iCAT2016 Abstract Book

CONTENT

FOREWORD 2

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE 5

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME 6

ABSTRACTS

PLENARY 12

KEYNOTE 13

ORAL PRESENTATION 15

POSTER PRESENTATION 31

PARTNER & SPONSOR 38

International Conference on Catalysis 2016 20-21 September 2016, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

1

FOREWORD BY

PROFESSORDR.SUGENGTRIWAHYONOCHAIRPERSONOFiCAT2016

Assalamualaikum and Salam Sejahtera ItismygreatpleasureandhonourtowelcomeallparticipantsanddelegatestotheInternationalConferenceonCatalysis(iCAT2016).Astheorganizerforthisyear’siCAT,UniversitiTeknologiMalaysiaishonoredtohostthiseventthatencouragesthe involvement of various organizations, especially those related to research,teachingandlearning.MygratitudegoestoAcademyofSciencesMalaysiaasaco‐organizerofthisiCAT.Andmydeepestappreciationgoestoallguests,plenaryandkeynote speakers for their commitment to participate in this conference andsharing the experiences and expertise in their respective fields with all theparticipants,especiallytheyoungresearchers.Ihopethateveryonewilltakethisopportunitytointeract,changeofideasandinitiatethefruitfulcollaboration,linkagesandnetworkinginareasrelatedtothedevelopmentofcatalyst.Inthisyearconference,wemanagetoattractmorethan100scientistsfromseveralcountries.Thisisagreatachievementforthesetwodaysconference.Thisconferencewillactasaplatformforacademicians,scientists,researchersandstudentsinthefieldofcatalysis to showcase recent research findings involving catalyst research, to exchange ideas andknowledgeonthelatestdevelopmentandadvancementemployedincatalysisresearch,andtoencouragethe development of professional and social networking amongst the participants. The theme of theiCAT2016“Frontiers,ChallengesandOpportunitiesinCatalysis”ishighlysignificanttoindicatetheroleofcatalystresearchas theavenue for theadvancedscientificdiscoverieswhichcanbe translated into theinnovativetechnologyforthebettermentofoursociety.Wearedelighted inorganizing thisconference thatallowsmultidisciplinary individuals to interactandsharetheirknowledgeevenforashortperiodoftime.WewouldalsoliketocommendtheeffortofFacultyof Science,UTM for facilitating this congregation of brilliantminds.Wehope that this year’s iCATwillproduce both positive environmental and economical benefits for all of us. I alsowish to express ourdeepestsinceregratitudeandappreciationtoUTM,AcademyofSciencesMalaysiaandallourcontributorsfrom private company for the financial support in making the conference a reality. I would like tocongratulate all the organizing committee for the superb effort to come up with this successful andmeaningful international conference. Without this cooperation and collaborating teamwork, thisconferencewillnotberealized.Onceagain,onbehalfoftheorganizingcommittee,Iwouldliketowelcomealldelegatesandparticipantsto JohorBahru, thebeautiful capitalof Johor in thesouthernpartofMalaysia. It is the intentionof theorganizingcommitteetomakethisconferencemostenjoyable,comfortableandmemorableevent. PROFESSOR DR. SUGENG TRIWAHYONO



2

FOREWORD BY

PROFESSORDR.NORSARAHAIDASAIDINAAMINDEAN,FACULTYOFSCIENCEUTM

Assalamualaikum and Salam Sejahtera IampleasedtowelcomeallparticipantstotheiCAT2016,organizedbytheFacultyofScience,UniversitiTeknologiMalaysia.Thisconferenceprovidesaplatformforcatalystresearcherstointeractandformcollaborationswithresearchersinotherfieldsofcatalystdevelopmentandprocesses.Itiswithhighhopethatthismeetingofscientificmindswillbefruitful,leadingtotheformationofefficientandstrongnational,regionalandinternationalnetworks.I hoped that the primary aim of this conference to develop fundamentalunderstanding and application of key aspects of catalytic science, especiallyrelating to, catalyst preparation and production, the determination of atomic‐architectures of active,reactiveandde‐activatedcatalysts,modellingof theactivesite ‐knowledgeandpossibleapplication inindustrywhichisessentialforthedesignofnewcatalystscanbeachievedinthenearfuture.WithUTM’sresearchstrengthandinnovation,theconferencewillactasacatalystintheeffortstoestablishthelinksbetweenrecentadvancementsinthescienceknowledgefieldandthebusinessindustries.SuchoutcomecouldcreatevalueandopportunitiesforresearchersandtheirproductsinbenefittingMalaysia’sresearchagenda. Ihavealwaysbelievedthatatechnologically literatescientificcommunitywithhighawarenesstowardstheimportanceoftheadvancementofknowledgeandskillsrelatedtocatalystisessentialforhighvalueaddedenterprisescriticaltoensurethesustainability inthequalityof lifewithsafer,cleanerandhealthierenvironment.Thethemeofthisconference“Frontiers,ChallengesandOpportunitiesinCatalysis”signifiestheimportanceofcatalystresearchinbringingscienceandtechnologytotheforefrontofindustrialprocesses.Itishopedthatthisconferencewillbringtogetherresearchersandscholarsfromdifferentfieldsofcatalysissciencestosharetheirviewsandexperiencesandthusenrichingtheknowledgeandqualityofcatalystresearch.TheinvaluableexchangeofideasandtheforgingofnetworksbetweenparticipantsduringconferenceslikethismaynotbepossibleifnotfortheGovernmentandPrivateSectorfundingsofResearchGrants.Thus,Ihopethatmoreresearchgrantscanbesecuredasacatalystofthisconference.PROFESSOR DR. NORSARAHAIDA SAIDINA AMIN



3

FOREWORD BY

Y.B.DATUKIR.DRWAHIDOMAR UTMVICECHANCELLOR

Assalamualaikum and Salam Sejahtera FirstandforemostIwouldliketotaketheopportunitytoextendmywarmwelcometo all the speakers and participants attending the International Conference onCatalysis(iCAT2016),organizedbyFacultyofScience,UTM.Istronglyfeelthatthisconferenceprovides the right avenue for researchers, academic community andstudentsintheregiontoshareinsightsandexchangeviewsonthefindingsoftheirwork and new discoveries in various aspects of science and technology of thecatalystdevelopment. This isespecially important forMalaysiaas researchanddevelopmentisessentialtohighlightandupholdthestatusofadevelopedcountrywithmanyindustriesusingcatalyst.Intensifying research, development and commercialization is now the focus of Malaysia as it strivestowardsbecomingadevelopednation.TherapidlygrowingMalaysianindustryrequiresacommunitywithsoundunderstandingof science and technology toprovide thenecessaryhuman capitalwith the rightintellectualcapacity,innovativeskillsandentrepreneurialmindsetthatcanadaptandembracetheongoingrapidtechnologicalchangeinaversatileandresourcefulmanner.However,forMalaysiatoremainrelevantandcompetitive in thisglobalarena, ithasbecomemorechallengingandessential foran institutionofhigherlearningtoprovidesupportforscientificresearch.Thesimpletitleofthisconferenceencompassestheword‘Catalysis’asawhole,highlightingtheinterestinthedevelopmentcatalysts.Catalysisisacoreareaof contemporary scienceposingmajor fundamental andconceptual challenges,whilebeing at theheartofthechemicalindustry.Itisamajorthemeinchemicalsciencesandengineeringthatunderliesmuchofthekeyresearchandteachinginthesesubjects.WiththepresenceofProfAkiraSukuziwhoisaChemistryNobelLaureate2010,allparticipantsespeciallyUTMshouldtakeadvantageandleverageonhispresenceintermsofwideningoursocialnetworkingandseekforcollaborationbetweenUTM,HokkaidoUniversityandKingFahdUniversityofPetroleum.Thiscanbeaccomplishedbyconductingthestudentexchangeprogrammeorcooperatinginthefieldsofeducation,research and social services between these universities and also among the big companies under hisconsultation.Onthatnote,Iwishallafruitfulconferencewhichshouldnotbelimitedonlytointellectualpresentations,but should also be the platform to promote networking and collaboration amongst researchers andinstitutions in diverse disciplines. Finally, my heartfelt appreciation goes to the organizers for theirdedication and commitment in ensuring the success of this symposium, and my best wishes to allparticipantsforanintellectuallystimulatingandmemorableconference.

