For your information the UV-Spectrophotometer is a photometer (a device for measuring light intensity) that can measure intensity as a function of the color, or more specifically, the wavelength of light. In CREG lab, Uv-Spectrophotometer used to measure the Kappa Number of EPFB in order to evaluate the lignin content of the samplw. Besides, it also being used for enzyme-related research.

Contact/Email:

Prof NASA: profnoraishah@yahoo.com (012-7165490)
Yani: ddpuyau@gmail.com
Zaki: zaki.yz@gmail.com (07-5535553)

Student Graduated

In this year, a few members of CREG have successfully graduated of their study. They are:

1)      Wan Nor Nadyaini Wan Omar has completed the M.Eng (Chemical) on 26 Sept 2011. Now, she furthers her study on phD level also in this group.

2)      Zafifah

3)      Dr. Javaid Akhtar has passed the viva-voice on Sept 2011, and has completed his thesis correction. Now, he became a post-doctoral in our group while waiting his graduation days.

4)      Rubyatul Adawiyah Samsudin has completed her M.Eng (Chemical) on July 2011. Now she is working on big company in oil and gas field in Kuala Lumpur.

5)      Putri Sylvia Utami has passed her viva-voice on 23 August 2011 and already finished her thesis correction, now she has back to her hometown in Pekan Baru, Indonesia. She is a mixed-mode master student

6)      Nurul Huda Zamzuri has already passed the viva-voice on last 13 Dec 2011, now she is doing some minor correction on her thesis while working with Shimazu in Senai.

Publications

A CREG members with supervised by our head have successfully published a few paper on high impact journal. There are:

1)      W.N.N. Wan Omar and N.A.S. Amin (2011). Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Palm Oil over Alkaline Modified Zirconia Catalyst. Fuel Processing Technology Journal, 92 (12), 2397-2405. (Impact factor 2.781) .

2)      Javaid Akhtar, NorAishah Saidina Amin and Azmi Aris (2011).  Combined adsorption and catalytic ozonation for removal of sulfamethoxazole using Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ loaded activated carbon. , Chemical Engineering Journal, 170, 136-144, Elsevier. (Impact factor 2.816)

3)      NorAishah Saidina Amin, Javaid Akhtar, H.K. Rai (2011). Catalytic ozonation of aqueous phenol over metal-loaded HZSM-5, Water Science and Technology, 63 (8), 1651-1656,  IWA Publishing .(Impact factor 1.094)

4)      Javaid Akhtar and NorAishah Saidina Amin (2011). A Review On Process Conditions For Optimum Bio-Oil Yield In Hydrothermal Liquefaction Of Biomass, Renewable Sustainable Energy Reviewers, 15, 1615-1624, Elsevier. (Impact factor 4.567)

5)      M.K. Nikko and NorAishah Saidina Amin (2011). Thermodynamic Analysis of Carbon Dioxide Reforming of Methane in View of Solid Carbon Formation. Fuel Proc Tech, 92, 678-691, Elsevier. .(Impact factor 2.781)

6)      NorAishah Saidina Amin and Wan Nor Nadyaini Wan Omar (2011). Optimization of Heterogeneous Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Palm Oil via Response Surface Methodology, Biomass & Bioenergy, 35, 1329-1338, Elsevier. (Impact factor 3.840)

In addition, a few papers have been submitted and also a lot of papers are in a pipeline. Therefore, hopefully all this paper will be accepted to be published on the selected journal.

Patent granted

This year, only one patent have been filing that is: GREEN DIESEL (PI 2011001655)

Grants

In this year, there are three grants have been closed. The grants are as following:

1)            Prof Dr. NorAishah Saidina Amin. Dual Functional Modified Zirconia Catalyst for Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil, under Fundamental Research Scheme, Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, Project Head(Vot 78402); Amount: RM 46,000 (2009-2011)

2)            En khairuddin Ahmad. Axial and radial dispersion of catalyst bed dilution of catalytic conversion of glycerol to olefin, under Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), (Vot 78401); Amount: RM31, 000, (June 2009-2011)

3)            Dr Hajar Alias. Supported Material On Platinum Catalyst For Hydrogen Production From Glycerol By Aqueous Phase Reforming, under Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia; Project head (Vot 78422); Amount: RM 42,500 (August 2009-2011).

In the meantime, we are also had successfully won a few new grants. Thus, the following is a list of active grants for the next year.

1)      Prof Dr Nor Aishah Saidina Amin. Nano top down research grant.

2)      Prof Dr Nor Aishah Saidina Amin. Long Research Grants Scheme. RM 500,000

3)      Prof Dr. NorAishah Saidina Amin. Methanol From Renewable Resources For Green Car Fuel. Under Research University Grant. Project head (Q.J13000.7125.00H49); Amount: RM 170,000 (April 2011-2013)

4)      Prof Dr. NorAishah Saidina Amin . Kinetic Study of Glucose for Levulinic Acid Production over a Hybrid Nanocatalyst, under Fundamental Research Grant Scheme, Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia; Project head (Vot 78681); Amount: RM 56,590 (August 2010-2012).

5)      Thermodynamics Analysis of Alkanes and Intermediates from Glucose in Hot Compressed Water with Acid Catalyst, under Fundamental Research Grant Scheme,

6)       Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, Member (Vot78687); Amount: RM 46,610 (August 2010-2012)

7)      PM Dr Ramli Mat. Synthesis And Characterization of Catalyst For Crude Glycerol Conversion To Methanol, under Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), (Vot 78541); Amount: RM 53,600.00, (April 2010- 2012).

8)      Dr Norzita Ngadi. Synthesis and Characterization of Renewable Carbon Cryogel Beads from Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) for Wastewater Treatment, under Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), (Vot 78620); Amount: RM44 000, (April 2010-2012).

