Production of Industrial Sugars from Petai Belalang

R.M. Kamaldin1; D.S. Awg-Adeni1 and K.B. Bujang2

1Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak,

94300 Kota Samarahan. Sarawak.

2Faculty of Agrotechnology and Applied Sciences, i-CATS University College,

93350 Kuching. Sarawak.

kopli@icats.edu.my

ABSTRACT

Leucaena leucocephala or locally known in Malaysia as ‘petai belalang’ was studied as an

alternative material to produce sugar from cellulose. Analyses of the dried samples contain

about 25% lignin, 50% cellulose and 17% hemicellulose. This dried sample was pulverised,

mixed with water (10% w/v) and pre-treated by autoclaving. The resulting liquid and solid

fractions were enzymatically hydrolysed and analysed for sugars, with a yield of 30% and 17%,

respectively. Further analyses revealed that the sugars consisted mostly of glucose at 30% from

the liquid and 40% from the solid fractions, clearly exhibiting higher content of glucose in the

solid fraction. Accordingly, 1kg of fresh petai belalang biomass (84% dry matter) produces

395g of raw sugar, almost 50% of the total fresh weight. In a circular economy, this exhibits

the potential of using waste biomass from petai belalang that can be utilised to produce raw

sugar. Other sugars were traces of arabinose at 2% and cellulobiose at 1%. Purification of this

raw sugar by filtration on PAC removed about 80% of the sugar, with a remaining amount of

87g (22%) purified glucose, at 55g and 32g from the liquid and solid portions.

Keywords: Leucaena leucocephala, glucose, enzymatic hydrolysis, powdered activated

charcoal.

The Effects of Physical Characteristics of Roadside Trees on Temperature

Reduction

Nurhidayah Kaluni, Emilda Edwin Samaie, Siti Astella Johari, Rusmah Muhd. Ishak, Clement

Empaling, Sulastri Fitri, Edwind Lasum, Muhammad Norhelmi Ahmad

Faculty of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, i-CATS University College

Jalan Stampin Timur, 93350 Kuching

nurhidayah@icats.edu.my

ABSTRACT

Urban trees are important features and assets to the city. Urban trees form an important

component of the urban environment by supplying multiple benefits to the urban community.

The four (4) common species planted along the roadsides in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

(UNIMAS) were selected to assess their height, diameter, crown diameter, crown height, and

planting distance to measure the physical effect on the temperature reduction, relative

humidity, and light intensity. The trees are Sygyzium grande, Filicium decipiens, Dyera

costulata and Callerya atropurpurea. The temperature reduction of each tree species was

different and ranged from 2°C to 7°C. The relative humidity was higher in shaded areas

compared to those exposed to sunlight, with an increase ranging from 3.4% to 7.1%. The

physical characteristics are proportionally related to the temperature reduction. The result

revealed that Callerya atropurpurea, had the highest temperature reduction, up to 7°C. The

tree diameter breast height (DBH), tree height, canopy diameter, and planting distance were

strongly correlated with the temperature reduction. The results show a correlation between the

relative humidity and light intensity received by the chosen urban trees and variations in air

temperature. Urban trees have a significant role in mitigating the urban heat island effect

through the process of reducing air temperature. The findings obtained will be instrumental in

guiding effective tree maintenance and planning for future management strategies

Keywords: Roadsides trees, Tree physical characteristics, Temperature reduction, Relative

humidity, Urban tree benefits

Design and Construction of In-Vessel Composter iFAASTER FT23 for

Food Waste Management

Emilda Edwin Samaie*, Muhd. Norhelmi Ahmad, Siti Astella Johari, Nurhidayah Kaluni,

Rusmah Muhd Ishak, Edwind Lasum, Clement Empaling, Sulastri Fitri Pandi, Kopli Bujang

Faculty of Agrotechnology and Applied Sciences, i-CATS University College

Jalan Stampin Timur, 93350 Kuching Sarawak

*emilda@icats.edu.my

ABSTRACT

Abundant food waste is a global issue. One of the most environmentally friendly ways to

manage food waste is through composting. Although recent advances revealed crucial aspects

of the methods, improvements in practicality and low-cost composting procedures are needed

to ensure their efficiencies. Therefore, this paper analyses the feasibility of an in-vessel

composter that was invented to manage food waste. The objectives of this study are to create a

home-scale composter for food waste and to evaluate the performance of the composter. The

design and construction of the composter took place before the accumulation of food waste

around Kuching. The food waste was first shredded and divided equally into the composters.

Compost properties of pH level, temperature, and its macronutrients (N,P,K) after 28 days were

recorded. pH and temperature increased steadily after week 2 and continued until day 28.

Nitrogen content was found to increase after the composting process meanwhile phosphorus

and potassium content decreased in matured compost. Environmental degradations related to

food waste, foul odor and limited spaces are the major issues related to Municipal Solid Waste.

Therefore, the invention of this composter can be a reliable approach to encourage the public

to manage their kitchen waste efficiently.

Keywords: In-vessel composter; Food waste; compost; pH; temperature

Pematuhan Aspek Morfologi dalam Penulisan Surat Rasmi di Institut

Pengajian Tinggi Swasta

Dahlia Bujang*, Nur Suryani Rosli

Faculty of Multidisciplinary and Sustainability Studies, i-CATS University College

dahliabujang@icats.edu.my

ABSTRAK

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis kandungan dokumen surat rasmi yang bertujuan untuk

menghuraikan pematuhan aspek ortografi dalam penulisan surat rasmi yang digunakan oleh

pelajar di Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Swasta. Dalam kajian ini, aspek morfologi yang dikaji

ialah ortografi, pembentukan kata dan penggunaan kata tugas. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah

analisis kandungan dengan menganalisa dokumen rasmi iaitu surat rasmi yang ditulis oleh

pelajar Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Swasta. Hasil dapatan kajian menunjukkan surat rasmi yang

diguna pakai oleh pelajar Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Swasta secara umumnya kurang mematuhi

aspek morfologi bahasa Melayu kerana terdapat kesalahan-kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan

aspek morfologi yang melibatkan penggunaan kata tugas, pembentukan kata, dan ortografi.

Kajian terhadap pematuhan aspek morfologi ini penting supaya surat rasmi yang digunakan

oleh pelajar Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Swasta bukan sahaja mempunyai kualiti dari segi

kebahasaan tetapi juga berupaya mendukung fungsi dan peranan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa

rasmi dan bahasa kebangsaan di Malaysia.

Kata kunci: morfologi, ortografi, surat rasmi, institusi pengajian tinggi swasta, bahasa melayu

Commentary: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

Hasbee Hj Usop

Faculty of Education, i-CATS University College

hasbee@icats.edu.my

ABSTRACT

The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) surfaced in the last decades as a basic concept

to the growth of good teaching practices in Higher Education and, hence, to the improvement

of the quality of student learning. The fact that scholarship as encompassing process as well as

outcome, research on teaching and learning should be viewed as one important aspect of

learning about teaching. The aim of this article is to share some fundamental concepts of SoTL,

and how it could be nurtured in i-CATS University College. At the same time there is a need

to “learn” into how students learn by doing ongoing investigation, making reflections and

sharing of the evidence among colleagues. Our concern in SoTL initiatives need to place

students at a central part in the learning process, hence, teaching, learning and assessment can

be enhanced by making headway into classroom research. There is a need to strengthen

teaching-learning-assessment research links by bringing lecturers and students together in a

community of inquiry.

Keywords: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, student learning; teaching & learning;

Student-Centered Learning, Higher Education