This study aimed to develop an e-content module for Chemistry Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). It examined the validity, reliability and student’s perceptions on content, usability, design and effectiveness of the module. This is a design and development study and the e-content module was developed based on ADDIE instructional design model. Collaborative learning, Connectivism theory and Interaction Equivalency Theorem are the pillars for the module development. The content validity of the module was estimated by three experts using content validity evaluation form. Questionnaires were distributed to the students in order to determine the reliability (n = 23) and students’ perceptions on the module (n = 129). Findings revealed the e-content module has high content validity (CVI = 1.00) and good reliability index (α = 0.94). The mean scores for students’ perception on module content (M = 3.66, SD = 0.55), usability (M = 3.43, SD = 0.56), design (M = 3.41, SD = 0.59) and effectiveness (M = 3.47, SD = 0.56) constructs were high. This e-content module in Chemistry MOOC is hoped to be a good and useful online resource for both students and lecturers in the teaching and learning of Chemistry in higher education institution.
The palm oil industry is a major source of water pollution in Southeast Asia. Its wastewater normally contains a complex mixture of organic matter and is high in chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids. Thus, this study aims to screen the phytotoxic effects of different concentrations of palm oil mill effluent (POME). The phytotoxicity of POME was studied using mung beans (Vigna radiata), whereby the seedling growth and germination were monitored. In this study, mung beans were allowed to germinate under hydroponics conditions in different concentrations of POME solution. The relative root length, shoot length, percentage of germination and the germination index were evaluated. After 5 days of germination, results from phytotoxicity analysis suggest that the seedling growth declined with the increase in concentration of POME solution. POME at a concentration of 100% (v/v) has resulted in the worst seedling growth condition with 60% of seed germination, null shoot length, root elongation at 1.02 cm, wet biomass at 0.19 g and the lowest germination index at 7.98%. Mung beans might have experienced stress conditions due to the excessive amount of complex and highly biodegradable organic matter and pollutants in POME which stunted the growth of plants. Overall, phytotoxicity assessment of POME using V. radiata as a plant receptor is such a simple technique and applicable to evaluate the effect of chemical pollution of effluent on seed growth.
Undoubtedly, industrial activities have produced a large amount of waste, which has significantly contributed to the global environmental problem. The palm oil sector, which is considered a water-intensive industry, is one of the industrial sectors that have become a major source of severe water pollution concerns. Normally, 50% of the freshwater used during the extraction of crude palm oil will end up in the production of undesirable liquid waste. Thus, proper regulation and enforcement are required to control the discharge of such waste to ensure the sustainability of water resource management. Based on research databases such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science and PubMed the total number of publications focused on palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment has increased significantly over the past five years. The increase in publications shows the growing concern about the POME issue among the scientific community. This mini review focuses on selected biological treatment techniques for remediation of POME focusing on ponding systems, bioadsorption, activated sludge, microorganism and plant, aerobic biodegradation and integrated/hybrid treatment strategies. The summary of optimum operating conditions, characteristics of the treatment system, properties of materials and performance of each treatment are discussed in detail. To achieve a high level of contaminant removal performance, it is critical to discover the synergistic effect between the treatment procedures, materials employed, operational cost, and circumstances.
In the present study, ferrihydrite-chitosan nanocomposite (FCN) was successfully produced by co-precipitation method and used for the first time as a recyclable flocculant for pre-treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME). The physicochemical properties of FCN were studied using Raman spectrometer, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Thermogravimetric Analyser (TGA). The feasibility of FCN to remove total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and, oil and grease (O&G) from POME was investigated using a jar test method. The optimum conditions for contaminant removal from POME were determined by varying the experimental parameters such as flocculant dosage, solution pH and settling time. The results obtained showed that FCN, at a dosage of 1.5 g/L, a contact time of 60 min and pH of 5.0 gave a highest reduction of turbidity, TSS, COD and O&G levels by 72.38%, 77.32%, 71.60% and 53.40%, respectively. Besides that, FCN exhibited a better flocculation performance as compared to alum and chitosan. After three cycles of flocculation/deflocculation process, FCN retained satisfying flocculation efficiency and flocculants recovery in the range of 80-83% and 43.2-78.6%, respectively. Combination of charge neutralisation and polymer bridging was the main key mechanism of interaction between FCN and POME contaminants. The synergy effect between iron oxide/oxyhydroxide nanoparticle and chitosan has increased the physicochemical properties and flocculation performance of the FCN nanocomposite. Overall, FCN nanocomposite can be used an alternative flocculant for POME treatment.
