does not affect human health during flood. This study shows that three types of bacteria were found in flood water in Pahang. Shigella flexneri, Salmonella typhimurium, and Escherichia coli, which are pathogenic, can affect the human health if the hygiene factors are not taken care. E. coli was found in flood water with an average 671 cfu/ml. While Salmonella were found in Paloh Hinai, Kg. Batu Dua Belas, and Chini with 25, 50, and 38 cfu/ml, respectively. An average of 233 cfu/ml Shigella was found in flood water. Overall the flood water quality fulfilled the National Water Quality Standards for recreational use with body contact. However, more data of the actual flood situation are needed to be able to confirm the actual microbes present in flood water.

A preliminary study was carried out in order to evaluate a reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for detecting Noroviruses (NoV) RNA surrogates as external standard for NoV.The detection limit of the NoV RT-LAMP assay was observed to be 22 copies/μL. This RT-LAMP assay sensitivity was comparablewith the quantitative reverse transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and shown to be 10-fold more sensitive than end-point conventional reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR). The NoV RT-LAMP assay showed high specificity to NoV targeted gene when specificity test was completed with no cross-reactivity with other 17 environmental strains. The assay also was performed with 11 spiked recreational stream water randomly picked from two recreational areas in Hulu Langat Malaysia, Sg. Tekala and Sg. Gabai. The RT-LAMP assay is simpler compared to the conventional PCR and real-time PCR, which in optimum isothermal temperature of 63°C, the amplification can be completed in 40 minutes. Results of spiked recreational stream water samples suggested that the NoV RT-LAMP assay can be used as monitoring tool for NoV surveillance in recreational stream water.

This paper reviews on the bioindicator for Carey Island which is one of the mangrove islands in Malaysia. The bioindicator was used to assess the level of river pollution at Judah, Air Hitam and Keluang River rather than using normal test such as Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) tests. The bioindicators found at the sampling site were river crab, adult beetles and nymphs. By referring to the score sheet, the Biological Water Quality Index (BWQI) was calculated. As a result, the average BWQI value for all rivers indicated in range rather dirty. Meanwhile, the Chemical Water Quality Index (CWQI) shows that all the rivers were polluted in general.

This research focused on the investigation on the removal efficiency of pathogenic bacteria and human viruses to produce safe wastewater reclamation and reuse for agricultural purposes. Under existing wastewater treatment processes, only 1–2 logs removal could be achieved of various targets of pathogens. Therefore, further treatment was required to comply with the water reuse guideline established by World Health Organization (WHO). Investigations were conducted using model microorganisms to evaluate the performance of advance treatment technology including ultraviolet (UV) and ozonation (O 3 ). A few logs reduction could be achieved with minimum dose of UV and ozonation. This research concluded that UV and ozonation could achieve 2–5logs pathogen removal for wastewater reclamation and reuse suitable for agriculture activity.

This paper reviews on the water quality for Carey Island which is one of the mangrove islands in Malaysia. The mangrove area has vital functions of its mangrove tress. In order to control and protect the level of contamination at this area, a study on water quality has been carried out. Three rivers that selected as a point of study are Air Hitam, Judah and Keluang River. The parameters tested for the water quality are Temperature, pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Turbidity, Total Suspended Solid (TSS), Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH 3 -N). The parameters were tested by in-situ and laboratory testing. Finally, it is found that the Air Hitam, Judah and Keluang rivers are experiencing contamination and pollution problems. Water Quality Index calculation shows that all the rivers fall under Class III River category. Air Hitam River has the worst quality followed by Keluang River and Judah River