PROFESSOR DATUK IR. DR. WAHID OMAR



4

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Patron Prof. Dr. Norsarahaida SAIDINA AMIN

Advisor

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zaiton ABDUL MAJID

Chairperson Prof. Dr. Sugeng TRIWAHYONO

Co-Chairperson

Dr. Che Rozid MAMAT

Task Force for Secretariat

Dr. Siti Aminah SETU@SABTU Dr. Nursyafreena ATTAN Dr. Shajarahtunnur JAMIL

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jafariah JAAFAR Dr. Hasmerya MAAROF Dr. Sheela CHANDREN

Mr. Fuaad OMAR Mrs. Zarina JUNET

Task Force for Treasurer & Sponsorship

Dr. Norazah BASAR Pn Noorlyana MAZLAN

Dr. Khairil Juhanni ABD KARIM Prof. Dr. Sugeng TRIWAHYONO Prof. Dr. Aishah ABDUL JALIL

Dr. Che Rozid MAMAT

Task Force for Scientific Committee

Prof. Dr. Aishah ABDUL JALIL Dr. Aemi Syazwani ABDUL KEYON

Task Force for Technical Unit

Dr. Mohd. Bakri BAKAR Dr. Joazaizulfazli JAMALIS

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rusmidah ALI Dr. Roswanira ABD WAHAB

Mr. Hashim BAHARIN Mr. Mohd Daniel ABDULLAH @ Anthony

Nyangson Mr. Azani ISHAK

Task Force for Publication

Prof. Dr. Wan Aini WAN IBRAHIM Prof. Dr. Abdul Rahim YACOB

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zaiton ABDUL MAJID Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zainab RAMLI

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Farediah AHMAD Dr. Siti Aminah SETU@SABTU

Dr. Nursyafreena ATTAN Dr. Shajarahtunnur JAMIL

Dr. Norazah BASAR Dr. Che Rozid MAMAT



5

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Plenary, Keynote and Oral presentations are allocated with 60, 30 and 15 minutes, respectively including Q & A session. For poster

presentation, the poster will be a BUNTING type with size of 2.5 ft ×5 ft equipped with roller in the top and bottom of the poster with diameter

of 2 cm, suggested material is canvas. Posters should be put up throughout the presentation day and removed immediately at 5:15 p.m. on the

last day.

19 September 2016

17.00 - 19.00 Registration

20 September 2016


08.30 - 08.45 Welcome Speech

08.45 - 09.45 ASM Plenary Session

Emeritus Professor Dr. Akira Suzuki

09.45 - 10.00 Coffee Break

10.00 - 10.30 Keynote 1 Professor Dr. Mustaffa Shamsuddin

10.30 - 11.00 Keynote 2 Professor Dr. Y.H. Taufiq Yap

11.00 - 11.15 Group Photo Session

11.15 - 13.00 1A (Catalytic Materials) 1B (Catalysis for Energy)

13.00 - 14.15 Lunch Break

14.15 – 17.00 2A (Catalytic Materials) 2B (Catalysis for Energy)

16.45 - 17.00 Coffee Break & Poster Session

17.00 - 18.00 Malaysian Catalysis Society (MCS) Meeting

20.15 - 22.30 Dinner

21 September 2016

08.00 - 09.00 Plenary Session

Professor Dr. Ning Yan

09.00 - 09.30 Keynote 3 Professor Dr. Hideshi Hattori


10.00 - 10.30 Keynote 4 Professor Dr Abdul Rahman Mohamed

10.30 - 11.00 Keynote 5 Professor Dr. Noor Aini Abdul Rashid

11.00 - 13.00 3A (Environmental Catalysis) 3B (Catalysis for Chemical Synthesis)


14.15 - 16.30 4A (Catalysis for Chemical Synthesis) 4B (Catalytic Materials)


16.45 - 17.15 Closing Ceremony

22 September 2016


14.15 - 15.30 Post-Conference Workshop and Sharing Session 1st Part

15-30 - 15.45 Coffee Break

15.45 - 17.00 Post-Conference Workshop and Sharing Session 2nd Part



6

ORAL AND POSTER SESSIONS

19 September 2016

17.00 - 19.00 REGISTRATION

20 September 2016


Welcome Speech 08.30 - 08.45 Dean, Faculty of Science

Professor Dr. Norsarahaida Saidina Amin

Venue : Seriwijaya Hall

ASM Plenary and Keynote Sessions

08.45 - 09.45

ASM Plenary : Emeritus Professor Dr. Akira Suzuki

Title : Cross-coupling Reactions of Organoboranes: An Easy Way for Carbon-carbon Bonding

Chairperson : Professor Dr. Sugeng Triwahyono



10.00 - 11.00 Keynote 1 Professor Dr. Mustaffa Shamsuddin

Title : Bioinspired Metal Nanoparticles : Synthesis and Applications

Keynote 2 Professor Dr. Y.H. Taufiq Yap

Title : Conversion of Oil Palm Biomass into Renewable Energy by Catalysis

Chairperson : Professor Dr. Wan Aini Wan Ibrahim


11.00 - 11.15 Group Photo Session

Parallel Session 1 1A (Catalytic Materials)

Venue: Seriwijaya Hall

Chairperson: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Juan Joon Ching

1B (Catalysis for Energy)

Venue: Jauhar Room 4

Chairperson: Dr Norazah Basar

11.15 - 11.30 M.M. Tajuddin, M.H. Patulla, A. Ideris* and M.

Ismail Self- Combustion Synthesis of Ni Catalyst Modified

with Rare Earth Metal Oxides using Glycine-Nitrate

Process (GNP)

Osarieme Uyi Osazuwa, Chin Kui Cheng Stoichiometric Effects of Feed Gas on Syngas

Production in CO2 Reforming of CH4 over SmCoO3

Perovskite Catalyst

11.30 - 11.45 S.Y. Nguang and P.Y. Moh Adsorption and Photocatalytic Degradation of

Methylene Blue Using Graphene Oxide-Supported

Engelhard Titanosilicate -10 GO/ETS -10

M. Miyake*, H. Nishihara, and K. Miyabayashi

Platinum Nanoparticles Modified with Octylamine

Derivatives as High Performance Catalysts for Oxygen

Reduction Reaction of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell

11.45 - 12.00 S.F. Jamian, S. Triwahyono* and A.A. Jalil

Effect of temperature and aging time towards fibrous

silica structure

Chin Kui Cheng* and Ying Shi Chang

Strontium Cobalt Oxide Perovskite for Methane Dry

Reforming

12.00 - 12.15 M.C. Padole and P.A. Deshpande Density functional theory predicts Pd-modified

heterofullerene as a novel selective acetylene

hydrogenation material

H.D. Setiabudi*, S.M. Abed, N. Ainirazali and S.Y.

Chin

CO2 reforming of CH4 over Ni-Ce/SBA-15: Effect of

Ni-Ce loading methods

12.15 - 12.30 N.H.R. Annuar*, S. Triwahyono, A.A. Jalil and

N.H.N. Kamarudin

CrO3-ZrO2 for N-Pentane Isomerization: Influence of

Chromium Precursors on the Physical Properties,

Acidity and Catalytic Activity

Lee Eng Oi, Min-Yee Choo, Hwei Voon Lee,

Sharifah Bee Abdul Hamid, Chin Wei Lai, Joon

Ching Juan

Mesoporous TiO2 Catalyst for Deoxygenation of

Triglyceride into Hydrocarbon-like Biofuel

12.30 - 12.45 Ricca Rahman NASARUDDIN, Jingguo LI, Ning

YAN and Jianping XIE Understanding the Role of Protective Ligand to the

Catalytic Performance of Gold Nanocluster for 4-

Nitrophenol Hydrogenation

Sharanjit Singh, Osaze Omoregbe, Bawadi

Abdullah, Pham T. T. Phuong, Quang Duc Truong,

Maksudur R. Khan, Dai-Viet N. Vo

Bi-reforming of Methane with Steam and CO2 over

Ni/La-SBA-15 Catalyst for Synthesis Gas Production

12.45 - 13.00 Faris A. J. Al-Doghachi, Yun Hin Taufiq-Yap*

CO2 reforming of methane over Ni/MgO Catalysts

Promoted with Zr and La Oxides

S.M. Izan, S. Triwahyono*, A.A. Jalil, Z.A. Majid,

M.L. Firmansyah, N. A.A. Fatah, N.S. Jamari, S.F.

Jamian,

Effect of Pre-Treatment Temperature to the Silica

Fibrous Beta Zeolite for Isomerization of Cyclohexane




7

Parallel Session 2

2A (Catalytic Materials)


Chairperson: Dr Aemi Syazwani Abdul Keyon

2B (Catalysis for Energy)


Chairperson: Dr. Herma Dina Setiabudi

14.15 - 14.30 Sunderishwary S. Muniandy, Tan Shueai, Noor

Haida Mohd Kaus, S. Sasidharan, Hooi Ling Lee

A one-step green synthesis of TiO2-Ag Nanocomposites

and their performance towards photocatalytic

activities and antimicrobial properties

O.N. Syazwani, Mohd Izham Saiman, Umer Rashid,

Hideki Kanda, Motonobu Goto ,Y.H. Taufiq Yap*

Sulfated Angel Wing Shell for Biodiesel Production

from Oleic Acid using Supercritical Methanol

14.30 - 14.45 Nurliana Roslan, Zainab Ramli, Mohd Bakri

Bakar, Salasiah Endud and Hendrik O. Lintang

Synthesis of Mesoporous SBA-15/Ionic Liquid

Nanocomposites for the Selective Oxidation of 2,3,6-

Trimethylphenol

M. Arumugam, Y. H. Taufiq-Yap* and S.

Triwahyono

Synthesis, Characterization and Catalytic Application

of Various Si and Al based Nanozeolites Beta – Green

Fuel

14.45 - 15.00 Abdul Rahim Yacob*, Nor Wajihan Muda,

Muhammad Azam Muhammad Zaki

Effect of One Step Activation KOH Modified Carbon in

Dimethyl Carbonate Transesterification Reactions

M.Y.S. Hamid, S. Triwahyono*, A.A. Jalil, M.L.