This study was conducted to investigate the profile and socio-economy of the Orang Asli Community in Hulu Behrang, Tanjung Malim. A total of 11 Orang Asli villages in Hulu Behrang were involved in this study. The villagers were divided into three categories, the first is near to the main road, medium to develop and the last is outside of the main road or development. The study was conducted using a set of questionnaires and respondents were selected at simple random sampling. The analysis uses percentages and is described descriptively. An amount of 369 questionnaires were answered by the respondents. The findings show that the overall location of Orang Asli villages is complete with basic facilities as they are exposed to the mainstream communities. Only in the aspect of monthly income is still low, more than 70 percent are in the hardcore poverty category with income below RM500 a month.
Molecular imprinting polymers (MIPs) have been widely used to produce stable polymeric materials due to their highly selective binding sites to determine the analyte (target molecule) in food products. MIPs begin with a complex compound between the template molecule and the functional monomers that can be polymerized when there is a closely crossed link. MIPs left specific cavities after the removal of templates during washing, which complements the size and shape of the templates. The use of MIPs has contributed to novel advances in materials science, polymer science, natural science, and other multi-disciplinary systems. Optical chemical sensor is an exciting field in MIPs today due to comprehend the unique affirmation limit of associated polymers giving stable polymers with high molecular recognition capabilities. MIPs display a wide extent of relevance, incredible flexibility, security, and high selectivity; their internal affirmation districts can be explicitly gotten together with design molecules to achieve specific affirmation. This review covers the various achievements of sensors used in laboratory analyses. The advancement in the development of MIPs is evaluated with an accentuation on the preparation principle, the discovery process, the molecular recognition mechanism and future perspectives and challenges for MIPs in building an optical chemical sensor.
The results of the needs analysis and previous studies indicate that the implementation of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) has not yet achieved the target set by the Ministry of Education Malaysia. Therefore, this study aimed to develop the e-assessment module for Chemistry MOOC and investigate the perception of 129 respondents among Bachelor of Chemistry Education students. This is a design and development research using ADDIE model. The instruments involved are the module content validity evaluation form, the module reliability questionnaire and the perception questionnaire. The results showed that the S-CVI/Ave value obtained for the 389 items in the evaluation of module content validity was 1.00. Furthermore, the Cronbach’s alpha value obtained for the module reliability was 0.97. The mean and standard deviation of students' perceptions of the e-assessment module were 3.44 and 0.58, respectively. In conclusion, validity index, Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient and mean value for students' perceptions of the e-assessment module are good. The implication is that the use of this e-assessment module for Chemistry MOOC can help students conduct self-assessments online, strengthen their understanding of chemistry concepts while helping lecturers diversify their assessment methods.
It is known that palm oil is one of the top selling raw materials that are widely used in both food and non-food industries. It is also widely used as a feedstock for biofuel production. However, the palm oil industry produces a huge amount of effluent that normally contains undesirable contaminants and suspended solids (SS), with high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) values. Hence, it is imperative to ensure the sustainable management of palm oil production and to prevent serious environmental pollution. Various techniques are available to treat palm oil mill effluent (POME). This review summarizes the compilation of articles published in the period of 2010 to 2020 that focused on the development of treatment techniques for POME. Academic databases including Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and PubMed were used to search for related articles. This review discusses the performance and highlights the optimum operating conditions for each chemical treatment technique. This review is not only relevant to researchers who work on the advancement and innovation of remediation technologies for POME, but it is also significant for researchers who deal closely with environmental pollution, water resource management, environmental protection, and flora and fauna conservation.
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