About Us

“Pyrolysis Technology” is a research team leading by Prof. Ts. Dr. Su Shiung Lam. This team was established since 2012 in Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. Currently, there are 13 members including project leader, 2  PhD students and 2 master students. Up to 2022, there were 3 Phd,  8 master students and 19 undergraduate students (Bachelor of Science) graduated from this team.

The team is researching on two major directions using microwave pyrolysis technology:

1. the conversion of waste oils (e.g. waste engine oil, cooking oil, and shipping oil) into biofuel and;

2. production of biochar and activated carbon from biomass such as fruit peel wastes, oil palm wastes and others.

Waste oils are hazardous substances due to the presence of degraded additives and undesired substances that could bring adverse impacts (e.g. carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reproductive effects) to human health and the environment. The disposal of waste oil is a major challenge nowadays as the improper disposal of this hazardous waste could pose a direct hazard to the environment and human health. On account of the high management cost needed for the disposal of waste oil, illegal dumping of waste oil into the sewers and the sea could be the normal practice by irresponsible generators of waste oil and even by unsupervised government authorities. Hence, conversion of waste oils into biofuel by pyrolysis represents a promising solution to mitigate disposal problem.

Biomass comprises of lignocellulosic components (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) that is favorable for carbon recovery such as biochar, carbon nanotube or activated carbon. These carbon materials possess wide applications in the area of wastewater treatment, precursory material for electronic devices, pharmaceuticals, food industry and others. Biomass represents as a renewable and sustainable resources in the world which should be transformed into material with higher value rather than dispose using impractical methods such as composting, landfilling or combustion.