Firmansyah

Unique Fibrous Morphology Silica Nanoparticle for

CO2 Methanation

15.00 - 15.15 M.A.A. Aziz*, A.A. Jalil, S. Triwahyono

Mechanistic investigation of CO2 methanation on metal

promoted mesostructured silica nanoparticles through

in situ FTIR Spectroscopy

Ahmad Farabi Mohamad Saman , Umer Rashid,

Taufiq-Yap Yun Hin

Biomass-based Acid Catalyst for Biodiesel Production

from Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD)

15.15 - 15.30 Noor Asmawati M. Zabidi, T. Syahylah T. Sulong,

Nadia Syazana Abd. Halim, Sara F. Hana Tasfy

Comparison between carbon and oxide-based support

for Cu/ZnO catalyst

N.Z.A. Shajaratun, H.V. Lee and Y.H. Taufiq-Yap*

Sonicated Carbon Supported Hydrotalcite-like Catalyst

for Renewable Fuel Production

15.30 - 15.45 Swee Ean Lim, Salasiah Che Me, Siew Ling Lee*

Tungsten-Sulphate Modified Silica-Titania as

Oxidative- Acidic Bifunctional Catalyst

Soo Ling Chong*, Jiah Chee Soh, Chin Kui Cheng

Production of Ethylene from Ethanol Dehydration over

H3PO4-Modified Cerium Oxide Catalyst

15.45 - 16.00 N.F. Khusnun, A.A. Jalil*, S. Triwahyono and N.S.

Hassan

Synthesis of Iron Oxide supported Carbon Nanotubes

and Its Photoactivity

Nurhayati, Muhdarina, and Tengku Ariful Amri

Biodiesel production from Crude Palm Oil using a Two

Step Process using Sulfuric Acid Activated Clay

Catalyst for Esterification Step

16.00 - 16.15 C.N.C. Hitam, A.A. Jalil*, S. Triwahyono and

A.F.A. Rahman

Copper Oxide Supported on Titanium Dioxide for

Photocatalytic Oxidative Desulfurization

Bahador Nabgan, Tuan Amran Tuan Abdullah*,

Walid Nabgan, Mohammad Tahir

Steam Reforming of Phenol-PET solution over

Ni/Al2O3 Catalyst for Hydrogen Production

16.15 - 16.30 N.H.H. Abu Bakar, N.I.F. Jamil, W.L. Tan

Solar Driven Degradation of Methyl Orange by

Natural Rubber - blend - Poly-vinylpyrrolidone/Silver

(NR-b-PVP/Ag) Membranes

G. Abdulkareem-Alsultan*, N. Asikin-Mijan and

Y.H. Taufiq-Yap

Effective catalytic deoxygenation of waste cooking oil

over nanorods activated carbon supported CaO

16.30 - 16.45 K.H. Ng* and C.K. Cheng

Photo-polishing of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)

over UV/ZnO System

H.V. Lee*, N. Asikin-Mijan and Y.H. Taufiq-Yap

Effect Of Bifunctional Acid-Base Catalyst For

Deoxygenation Of Triglyceride Into Biofuel

16.45 - 17.00 S. Triwahyono*, A.A. Jalil, M.L. Firmansyah

Synthesis and Characterization of Fibrous Silica ZSM‐5 for Cumene Hydrocracking

N.S. Jamari, S. Triwahyono*, A.A. Jalil, Z. Ramli,

M.L Firmansyah, N.A.A. Fatah, S.M. Izan, S.F.

Jamian

Platinum Supported on Fibrous Silica Hy Zeolite for

N-Hexane Isomerization


17.00 - 18.00 Malaysian Catalysis Society (MCS) Meeting – Seriwijaya Hall

20.15 - 22.30 Dinner – Madini Hall 1



8

21 September 2016

Plenary and Keynote Sessions

08.00 - 09.00 Plenary : Professor Dr. Ning Yan

Title : Rational Control of Nano-scale Metal-catalysts for Biomass Conversion

Chairperson: Professor Dr. Ahmad Zuhairi Abdullah


09.00 - 09.30 Keynote 3 Professor Dr. Hideshi Hattori

Title : Weakly acidic silicalite-1 as an efficient catalyst for propene production from light olefins

Chairperson : Dr. Che Rozid Mamat



10.00 - 11.00 Keynote 4 Professor Dr Abdul Rahman Mohamed

Title : Nanocatalysts for CO2 Reduction towards Alleviation of Global Warming

Keynote 5 Professor Dr. Noor Aini Abdul Rashid

Title : Interfacing Zeolite Technology with Biotechnology for Diverse Applications

Chairperson : Assoc. Prof. Dr Irmawati Ramli


Parallel Session 3

3A (Environmental Catalysis)


Chairperson: Dr. Roswanira Abdul Wahab

3B (Catalysis for Chemical Synthesis)


Chairperson: Assoc. Prof. Dr Rusmidah Ali

11.00 - 11.15 Salmiah Jamal Mat Rosid*, Wan Azelee Wan Abu

Bakar and Rusmidah Ali

Design Optimization by Box-Behnken of In-Situ

Carbon Dioxide Conversion using Lanthanum Oxide

Siti Kamilah Che Soh*, Lim Yen Wan and

Mustaffa Shamsuddin

Five-Membered Chelate Salen-Pd(II) Complex as

Efficient Catalyst for Mizoroki-Heck Reaction

11.15 - 11.30 A.F.A. Rahman, A.A. Jalil*, S. Triwahyono and

C.N.C. Hitam

Effect of pH on Photocatalytic Decolorization of

Congo Red Using Titania Supported Mesoporous

Silica Nanoparticles

M H A. Rahim*, V P. Indran, N A S. Zuhaimi, G. P.

Maniam, M M. Yusoff, and T-Y Y. Hin

Synthesis of Organic Carbonates Catalyzed by

Industrial Wastes as an Environmental Friendly

Approach

11.30 - 11.45 Nurul Husna Sabran, Leny Yuliati, Siew Ling Lee

and Hendrik O. Lintang

Photocatalytic Removal and Degradation of 2,4-

Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid on Modified Copper(II)

Pyrazolate Complex/Titanium Oxide Composites

Suhaila Borhamdin, Abdolhamid Alizadeh and

Mustaffa Shamsuddin

Bioinstabilised Gold Naoparticles: Synthesis and

Catalytic Applications

11.45 - 12.00 Marilyn Sok Wen Yuen, Abdul Halim Abdullah,

Hong Ngee Lim

Synthesis of Zinc Oxide/Reduced Graphene Oxide

Nanohybrid Photocatalysts for Waste Water Treatment

M. Ibrahim, A.A. Jalil*, S. Triwahyono and N.F.

Khusnun

Silica modified Mordenite Zeolite for n-pentane

Isomerization: Synthesis and Catalytic Reaction

12.00 - 12.15 Zul Adlan Mohd Hir*, Abdul Halim Abdullah, Lim

Hong Ngee and Zulkarnain Zainal

Immobilization of TiO2 into Polyethersulfone Matrix as

Hybrid Thin Film Photocatalyst for Effective

Degradation of Methyl Orange Dye

Jiah Chee Soh*, Soo Ling Chong and Chin Kui

Cheng

Catalytic Performance of Commercial Zeolites-Y as

Catalyst for Ethylene Production from Ethanol

Dehydration

12.15 - 12.30 Ahmad Nazeer Che Mat*, Nor Asrina Sairi, Wan

Jeffrey Basirun and Muhammad Mazhar

Photoelectrochemical oxidation of methanol over

anatase supported ruthenium, manganese and cobalt

catalyst

Sri Sugiarti*, Craig M Jensen

Pincer Palladium Complexes as Catalysts in the

Shilov-Type Reaction

12.30 - 12.45 Mojtaba Khani, Nor Aishah Saidina Amin*, Seyed

Nezamedin Hosseini

Plasmonic Photocatalytic Reduction of Greenhouse

Gases Using Silver on TiO2 Nanoparticles

A. Talebian-Kiakalaieh and N. A. S. Amin*

Gas phase glycerol dehydration to acrolein using

supported solid acid catalyst

12.45 - 13.00 R. Jusoh*, A.A. Jalil and S. Triwahyono

Dual-active Fe species supported on mesostructured

silica nanoparticles for photo-Fenton-like degradation

of phenolic compounds

Zainab Ramli, Shima Shirani Lapari and Sugeng

Triwahyono

Reactivity of Hierarchical Mesoporous Sodalite

Catalyst in Knoevenagel Condensation Reaction




9

Parallel Session 4

4A (Catalysis for Chemical Synthesis)


Chairperson: Assoc.Prof. Dr. Zainab Ramli

4B (Catalytic Materials)


