Application of Cogon Grass (<i>Imperata cylindrica</i>) as Biosorbent in Diesel-Filter System for Oil Spill Removal
Farah Eryssa Khalid,
Siti Aqlima Ahmad,
Nur Nadhirah Zakaria,
Noor Azmi Shaharuddin,
Suriana Sabri,
Alyza Azzura Azmi,
Khalilah Abdul Khalil,
Gayathiri Verasoundarapandian,
Claudio Gomez-Fuentes,
Azham Zulkharnain
Affiliations
Farah Eryssa Khalid
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Siti Aqlima Ahmad
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
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
Alyza Azzura Azmi
Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus 21030, Terengganu, Malaysia
Khalilah Abdul Khalil
School of Biology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam 40450, Selangor, Malaysia
Gayathiri Verasoundarapandian
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Claudio Gomez-Fuentes
Center for Research and Antarctic Environmental Monitoring (CIMAA), 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
Imperata cylindrica, often known as cogon grass, is a low-cost and useful sorbent for absorbing oil and optimising processes. The effects of temperature, time, packing density and oil concentration on oil absorption efficiency were investigated and optimised utilising one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) and response surface methodology (RSM) approaches. Temperature and oil concentration are two important variables in the oil absorption process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were used to characterise cogon grass. After treatment and oil absorption, the FTIR method indicated new formation and deformation of functional groups, while SEM revealed changes in the surface and texture of cogon grass, including a roughened and jagged surface. Validation of the RSM model yielded 93.54% efficiency with 22.45 mL oil absorbed at 128 °C temperature and 36 (v/v)% oil concentration while keeping packing density and time constant at 30 min and 0.20 g/cm3, respectively. This study may provide an insight into the usefulness of a statistical approach to maximise the oil absorption of cogon grass as an oil sorbent.
