Optimization of chlorophyll extraction from pineapple plantation waste.

The abundance of pineapple waste generated in Malaysia has becomes a serious issue as it puts our environment in grave danger. The presence of chlorophyll in pineapple waste has attracted many researchers to produce a natural dye from chlorophyll as a sensitizer for solar cells. Natural dyes can be considered a promising substitute for synthetic dyes as they are more environmentally friendly and cost less when compared to the synthetic dyes that are currently available on the market. This research aims to optimize the conditions of chlorophyll extraction from pineapple leaves using a mechanical extraction method. A response surface methodology was used to design an experimental design table using a central composite design based on two significant factors. The extraction cycle and the storage time varied between 1 and 5 cycles and 7 and 9 h, respectively, were studied. From the study, the maximum concentration of total chlorophyll (TC) was 693.292 mg/L. The optimum conditions for extraction cycle and storage time were at 3 cycles and 8 h, respectively. Among those two factors, it has been discovered that the storage time has a smaller p-value (p = 0.1106) than the extraction cycle, indicating that this factor was the critical factor affecting the TC concentration. The value of R2 for the analysis was 0.8673, making the analysis a well-fitted model. Thus, it has been established that the models are suitable for optimizing the extraction conditions in order to maximize the concentration of TC using the mechanical method.

Application of response surface methodology for COD and ammonia removal from municipal wastewater treatment plant using acclimatized mixed culture.

This study aimed to optimize conditions influencing the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia-N in municipal wastewater by using acclimatized mixed culture (AMC). Two-level factorial analysis was used to investigate the factors affecting the degradation of COD and ammonia-N (%); ratio of synthetic wastewater (SW) to acclimatized mixed culture (AMC) (1:1 and 3:1), presence and absence of support media (Yes and No), agitation (0 rpm and 100 rpm) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) (2 and 5 days). A central composite design (CCD) under response surface methodology (RSM) determined the optimum agitation (0 rpm and 100 rpm) and retention time (2 and 5 days). The best conditions were at 3:1 of SW: AMC ratio, 100 rpm agitation, without support media, and 5 days retention time. COD and ammonia-N removal achieved until 57.23% and 43.20%, respectively. Optimization study showed the optimum conditions for COD and ammonia-N removal were obtained at 150 rpm agitation speed and 5 days of retention time, at 70.41% and 64.29% respectively. This study discovers the conditions that affect the COD and ammonia-N removal in the municipal wastewater using acclimatized mixed culture.

Optimization of COD, nitrate-N and phosphorus removal from hatchery wastewater with acclimatized mixed culture.

The goal of this study is to optimize the condition of the pollutant removal process by using acclimatized mixed culture (AMC) in the treatment of contaminated waste from the hatchery industry. The removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrate-N, and total phosphorus was optimized using a central composite design and the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with two parameters: AMC content and retention time (days). Each factor had a range value of 15%-35% AMC content and a retention time of 3-5 days, with COD, nitrate-N, and total phosphorus removal as responses. Prior to experimentation, the synthetic wastewater was prepared, and the mixed cultures were acclimatized. In 13 runs, the experiment was carried out in accordance with the setup created by the Design-Expert software. The sample was tested for COD, nitrate-N, and total phosphorus using a Hach spectrophotometer. The findings show a strong relationship between predicted and experimental COD, nitrate-N, and total phosphorus removal values. At optimum conditions of 29% AMC content and 4 days of retention time, removal of COD, nitrate-N, and total phosphorus was observed to be 28%, 80% and 36%, respectively. The discovery also revealed that maximum values of removal of 62% COD, 94% nitrate-N, and 46% total phosphorus could be obtained under various optimum conditions. The study shows that, the acclimatized mixed culture (AMC) can be used as a potential biological wastewater treatment as well as a natural removal of COD, nitrate-N, and total phosphorus.

Morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular characterization of statin-producing Penicillium microfungi isolated from little-explored tropical ecosystems.

As hypercholesterolemia is a primary risk factor for coronary artery disease and stroke, there is now an increasing demand for cholesterol-lowering drugs. Statins are a group of extremely successful drugs that lower the cholesterol level in the blood. Natural statins are produced by fermentation using different species of microorganisms. The overall aim of the present study was to identify statin-producing microfungi, which were isolated from different types of little-explored mangrove and oil palm plantation soils. Isolated fungal cultures were characterized on the basis of morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular features. Morphological variability was detected amongst the fungal isolates in regard to colony morphology, conidiophores structures, and conidia coloration. Based on their physiological properties and enzyme assays, rapid differentiation of statin-producing isolates was achieved. Further molecular characterization allowed reliable identification of the selected Penicillium microfungi up to the species level. The identified Penicillium cintrinum ESF2M, Penicillium brefeldianum ESF21P, and Penicillium janthinellum ESF26P strains have a scientific interest as novel wild-type producers of natural statins.

Data on modeling mycelium growth in Pleurotus sp. cultivation by using agricultural wastes via two level factorial analysis.

In this article, five variables including type of substrates, sizes of substrates, mass ratio of spawn to substrates (SP/SS), temperature and pretreatment of substrates were used to model mycelium growth in Pleurotus sp. (oyster mushroom) cultivation by using agricultural wastes via two level factorial analysis. Two different substrates which were empty fruit bunch (EFB) and sugarcane bagasse (SB) were used. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for both mycelium extension rate (M) and nitrogen concentration in mycelium (N) showed that the confidence level was greater than 95% while p-value of both models were less than 0.05 which is significant. The coefficient of determination (R 2) for both M and N were 0.8829 and 0.9819 respectively. From the experiment, the best condition to achieve maximum M (0.8 cm/day) and N (656 mg/L) was by using substrate B, 2.5 cm size of substrate, 1:14 for SP/SS, incubated at ambient temperature and application of steam treatment. The data showed that EFB can be used to replace sawdust as a media for the oyster mushroom cultivation. Data analysis was performed using Design Expert version 7.0.