Chairperson: Dr Joazaizulfazli Jamalis

14.15 - 14.30 Amalina Mohd Tajuddin* and Hadariah Bahron

Pd(II) complex heterogenized on MCM-41: An efficient

heterogeneous catalyst for Heck cross-coupling

reaction

Sze-Ting Wong, Mustaffa Shamsuddin*,

Abdolhamid Alizadeh , Yeoung-Sang Yun

Biogenic Synthesis of Magnetic Gold Catalyst for

Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol

14.30 - 14.45 Pabitra Kumar Baidya, Ujjaini Sarkar

Synthesis and Characterization of Some Novel

Catalysts for High Pressure Hydrogenation of Succinic

Acid

Abdu Muhammad Bello, Abdul Rahim Yacob*,

Kamaluddeen Suleiman Kabo

Optimization Study of Corn Oil Methanolysis using

Naoh-Modified Mesoporous Gamma Alumina

14.45 - 15.00 Azia Wahida Aziz, Noor Haida Mohd Kaus*, Lee

Hooi Ling

Enhanced degradation of Methyl Orange (MO) by

Biotemplating Mn-BiFeO3 Nanocomposites

Mikio Miyake, Weihua Eika Qian, Sharifah Nor

Hafizai binti Syed Jaya and Fawzi Mohamad Amin

Elfagaih

Selective Dibenzothiophene Adsorption by ZSM5 and

its Composites

15.00 - 15.15 Nurul Syamimi Abdul Satar, Noor Haida Mohd

Kaus

Influencing Parameters in the Photocatalytic

Degradation of Methylene Blue via Biotemplating of Y-

doped and undoped BiFeO3

Lee Eng Oi, Zulkepli Suraya, Min-Yee Choo, Hwei

Voon Lee, Sharifah Bee Abdul Hamid, Noorsaadah

Abdul Rahman, Joon Ching Juan

The Influence of Thermal Treatment on TiO2 for

Deoxygenation of Triolein

15.15 - 15.30 Nor Saadah Mohd Yusof

Micellar Catalysis Pepi Helza Yanti*, Irmina Kris Murwani, I

Nyoman Marsih

Preparation and Characterization of Nano-Crystalline

Hydroxyapatite from Geloina Coaxans Shell using

Precipitation Method

15.30 - 15.45 R. Irmawati* and M.A. Afandi

MoVTeNbOx Mixed Metal Oxides for Catalytic

Selective Oxidation of Propane to Acrylic Acid

N.Hamzah*, W.Z. Abd. Samad and M.A. Yarmo

Glycerol Hydrogenolysis to 1,2-Propanediol over

Os/bentonite Catalyst

15.45 - 16.00 W.N.Wan Abdullah, R. Ali*, W.A. Wan Abu Bakar

Effect of Ca and Fe over MoO3-PO4/Al2O3 catalyst in

oxidative desulfurization of Malaysian diesel

N.M. Shukri, J. Jaafar*, W.A.W. Abu Bakar, and

Z. Abdul Majid

Deacidification of Acidic Petroleum Crude Oil

Utilizing

Metal Oxide Catalysts Supported on Alumina and

Ammoniated-Polyethylene Glycol Solution

16.00 - 16.15 Y. Gambo, A.A. Jalil*, S. Triwahyono, S.I. Lamido,

S.M. Izan

Silica surface-modified HY Zeolite for enhanced n-

heptane isomerization

N.S. Hassan, A.A. Jalil*, S. Triwahyono and N. F.

Khusnun

Synthesis of Copper Oxide Supported on Graphene

Nanoplatelets for Paracetamol Degradation

16.15 - 16.30 N.W.C. Jusoh*, N.H.N. Kamarudin, A.A. Jalil and

S. Triwahyono

Effect of Cu and Zn introduction sequence on the

properties and photocatalytic activity of CuO-

ZnO/MSN catalyst

N.A.A. Fatah, S. Triwahyono*, A.A. Jalil

MoO3 and Platinum Supported Mesostructured Silica

Nanoparticles for n-Heptane Isomerization


16.45 - 17.15 Closing Ceremony


20 - 21 September 2016

POSTER PRESENTATION

P1 Suhaila Mohamed

Development of modified MCM-41 catalyst systems towards epoxidation of 1-Octene

P2 Ainisah Yunus, Abdul Halim Abdullah

Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Based Visible-Light Active Photocatalyst for Degradation of Methyl Orange

P3 N. Ainirazali *, H.D. Setiabudi, C.Y. Chin, S.N.M. Arof and N.V. Dai-Viet

Production of Syngas via CO2 Reforming of Methane on Ni/SBA-15

P4 Masitah Abdul Halim Azizi, Wan Nor Roslam Wan Isahak, Mohd Ambar Yarmo

Studies on Bimetallic Nanoalloys for Formic Acid Decomposition

P5 Norliza Dzakaria, Fairous Salleh, Tengku Shafazila Tengku Saharuddin, Alinda Samsuri, Azizul Hakim, Wan Nor

Roslam Wan Isahak, Mohamed Wahab Mohamed Hisham and Mohd Ambar Yarmo

Studies of Fe Metal Carburization by Carbon Monoxide

P6 E.N. Muhamad*, C.M. Aqliliriana and R. Irmawati

Modification of Natural Calcium-based Catalysts for Biodiesel Production via Hydration Technique

P7 Min-Yee Choo, Lee Eng Oi, Tau Chuan Ling, Eng-Poh Ng, Joon Ching Juan

Deoxygenation of Triolein over Hierarchical Zeolite Y to Produce Green Hydrocarbon



10

P8 Darfizzi Derawi*, Nazrizawati Ahmad Tajuddin and K. Wilson

Synthesis of Mesoporous Nanoparticles SBA-15 by Controlled Aging Temperature

P9 Wan Zurina Samad*, Wan Nor Roslam Wan Isahak, Mohd Ambar Yarmo, and Muhammad Rahimi Yusop

A Highly Active Bi-Functional Catalyst of Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide for Glycerol Conversion: Effect of Temperature and

Hydrogen Pressure

P10 Ainul Hakimah Karim*, Aishah Abdul Jalil and Sugeng Triwahyono

Carbon Nanotubes - Mesostructured silica nanoparticles: Efficient adsorbent for methylene blue

P11 N.H.N. Kamarudin*, S.N. Timmiati, N.H.R. Annuar, H.D. Setiabudi, A.A. Jalil and S. Triwahyono

Intrinsic properties assessment by hydrogen and pyridine preadsorbed FTIR of Pt/Zn-Hβ for determining the role of Zn in

n-pentane isomerization

P12 S.N. Timmiati*, S. Triwahyono, A. A Jalil and N. H. N. Kamarudin

IR study of interaction of molecular cumene with MoO3 type catalyst

P13 Wan Nor Roslam Wan Isahak*, Masitah Abdul Halim, Zatil Amali Che Ramli, Mohd Shahbudin Masdar, Wan

Zurina Samad and Mohd Ambar Yarmo

The Role of Zinc in Simple Mixed Fe-Zn Catalysts for Formic Acid Decomposition at Room Temperature

P14 Faridah M. Marsin, Wan Aini Wan Ibrahim*, Hamid Rashidi Nodeh, Mohd Marsin Sanagi

Incorporation of As-Prepared Magnetite-Polypyrrole onto Oil Palm Fiber Activated Carbon for Organochlorine Pesticides

Removal in Natural Waters

P15 Mohd Bakri Bakar*, Nurafiqah Saadon, Tan Ke Xin, Wong Wen Yee and Nurliana Roslan

Catalyst of the Porphyrin, By the Porphyrin, For the Porphyrin in Mimicking Natural System

P16 F.H. Mustapha, A.A Jalil*, S. Triwahyono, M. Mohamed and A.S. Zolkifli

Highly photoactivity rutile phase TiO2 for degradation of methylene blue

P17 N. Basar*, H. M. Sirat and E. J. Thomas

Stereoselective Syntheses of Open-Chain Compounds with 1,3,5-trimethyl Substituents

P18 Nadzidah Yusof, Che Rozid Mamat*, Aishah Abdul Jalil, Sugeng Triwahyono

Synthesis of Molybdenum Oxide Supported on Fibrous Silica KCC-1 for 1,4-Diisopropylbenzene Hydrocracking

P19 N.N.M. Ishak, N. Salamun, A.A Jalil, and S. Triwahyono*

Amine Functionalized Fibrous Mesostructured Silica Particles for Efficient Adsorption of Heavy Metal Ions

P20 Nur Izzati Abu Bakar, Hadi Nur and Sheela Chandren*

Photocatalytic Oxidation of Styrene by Well-Aligned Porous TiO2 Microrods with Liquid Crystal as the Structure-Aligning

Agent under the Influence of Magnetic Field

P21 Hasmerya Maarof* and Farhah Kamarudin Transition State Study on the Synthesis of Chalcones from Acetophenone and Benzaldehyde with Different Position of

Hydroxy Group

P22 Ng Nyuk Ting, Amirah Farhan Kamaruddin and Aemi Syazwani Abdul Keyon*

Preliminary Study Of Polypyrrole-Based Nanocomposites For Adsorption Of Heavy Metals And Dyes In Water Sample

P23 Mohd Amir Asyraf Mohd Hamzah, Wan Azlina Ahmad and Siti Aminah Setu

Synthesis and Stability Study of Nano-sized Bacterial-based Pigment using Electrospraying Technique

P24 Roswanira Abdul Wahab

Exploring the Physicochemical Characteristics of the Malaysian Oil Palm Frond Leaves

P25 Shajarahtunnur Jamil*, Hasnah Mohd Sirat and Ibrahim Jantan

Synthesis of Prenylated and Aldehyde-Type Chalcones via Claisen Schmidt Condensation