Awards.

After working very hard for the three years, the biodiesel project finally has won a Gold award on INATEX 2011 on last November. This is a second time for the project participates on INATEX competition. The last previous one, we already participated on INATEX 2009 and won nothing. After 2 years, we wake up with a lot of preparations in mental and physical to won this time, and then finally we won this gold medal. Thanks to Prof NASA and others group members who give a support to this project.

New Members.

This year also we welcome by a lot of potential students and lecturer to our group. The new group members have their own speciality on their areas. Hopefully with their presence, CREG will be known widely in among the worlds.

The meeting commenced with Prof. Nor Aishah’s briefing about CREG to Dr. Kawamoto.

This was followed with presentation by Yani, our latest Ph.D student who was also recently completed her Masters degree with CREG.

After several students presentation, Dr. Kawamoto provides his briefing about their research group in Kyoto Universiti.

Everybody were paying extra attention because the research culture in Japan is really different than us in Malaysia.

At the end, a token of appreciation by Dr. Kawamoto to Prof. NASA.

Tomorrow we have a visit by Dr Haruo Kawamoto from Kyoto University. Attendance are compulsory. All students must be in the CREG Meeting Room (2nd Floor N16) before 9 am and presentation by Dr Haruo Kawamoto at Faculty meeting room (N01) at 2.30pm (open to all). Here the tentative of the program.

A VISIT BY ASSOCIATE PROF.DR.HARUO KAWAMOTO FROM KYOTO UNIVERSITY

TENTATIVE PROGRAMS

9.00 -10.00 AM : INTRODUCTION OF MEETING (20 MIN)
: PRESENTATION BY PROF DR NOR AISHAH (20 MIN)
: PRESENTATION BY CIK WAN NADYAINI (20 MIN)

10.00-11.00 AM : MORNING BREAK

10.30-10.50 AM : PRESENTATION BY EN ZAKI YAMANI ZAKARIA

10.50-11.10 AM : PRESENTATION BY EN HAFIDZ FAUZI

11.10-11.30 AM : PRESENTATION BY PUAN NAZLINA YAAINI
11.30-12.00 PM : LAB VISIT
12.00-2.30PM : Lunch

2.30-4.30 PM : PRESENTATION BY ASSOCIATE PROF. DR. HARUO KAWAMOTO
(FACULTY MEETING ROOM)

4.30-5.00 PM : TEA BREAK

END

note: the food will be served for morning break only.

Hye & Salam to all CREG members

My name Mohd Mohsin. I am a new research assistant, replacing Yani’s place as a research assistant because she is now continuing her Ph.D. Thank you to all CREG members for giving me the  opportunity to become one of CREG members.

I started my duty on the 1st November 2011 as new research assistant.

It was a pleasure to announce that CREG won another Gold Medal award in the INATEX 2011 competition held in Dewan Sultan Iskandar yesterday. The research that won the Gold medal belongs to Yani. The title of the research is Production of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil.

My English may not be good and clear. I hope you can bear with it. Check it out…

Following is the detail of the book.

Title: Chapter 10: Syngas Production and Applications for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation (NorAishah Saidina Amin, M. Tahir
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai Johor, Malaysia)

Book title: Syngas: Production, Applications and Environmental Impact

Publisher: NOVA Science Publishers Inc. (International), Year: 2012

For more information regarding the book, please visit: https://www.novapublishers.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=29803

(Experience of a PhD student during viva)

Q:    Is it difficult to present your work before examiners?
A:    Probably not, it is more like a slide show and technical discussion.

Q:    Does examiners confuses the candidate with some tricky questions.
A:    Perhaps true, but most of the cases, they support candidate to elucidate his/her work properly.

Q:    What are the most influencing items that need to take into account before viva?
A:
a.    Write very clear objectives in the statement of objectives.
b.    Accomplish all of the objectives during yours experimental/simulation study.
c.    Give a clear answer to the QUESTION that why you need to carry research on your topic of interest?
d.    Organize your thesis according to the accomplishment of your objectives. Probably, each chapter would comprise of 1-2 objectives in chronically order.
e.    Devise a clear research methodology to achieve each objective individually.
f.    Conclusion should be based on yours objectives not on yours work.
g.    Proof read your thesis at more than one time before submitting thesis.

Q:    What are the most influencing items that need to take into account during viva?
A:
a)    What were the reasons that you decided to work on this topic.
b)    How have you met all of the objectives?
c)    Do you believed you have achieved the goal? What is your major achievement ?
d)    Read thesis 2-3 times before viva, you will be able to answers effectively.
e)    Read your slides before viva as well.

Point to be noted

•    Clearly define your topic and reasons why you did this work.
•    Clearly define objectives
•    Clearly mention conclusions according to the objectives

Finally the day has come. We were treated by our Professor to a wonderful lunch at an Iranian style PG restaurant in Taman Universiti, Skudai, Johor. Why? Read here. The event took place last Monday (18/7/2011). Those who were present are Prof. NASA, Maryam, Mahadhir, Fawzi, Zaki, Tahir, Yani, Putri, Marina, Dilla, Alireza, Amin and Hafiiz. Did I left anybody here? Check out the photos… Enjoy…

Thinking, wandering, analyzing what to eat

The girls are extra happy… maybe this is their first time being treated by the boss…

Fawzi arrived late and then ordered 5 items for himself

Nan bread… tasty with cheese

3 cokes there

Is Maryam waving at the camera or me?

Oh I forgot what these are call…

This as well…not sure what salad is this…

This is plain rice but with some colouring

Who’s that? Is it Alireza?

This is my chicken Biryani…tasty…3rd time eating this… the gravy is uniquely delicious.

Credit card not allowed, so the boss need to pay with hard cash…

After the meal… CREG member photo…