High concentration of iron (Fe) levels (above 1.0 mg/L) in water causes bad taste, staining and deposition in pipes and results in high turbidity in water supplies. Existing treatment technologies (which have been conventionally applied to remove Fe ions), are expensive and cause toxic sludge production. A set of experiments was carried out to evaluate the Fe uptake potential of spent coffee grounds by conducting batch tests in an aqueous solution through a biosorption process. Batch sorption studies were conducted based on pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage and adsorbent particle size. In addition, initial metal concentration was investigated. Flame atomic adsorption spectroscopy analysis revealed that the maximum adsorption recorded was 0.470 mg g-1 by using 0.30 g of 210-355 μm coffee with the maximum uptake percentage of Fe (92.9%) for 60 minutes at pH 4. Adsorption behavior of Fe ions on a surface of coffee grounds was well-interpreted by Langmuir model (R2 = 0.999). A kinetic study indicated that the Fe ions uptake was wellfitted by the pseudo second-order reaction model with good correlation (R2 = 0.993). The study offered an affirmative answer to the hypothesis of reusing eco-friendly and low-cost coffee grounds for removal of Fe ions from polluted waters.
A non-coastal cockle farming area such as an estuaries zone might become an alternative for continuous and sustainable cockle supply in the future. The main objective of this research is to determine the growth and mortality rate of Tegillarca granosa (T. granosa) within an estuary area. Three cockle plots were allocated along the estuary area of Kongkong Laut (P1, P2, P3) based on the geographical area, from upper to lower part of estuaries. Cockle monitoring activity was conducted from August to December 2015 for both in-situ water parameters and the cockles’ growth increments. This study shows that within a brackish estuarine environment, the highest cockle growth increment was recorded within the highest water salinity trend area (26.92 ± 4.79 ppt; P2), with a shell increment of 2.70 ± 0.52 mm per month, while the lowest cockle growth increment was recorded within the lowest water salinity trend area (17.65 ± 5.73 ppt; P1) with the shell increment of 2.05 ± 0.86 mm per month. One-way ANOVA shows that there was significant difference (p
The distribution of dissolved iron (dFe) and particulate iron in the estuarine system was studied where in-situ water sampling stations were selected at Bagan Pasir, Perak. The concentration of dFe was 1.17±0.28 mg/L on average at the estuary, while in freshwater samples its concentration was 0.08±0.00 mg/L. This study found that the concentration of particulate Fe in freshwater system was higher than that in the estuary system. The Fe concentration was 0.95±0.03 mg/kg and 0.80±0.18 mg/kg at the freshwater and estuary systems, respectively. We have applied a distribution coefficient (KD) in order to quantify the partitioning of Fe between the particulate (>0.45 µm) and dissolved (
This study compares the distribution of dissolved nutrients (NO3 − and PO4 3−) between two seasons (pre-monsoon and post-monsoon) in Pulau Perhentian, Terengganu. The concentration of dissolved PO4 3− was found to be 16 to 83 times higher during the postmonsoon period (April 2015) compared to the pre-monsoon period (October 2014). On the other hand, the concentration of dissolved NO3 − was two (2) to three (3) times higher during the post-monsoon period (April 2015) compared to the pre-monsoon period (October 2014). These nutrients’ inputs were converted from P limitation condition during the premonsoon period to N limitation condition during the post-monsoon period at our study area. The results of this study suggest that the Northeast monsoon plays an important role in influencing the distribution of dissolved nutrients between seasons in Pulau Perhentian. It is thought that during the post-monsoon period, a considerable input of nutrients from bottom water is responsible for increasing dissolved nutrients in surface water, in particular PO4 3−.