P26 Z.A. Alexzman, M.Y.S. Hamid, S.M. Sidik, A.A. Jalil and S. Triwahyono*

Modified Fibrous Mesoporous Silica Particles for CO2 Methanation

P27 Klinsmann Cheong, Leny Yuliati, and Siew Ling Lee

Photocatalytic Degradation of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid over Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide

22 September 2016

Post-Conference Workshop and Sharing Session

Key Points in Industrialization of Some Catalysts and Processess

Venue: DK1, Bangunan C 17, Fakulti Sains UTM Johor Bahru


14.15 - 15.30 Prof. Dr Hideshi HATTORI

Hokkaido University and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals


15.45 - 17.00 Prof. Dr Wan Azlee WAN ABU BAKAR

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia



11

PLENARY LECTURE

Cross-coupling Reactions of Organoboranes: An Easy Way for Carbon-carbon Bonding

Akira Suzuki Professor Emeritus, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

E-mail: [email protected]

The palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between different types of organoboron compounds and various organic halides in the presence of

base provides a powerful and general methodology for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds. The (sp3)C-B compounds (alkylboron compounds) and

(sp2)C-B compounds (such as aryl- and 1-alkenylboron derivatives) readily cross-couple with organic electrophiles to give coupled products selectively

in high yields. Recently, the (sp)C-B compounds (1-alkynylboron derivatives) have been also observed to react with organic electrophiles to produce

expected cross-coupled products.

Such coupling reactions offer several advantages:

(1) ready availability of reactants

(2) mild reaction conditions

(3) water stability

(4) easy use of the reaction both in aqueous and heterogeneous conditions

(5) toleration of a broad range of functional groups

(6) high regio- and stereoselectivity of the reaction

(7) insignificant effect of steric hindrance

(8) use of a small amount of catalysts

(9) application in one-pot synthesis

(10) nontoxic reaction

(11) easy separation of inorganic boron compound

(12) green chemistry

These coupling reactions have been actively utilized not only in academic laboratories but also in industrial processes including pharmaceutical

(antihypertensives, anticancer drugs, antiHIV drugs, antibiotics etc) and agrochemical industries, and liquid crystal and OELD production as well.

In this lecture, the overview of the coupling reaction will be discussed.

Rational Control of Nano-scale Metal-catalysts for Biomass Conversion

Ning Yan Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore

4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore 117585, Singapore, E-mail: [email protected]

Biomass offers a wide range of starting materials for value-added chemicals and fuels, however, components in biomass feedstock bristle with

functional groups, reducing their stability to withstand high temperatures usually used to process petrochemicals. Therefore, de-functionalization, in

particular deoxygenation under mild reaction conditions over highly effective catalysts is of central importance. Such a requirement fits well with the

advantages of nano-scale metal-catalysts, which have proven properties in promoting hydrogenolysis, hydrogenation, and decarboxylation reactions under

mild condition.

In recent years, we have demonstrated in a series of studies that the conversion of lignocellulose, lipids, and chitin can be effectively catalyzed by

well-defined nano-metal catalysts (see Scheme 1).[1-5] The type of metal, size, composition, and surface modification are all key parameters to achieve

desired transformations. In some cases, multiple reaction steps are needed, hence multifunctional systems could be developed to promote a one-pot

reaction in a cascade manner.

Scheme 1 Major biomass conversion routes via metal catalysed reactions.

References

[1] N. Yan, X. Chen, Nature, 2015, 524, 155-157.

[2] Y. Wang, S. De, N. Yan, Chem. Commun., 2016, 52, 6210-6224.

[3] J. Zhang, J. Teo, X. Chen, H. Asakura, T. Tanaka, K. Teramura, N. Yan, ACS Catal., 2014, 4, 1574-1583.

[4] W. Li, Y. Gao, S. Yao, D. Ma, N. Yan, Green Chem., 2015, 17, 4198-4205.

[5] S. Siankevich, G. Savoglidis, Z. Fei, G. Laurenczy, D. T. L. Alexander, N. Yan, P. J. Dyson, J. Catal., 2014, 315, 67-74.



12

KEYNOTE LECTURE

Bioinstabilised Gold Naoparticles: Synthesis and Catalytic Applications

Suhaila Borhamdin1, Abdolhamid Alizadeh2 and Mustaffa Shamsuddin1,3*

1Dept. of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2Dept. of Chemistry & Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research Center (NNRC), Razi University,

Kermanshah 67149, Iran., 3Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials, Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Synthesis of nanoparticles using plant extract is a recent advancement in the field of nanotechnology because it yields an eco-friendly method of

nanoparticle synthesis. It opens up a new venue for using the plants as nanofactories to synthesize metal nanoparticles. In this paper, a green biosynthetic

approach for the preparation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using an aqueous leaf extract of Polygonum minus as reducing and stabilising agent is

described. The reduction of Au3+ ions to elemental Au was rapid and is completed within 20 minutes at room temperature. The biostabilised AuNPs shows

good catalytic activity in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol and in liquid phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde in water.

This work was supported by the Research University Grant (No. 03H06), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

Conversion of Oil Palm Biomass into Renewable Energy by Catalysis

Y.H. Taufiq Yap1,2

1Catalysis Science and Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor.Malaysia.

2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

As petroleum reserves decrease, environmental pollution and the impact of rising atmospheric CO2 are exacerbated, both sustainable energy supply and

environmental protection are needed. Catalysis plays an important role in addressing energy and environmental issues. Catalysis has a leading role in

many chemistry solutions, as the key enabling science in some cases, and as part of general technology in others. Catalysis is used widely within chemical

production (petro- and oleo- chemical), power production, refinery processes, conversion of natural gasses, agro chemistry, pharmaceutical processes,

polymer and material production and biotechnology. The economic impact of catalysis is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that 20-25% of the gross

national products in the industrialized world involved heterogeneous catalysis. Many of the major problem society is encountering, such as the need to

create production in balance with the environment, better use of fuels, more economical energy production and the reduction of green house gasses

(mainly CH4 and CO2), which will require solutions where catalysts play an significant role. The development of new catalysts and catalytic processes

can open up new selective chemical processes which may lead green processes with a considerable reduction of undesired by-products or waste products.

The lecture will discuss on the challenges in the development of catalytic conversion for efficient utilization of biomass for sustainable supply of bioenergy

and chemicals.

Weakly acidic silicalite-1 as an efficient catalyst for propene production from light olefins

Palani Arudra, Abdullah M. Aitani, Sulaiman S. Al-Khattaf and Hideshi Hattori

Center of Research Excellence in Petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi

Arabia

Propene for which demand is increasing is being produced by stream cracking of naphtha, FCC, dehydrogenation of propane, metathesis of ethylene and

butene, MTG etc. Production of propene from light olefins draws attention because of availability of large and stable supplies of light olefins from FCC

and steam cracking. The catalysts studied for the production of propene from olefins include H-ZSM-5, H-ZSM-48, PITQ-13 and SAPO-34. A high

selectivity to propene was observed for the medium-pore 10-membered ring zeolites and the small-pore SAPO. Silicalite-1 has the same crystalline

structure as ZSM-5, but contains no Al. The acid sites on silicalite-1 are so weak that the acid sites cannot be detected by ammonia TPD under normal

conditions. Because alkenes are easily protonated to form carbocations, the weak acid sites on silicalite-1 would be able to form carbocations to initiate

the acid-catalyzed reactions. Since the strength of acid sites generally increases with temperature, the formation of carbocations from alkenes would be

possible over silicalite-1 in particular at a high temperature. In the present study, the catalytic behaviors of silicalite-1 were studied in comparison with

those of ZSM-5’s with different Si/Al2 ratios for the reactions of C4 – C6 alkenes to produce propene. The active sites for the efficient production of

propene as well as the reaction scheme were elucidated from characterization of catalysts by acidity measurement and IR of OH groups. In the reaction

of alkenes, the formation of alkenes including propene increased and those of alkanes and aromatics decreased with decreasing Al content. These product

distributions are consistently interpreted by the successive reactions of oligomerization, cracking, and hydrogen transfer. For oligomerization and

cracking, in addition to strong acid sites on H-ZSM-5 zeolites, weak acid sites present on silicalite-1 act as active sites. For the hydrogen transfer reaction

of alkenes to form alkanes and aromatics, the strong acid sites are required. The weak acid sites on silicalite-1 are assumed to be the silanol groups that

act as Brønsted acid sites above 300oC. Presence of strong acid sites results in the consumption of alkenes by hydrogen transfer. Removal of a part of Al

containing in silicalite-1 as impurity and enrichment of surface silanol groups on silicalite-1 resulted in the improvement of propene yield. It is concluded

that silicalite-1 is an efficient catalyst for the formation of propene by the reactions of light alkenes because of the absence of strong acid sites and the

presence of weak acid sites.

Nanocatalysts for CO2 Reduction towards Alleviation of Global Warming

Abdul Rahman Mohamed



13

Low Carbon Economy (LCE) Research Group, School of Chemical Engineering, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Seri Ampangan,

14300 Nibong Tebal, S.P.S. Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Malaysian palm oil industry is accounted for RM40.14 billion (5.1%) of total exports and it is the second largest contributor of CO2 in this country. The

rate of CO2 emissions from oil palm industry, in the form of biogas, is estimated to be 18.66 billion tons per year. Consequently, biogas emitted from the

palm oil industry is expected to play a major role in the country’s pledge to fulfil the agreements in 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21).

The emitted biogas is composed of two major greenhouse gases, i.e. 60-75% CH4 and 25-40% CO2. The conversion of biogas to other materials would

have positive impacts to the environment and also to the country's economy. In this talk, we share our research on catalytic CO2 reforming of CH4 (CRM)

over nanocomposite catalysts (Co–Mo–MgO/MWCNTs). The nanocomposite catalysts were prepared by growing MWCNTs directly on Co–Mo/MgO

through catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) of CH4 in a continuous rotary reactor.

Interfacing Zeolite Technology with Biotechnology for Diverse Applications

Noor Aini Abdul Rashid

Dept of Bioscience, Faculty of Biosciences and Medical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

The importance of zeolite in environmental pollution cleans ups and in various industries have been established. Zeolites are crystalline aluminosilicates,

compositionally similar to clay minerals, but differing in their well-defined three-dimensional nano- and micro-porous structure. Zeolites are not new

materials as they have been investigated for over two and a half centuries. Industrial applications include catalysis in the petroleum industry, various uses

in agriculture, horticulture, gas separations, domestic water treatment and nuclear waste processing are well-documented. Zeolite framework being is

built from negatively charged units due to OH- groups is that it possesses a net negative charge that must be balanced by the presence of positively

charged cations. Most naturally occurring zeolites like clinoptilolite contain predominantly sodium ions as a loosely bound counter ion which can be

exchanged with other cations. This cationic exchange capability allows surface modification of the zeolite and such manipulation permits various types

of application. Modification of the surface of the zeolite with quaternary ammonium cationic surfactant such as hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA)

enhances the adsorption and cationic capabilities of zeolite. This can be achieved either by ionic interaction or cationic exchange which alters the surface

chemistry of the zeolite. Attachment of HDTMA can occur in either in monolayer or bilayer configurations. Under the monolayer configuration, the

hydrophobicity of the zeolite is increased while in bilayer configuration, the zeolite reverses its surface charge, resulting in a higher affinity for negatively

charged anions, and the sorption and retention of anions are attributed to surface anion exchange. Therefore, organic or inorganic substances can be easily

adsorbed onto the zeolite surface thus making zeolite a very versatile material. Slow release of compounds can also be accomplised with zeolites and this

is especially important in release of nutrients especially in agriculture. Here, the natural zeolite clinoptilolite, modified with HDTMA-Br will be used for

the purpose of making it support for bacterial attachment. HDTMA is a detergent is therefore bactericidal but upon adsorption becomes a “haven” for

bacterial attachment. The initial loading capacity of HDTMA is an important factor to consider in the modification process. The initial HDTMA loading

will determine the amount adsorbed onto zeolite or even the configuration of the HDTMA with respect to the zeolite surface. Manipulating the

concentration permits different configurations of the HDTMA on the zeolite surface. Interesting but diverse applications of the surfactant modified

clinoptilolite-bacteria combination for example in biocarrier development, biofertiliser, bioconcrete, wastewater treatment and bioattractant will be

presented.



14

ORAL PRESENTATION

Five-Membered Chelate Salen-Pd(II) Complex as Efficient Catalyst for Mizoroki-Heck Reaction

Siti Kamilah Che Soh1*, Lim Yen Wan1 and Mustaffa Shamsuddin2

1School of Marine Science and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

The palladium catalyzed Mizoroki-Heck reaction represents one of the most effective methods for the formation of carbon-carbon bond reaction. A five-

membered chelate Salen complex N,N’-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-propanediaminepalladium(II) has been successfully synthesized through

condensation reaction between primary amine 1,2-diaminopropane with 3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde. The palladium complex was prepared

by refluxing the corresponding tetradentate ligand with equimolar amount of palladium acetate to give C33H48N2O2Pd. The catalyst was then characterized

by several techniques such as elemental chemical analysis CHNS, FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. This air/moisture stable Salen-Pd complex was

investigated to be a highly class of catalyst for Mizoroki-Heck reaction of aryl bromide with methyl acrylate at different temperatures and bases. The

conversions of catalytic activity were determined by GC-FID and the isolated product obtained as 3-(4-acetyl-phenyl)-acrylic acid methyl ester.

Synthesis of Organic Carbonates Catalyzed by Industrial Wastes as an Environmental Friendly Approach

M H A. Rahim1*, V P. Indran1, N A S. Zuhaimi1, G. P. Maniam1,2, M M. Yusoff1, and T-Y Y. Hin3

1Faculty of Industrial Sciences & Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia, 2Central Laboratory, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia 3Catalysis Science and Technology Research Centre, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

In recent times, the growing biodiesel industry has significantly influenced growth of crude glycerol production as by-product resulting in significant

drop in its market value. Therefore, as a measure to overcome this problem, the synthesis of organic carbonate specifically glycerol carbonate from

glycerol has been of great interest to many researchers. Glycerol carbonate was a preferred derivative of glycerol because of its vast application in many

major industries such as polymers, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agricultural and chemical. Even though, there are several routes to synthesizing glycerol

carbonate involving direct carbonylation using CO2 and transcarbonation using DMC, DEC, ethylene carbonates as well as propylene carbonates. The

nearest green and safe synthesis approach that has been developed is through the use of glycerol and urea as feedstock. However, none of the catalyst

reported in previous research suggested use of catalyst derived from industrial waste sources. Besides, there was also no reported study that used direct

crude glycerol as feedstock without purification. Therefore, a significant aim in this study involved use of industrial wastes such as boiler ash and gypsum

as suitable catalysts for the synthesis of glycerol carbonate. On the other hand, direct utilization of waste glycerol was also introduced as an ultimate

approach towards synthesis of value added chemical glycerol carbonate from waste sources. The study was successful in which good yield of glycerol

carbonate was observed. In order to identify and study catalyst mechanism various characterization techniques were used such as (TGA, XRD, XRF,

ICP-MS, FESEM-EDX, BET and CO2-TPD) in this study. The current study is complete an almost 100 % green synthesis approach will benefit the

environment and society fundamentally.

Bioinstabilised Gold Naoparticles: Synthesis and Catalytic Applications

Suhaila Borhamdin1, Abdolhamid Alizadeh2 and Mustaffa Shamsuddin1,3*

1Dept. of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2Dept. of Chemistry & Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research Center (NNRC), Razi University,

Kermanshah 67149, Iran., 3Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials, Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Synthesis of nanoparticles using plant extract is a recent advancement in the field of nanotechnology because it yields an eco-friendly method of

nanoparticle synthesis. It opens up a new venue for using the plants as nanofactories to synthesize metal nanoparticles. In this paper, a green biosynthetic

approach for the preparation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using an aqueous leaf extract of Polygonum minus as reducing and stabilising agent is

described. The reduction of Au3+ ions to elemental Au was rapid and is completed within 20 minutes at room temperature. The biostabilised AuNPs shows

good catalytic activity in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol and in liquid phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde in water.

This work was supported by the Research University Grant (No. 03H06), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

Silica Modified Mordenite Zeolite for n-pentane Isomerization: Synthesis and Catalytic Reaction

M. Ibrahim1, A. A. Jalil1,2*, S. Triwahyono3 and N. F. Khusnun1 1Dept. of Chemical Eng., Fac. of Chemical and Energy Eng., 2Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, 3Dept. of Chemistry, Fac. of Science, Universiti

Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Silica modified zeolite (SMZ) materials with unique morphology and high surface area were synthesised using the solvothermal method. Pt nanoparticles

were loaded onto the surface of the material via wet impregnation. The morphology was interpreted based on all observations and information taken from

TEM image. The acidity of the materials was investigated through pyridine adsorption and Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The

performance of the synthesized catalyst was evaluated in the isomerization of n-pentane, both with and without Pt nanoparticles in a microcatalytic pulse

reactor at 373-623K and atmospheric pressure. The highest isomer selectivity of 99% at 71% conversion was achieved over 0.1g of 0.5wt% Pt/SMZ at

350°C for n-pentane isomerization. It was found that the presence of a well-developed silica fiber remarkably enhanced accessibility, leading to improved

catalytic activity by overcoming diffusional limitations. The medium strength acid sites on the silica modified mordenite zeolite greatly improved the

isomerization reaction. These high silica mordenite zeolites show better catalytic behavior towards the industrially relevant isomerization of n-pentane

with high yield of both mono and di-branched isomers.

Pincer Palladium Complexes as Catalysts in the Shilov-Type Reaction

Sri Sugiarti1*, Craig M Jensen2

1Dept of Chemistry, Bogor Agricultural University, 2Dept of Chemistry, University of Hawaii at Manoa

The original Shilov system used a combination of PtCl42- and PtCl6

2- in aqueous solution to transform methane into methanol and/or methyl chloride by

selective activation and functionalization of saturated C-H bonds. Possible altenative catalysts for Shilov type reactions are phosphinito PCP pincer



15

palladium halides (PdX{C6H3-2,6-(OPri2)2}, X=Cl, Br, I) that have been developed for the Heck reactions of aryl halide as they are believed to operate

by an alternative but similar Pd(II)/Pd(IV) mechanism. We tested pincer palladium complexes for functionalization of 1-propanol. Pincer palladium

complexes showed selectivity for terminal functionalization of 1-propanol at lower temperature. Successful substitution of PtCl4 by the less expensive

oxidation system, CuCl2 and air, was achieved. In the presence of CuCl2, the Wacker-like oxidation is apparently involved in the reaction. The

phosphorous donor pincer palladium complexes showed better activity and selectivity than other types of pincer palladium complexes such as NCN-Pd-

Br and SCS-Pd-Cl.

Catalytic Performance of Commercial Zeolites-Y as Catalyst for Ethylene Production from Ethanol Dehydration

Jiah Chee Soh1,2*, Soo Ling Chong1,2 and Chin Kui Cheng1,2,3 1Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 2Centre of Excellence for Advanced Research in Fluid Flow, Universiti Malaysia

Pahang, 3Rare Earth Research Centre, Universiti Malaysia Pahang

Catalytic dehydration of ethanol into ethylene was studied over Zeolite-Y with different Si:Al ratios between 5.1:1 and 80:1, and temperature from 573

K to 773 K. The physicochemical properties of fresh and spent catalysts were investigated using N2-physisorption, SEM-EDX, FTIR and TGA. Results

showed that catalysts with higher Si:Al ratios gave better catalytic performance in ethanol conversion and selectivity to ethylene. Zeolites-Y with Si:Al

ratio 5.1:1 and 12:1 demonstrated low catalytic activity with ethanol conversion of 34% and 2%, respectively. However, ethylene selectivity of Zeolite-

Y 5.1:1 (84%) was considerably higher than Zeolite-Y 12:1 (26%), indicated that this catalyst is less prone to the formation of other hydrocarbons such

as methane and ethane. At 673 K, albeit all of the catalysts (Zeolites-Y 30:1, 60:1 and 80:1) showed favorable performance in ethanol dehydration,

Zeolite-Y 80:1 attained almost total selectivity to ethylene and highest conversion of 72% among all the tested catalysts.

This work is supported by UMP Short Term Grant RDU160335.

Gas Phase Glycerol Dehydration to Acrolein Using Supported Solid Acid Catalyst

A. Talebian-Kiakalaieh and N. A. S. Amin*

Chemical Reaction Engineering Group (CREG), Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia. Email

address: [email protected], [email protected]*.

The gas phase dehydration of glycerol to acrolein over a series of supported silicotungstic acid (HSiW) on γ-Al2O3 nanoparticle (W10-Al, W20-Al, W30-

Al and W40-Al) has been investigated. The catalysts were characterized by temperature programmed desorption, nitrogen adsorption–desorption,

thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray techniques. The large pore

diameters (>21 nm) of the prepared catalysts alleviated the coke deposition effect. Also, the acidity of the samples surged from 2 to 2.6 mmol/g.cat by

varying HSiW loadings from 10 to 40 wt% on γ-Al2O3 nanoparticle. The highest acrolein yield achieved was 74.1% at 94% glycerol conversion over

W20-Al catalyst for 10 wt% glycerol feed concentration and 300 ˚C reaction temperature in 3 h. The combined physicochemical characteristics of W20-

Al made it more superior compared with other samples in the current study.

Reactivity of Hierarchical Mesoporous Sodalite Catalyst in Knoevenagel Condensation Reaction

Zainab Ramli, Shima Shirani Lapari and Sugeng Triwahyono Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Univeristi Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

Sodalite is a type of zeolite having ultramicropore size and high thermal stability with strong basic property. However, microporous sodalite has several

drawbacks in the catalyst application due to its small pore size (2.8 Å) and low surface area. To overcome these disadvantages microporous sodalite was

modified to have mesoporous structure, but maintain its active sites. In this study a hierarchical mesoporous sodalite has been synthesized using various

mesotemplates. Results from XRD showed that all templates being used produced sodalite phase. However only sodalite synthesized using organosilane

template and a dual templates containing a mixture of tetrapropylammonium hydroxide and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide have shown mesoporosity,

as proven by nitrogen adsorption analysis. The synthesized mesoporous sodalite samples obtained were modified with K+ and Cs+ ions to enhance the

sodalite basicity. Results from Hammet indicators and TPD of CO2 studies revealed that potassium mesoporous sodalite using dual templates has the

highest strength and amount of basic sites. The reactivity of all prepared sodalite samples was evaluated in the Knoevenagel reaction of 2-

nitrobenzaldehyde and ethyl acetoacetate, producing 4-(2-nitrophenyl)but-3-en-2-one as the main product and trans 2-nitrocinnamic acid as the side

product. Based on the conversion of reactant, the potassium mesoporous sodalite using dual templates has shown the most active catalyst which gave

95% conversion at 150°C and 6 hours reaction using 0.2 g catalyst. This study has proven that besides basicity, hierarchical mesoporosity of sodalite is

important for the enhancement of the reactivity of the sodalite as catalyst

Synthesis and Characterization of Some Novel Catalysts for High Pressure Hydrogenation of Succinic Acid

Pabitra Kumar Baidya, Ujjaini Sarkar

aDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata-700032, India., Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Hydrogenation of succinic acid is one of the best ways to produce valuable chemicals like γ-Butyrolactone, 1,4-Butanediol and Tetrahydrofuran in

presence of the catalysts. Transition metal catalysts such as platinum, palladium, ruthenium and rhenium are very efficient in the hydrogenation of succinic

acid. It is known that ruthenium catalyst causes complete reduction of both carboxyl and carbonyl groups, leading to further hydrogenation of succinic

acid. The doping of ruthenium with cobalt indicates a strong synergistic effect than the cobalt alone in the hydrogenation of acids to alcohols. The

bimetallic catalyst is prepared using Ruthenium as the promoter and cobalt as the supporting metal. Wet impregnation process is employed to make Ru-

Co bimetallic catalysts of various compositions. Characterization of the bimetallic catalysts are carried out using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning

Electron Microscopy(SEM) and Thermo-gravimetric Analysis (TGA). Higher percentage of ruthenium impregnation on cobalt catalysts gives better

hydrogenation activity for the yield of 1,4-Butanediol.



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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray_Diffraction

Pd(II) Complex Heterogenized on MCM-41: An efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst for Heck Cross-Coupling

Reaction

Amalina Mohd Tajuddin* and Hadariah Bahron Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

A Pd(II) complex has been heterogenized on MCM-41 by functionalization 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APTES) followed by o-vanillin through

Schiff's base formation between the terminal -NH2 and finally Pd(II) was immobilized through complexation. The catalyst has been thoroughly

characterized by different techniques such as elemental analysis, N2 sorption, IR, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma (ICP),

thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) as well as scanning electron microscope (SEM). ICP data revealed that the palladium loading in the catalyst was 0.259

mmolg-1. The catalyst is used in Heck cross-coupling reaction of iodobenzene with methyl acrylate as substrates, to give methyl cinnamate in excellent

yields.

Enhanced Degradation of Methyl Orange (MO) by Biotemplating Mn-BiFeO3 Nanocomposites

Azia Wahida Aziz 1, Noor Haida Mohd Kaus *1, Lee Hooi Ling2

1 Nano Hybrid Materials Group, School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia, 2 School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains

Malaysia, 11800 Penang Malaysia. Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Nanocomposites of BiFe1-xMnxO3 (x = 10, 20 and 30 % mol) photocatalytic material were successfully synthesized via biotemplating method using alginic

acid biopolymer. Their morphologies, structural properties and photocatalytic performance in the degradation of methyl orange (MO) were characterized

by field emission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared. The results shows that

the BiFe1-xMnxO3 nanocomposites exhibit enhanced photocatalytic performance in the degradation of 50 ppm MO with a maximum degradation of 98%

under visible light irradiation for 60 min which mainly ascribed to the increase in light adsorption and the reduction in electron-hole pair recombination

in BiFeO3 with the introduction of Mn. The influence of catalyst dosage, initial dye concentration, pH solution, mol percentage of Mn substitution, kinetic

studies and regeneration of nanocomposites for dye degradation were also investigated.

Micellar Catalysis

Nor Saadah Mohd Yusof* Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Malaysia

Micelle structures refer to a colloidal aggregation of amphipathic molecules that occur at a well-defined critical micelle concentration. The structure is

obscure to the naked eye, but only a few volume percent are needed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of reservoir stimulation operations. Thus,

the specialty of micelle has been manipulated in extensively wide area such as biological and medicine, plantation and manufacturing to name a few. The

amphiphilicity of micelle can behave as either of the following three ways: (i) they adsorb at the air-water or oil-water interface so that the apolar portions

occupy the air or oil phase while the polar groups are retained in the aqueous environment; (ii) the molecules can associate to form micellar or liquid

crystalline aggregates in which the apolar groups are directed away from water in close van der Waals contact, while the polar groups are directed so that

they have maximum contact with water; or (iii) in the case of long polypeptide chains, the molecules can assume a three-dimensional conformation such

that the majority of the apolar side chains are removed from the aqueous environment, while the polar side chains are oriented to maximize their

interactions in water. The ability of micelles to aggregate and form such a pseudophase is explained by a the Pseudophase Micellar (PM) model. In our

study, this was kinetically proven by the study on the reaction between piperidine and phenyl salicylate in the absence of micelle and by gradiently

increasing the concentration of different micellar system such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide

(TTAB) above their critical micelle concentration. The rate of reactions was found to decrease by at least 25 times upon the addition of micelles at a

constant reaction condition. It is also known that micelle aggregation possesses the ability to reversibly grow to different structures, i.e spherical to rodlike

to wormlike to elongated threadlike micelle and even to lamellar structures. Such transformation is visible from the viscoelasticity appearance of the

micelle system. The kinetics trend was then used to describe the extend of such micellar structural transformation. The correlation of the kinetics result

and the micelle structural transformation is supported by rheological study and cryo-TEM images.

Influencing Parameters in the Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue via Biotemplating of Y-doped

and undoped BiFeO3

Nurul Syamimi Abdul Satar1, Noor Haida Mohd Kaus1* Nano | Hybrid | Materials Group, School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia., Email: [email protected] , [email protected]

High purity of bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) nanoparticles with rhombohedral structure have been successfully prepared employing green and facile technique

utilising carrageenan as biotemplate. The as-prepared BiFeO3 exhibited narrow band gap to be 2.2 eV indicating their potential application in

photocatalytic activities. The photocatalytic behaviors of BiFeO3 nanoparticles were evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under direct

sunlight irradiation. In order to improve the photocatalytic activity of BiFeO3, yttrium (Y) was doped into the A-site of BiFeO3 nanoparticles. The effect

of parameters such as the amount of catalyst, initial concentration of the dye, kinetic activity was investigated on the removal efficiency of methylene

blue. Photocatalytic activity of as-prepared Y-doped and undoped BiFeO3 nanoparticles exhibited 98% degradation of 50 ppm of methylene blue within

240 minute.

MoVTeNbOx Mixed Metal Oxides for Catalytic Selective Oxidation of Propane to Acrylic Acid

R. Irmawati1* and M.A. Afandi2 1Centre of Excellence for Catalysis Science and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang,Selangor,

Malaysia, 2Department of Chemistry, Centre for Foundation Studies, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Universiti, 46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Acrylic acid is an important chemical intermediate which find widespread use in polymers, textiles and numerous other industrial applications. Current

industrial process for making acrylic acid is the vapour phase oxidation of propylene over two separate catalysts in a two steps reaction. Interest is now

shifted in utilising propane as the substrate although challenge is faced in the selective oxidation of the saturated hydrocarbon due its highly stable C-H



17

mailto:[email protected]



methyl bond. The reason behind the attraction of the process is the one-step conversion of propane to acrylic acid without going through an acrolein

intermediate in the two separate catalysis process when using propylene in the process. The catalyst system that have promising catalytic performance is

a MoVTeNbOx mixed metal oxides. Each metal elements are crucial to achieve high catalytic performance when they are monophasic crystalline with

orthorhombic structure. In the investigation of the selective oxidation of propane to acrylic acid, the MoVTeNbOx catalysts were prepared by a slurry

method assisted with microwave irradiation. An orthorhombic structure with typical peaks at 6.6, 7.9, 9.0 and 22.2 in X-Ray Diffraction patterns were

obtained. An aggregates of rod shaped crystals was observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy. The catalysts were active for the oxidation reaction in

the temperature range of 653 – 693K with propane conversion reached 40% and selectivity to acrylic acid about 25%.

Effect of Ca and Fe over MoO3-PO4/Al2O3 catalyst in oxidative desulfurization of Malaysian diesel

W.N. Wan Abdullah1, R. Ali1*, W.A. Wan Abu Bakar1

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

The catalytic oxidative desulfurization (Cat-ODS) process has emerged as a new technology to achieve ultra-low sulfur levels in diesel fuels. The effect

of calcium and iron dopant in MoO3-PO4/Al2O3 catalyst were tested on desulfurization reaction at ambient condition. The oxidizing reagent used was

tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) and dimethylformamide (DMF) acts as an extraction solvent. A commercial Petronas diesel with 440 ppmw of total

sulfur was employed to evaluate the elimination of sulfur compounds. The result obtained revealed that Fe/MoO3-PO4/Al2O3 catalyst gave superior

performance towards desulfurization. The Fe/MoO3-PO4 catalyst was able to reduce the sulfur in commercial diesel from 440 to 79 ppmw with 82% of

total sulfur removal while Ca/MoO3-PO4 catalyst only achieved 76% of sulfur removal. Ammonia temperature programme desorption (TPD) analyses

showed that the Fe/MoO3-PO4/Al2O3 catalyst was strong Lewis acid while field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) micrograph illustrated

an aggregation and agglomeration of various particle sizes. The mechanistic study showed that it was depended on the type of dopant as the Fe/MoO3-

PO4/Al2O3 catalyst tended to form sulfone in the oxidative desulfurization reaction meanwhile, the sulfoxide formation was dominated in the oxidative

desulfurization reaction using Ca/MoO3-PO4 catalyst. The results obtained showed that Fe/MoO3-PO4(10:90)/Al2O3 catalyst can be used as a potential

catalyst for the removal of sulfur in Malaysian diesel to achieve Euro IV diesel.

Silica Surface-Modified HY Zeolite for Enhanced n-Heptane Isomerization

Y. Gambo1, A.A. Jalil1,2*, S. Triwahyono3, S.I. Lamido4, S.M. Izan3 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, 2Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, 3Department of Chemistry,

Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, 4Department of Chemical Engineering, Kaduna polytechnic Nigeria. Email:

[email protected]

Silica surface-modified HY zeolite with enhanced catalytic surface were synthesized via solvothermal procedure and were subsequently loaded with Pt

nanoparticles through wet impregnation technique. The catalysts were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Field Emission Scanning Electron

Microscope (FESEM). The catalysts performance with and without Pt nanoparticles loading were investigated for n-heptane isomerization in a

microcatalytic pulse reactor over temperature range of 373-623K and 1 atm. Interestingly, high mass catalytic activity of 8.49 x10-7 molg-1s-1 , dibranched

isomer selectivity of 47% and isomer yield of 42% were achieved at 573K over 0.5wt% Pt-FY. This clearly shows that the well-developed fibrous

morphology (as evident from the FESEM result) has greatly enhanced the accessibility of active surfaces by reactant molecules and easy desorption of

isomer products (both mono and dibranched), thereby overcoming the diffusional hindrance suffered by the parent zeolite. Furthermore, the presence of

n-heptane dibranched isomers in such a significant proportion can greatly improve the RON, thereby presenting the silica surface-modified HY zeolite

as a promising catalyst to be applied in facilitating clean and high octane rating gasoline production industrially.

Effect of Cu and Zn Introduction Sequence on the Properties and Photocatalytic Activity of CuO-ZnO/MSN

Catalyst

N.W.C. Jusoh1*, N.H.N. Kamarudin2, A.A. Jalil3,4 and S. Triwahyono5 1Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Kuala Lumpur,

54100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., 2Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM

Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia., 3Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru,

Johor, Malaysia., 4Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia., 5Department of

Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.

Cu with variable weight loading (1–5 wt%) was introduced to 5 wt% Zn mixed mesostructured silica nanoparticles (MSN) via an electrochemical method

to synthesize CuO–ZnO/MSN (C-ZM) catalysts. 3 wt% Cu and 5 wt% Zn were introduced alternately to MSN (3C-ZM and Z-3CM) to study the metal

introduction sequence effect on the properties and catalytic activity. The characterization data showed that an altered arrangement of the silica network

was observed with a different structure, particularly in the numbers of Si-O-Si, Si-O-Zn, and Si-O-Cu bonds as well as oxygen vacancies. The catalytic

activity regarding the photodecolorization of methyl orange (MO) was in the following order: 3C-ZM > 5C-ZM > Z-3CM > 1C-ZM. The higher numbers

of Si-O-Zn, oxygen vacancies, and the higher pore volume of the 3C-ZM catalyst seemed to be the main factors behind its higher photoactivity compared

to the other catalysts.

Stoichiometric Effects of Feed Gas on Syngas Production in CO2 Reforming of CH4 over SmCoO3 Perovskite

Catalyst

Osarieme Uyi Osazuwa, Chin Kui Cheng*

Faculty of Chemical & Natural Resources Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Gambang Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

An effective way of consuming the two most dominant gases (CO2 and CH4) which are heavily linked with heat waves across the globe is the CO2

reforming of CH4 reaction. This study describes the use of sol-gel citrate method to prepare SmCoO3 perovskite catalyst and thereafter the catalytic test

was carried out on the reforming reaction platform to produce syngas. The physicochemical properties of SmCoO3 perovskite catalyst were determined

pre-activity evaluation by XRD, SEM, EDX, N2 physisorption, FTIR, and TGA. Results from the characterization showed the formation of crystalline

and monophasic perovskite structure. The catalytic reaction was performed at atmospheric pressure on a reactor bed using a gas hourly space velocity of

30,000 h-1 and the activity was studied at stoichiometry (CO2: CH4 1:1), below (CO2: CH4 1:2) and above stoichiometry (CO2: CH4 2:1) of reactant gas



18


at reaction temperature of 1023 K. Results showed highest CO2 and CH4 conversion of 85% and 84% respectively and optimum syngas yield (H2: CO)

of 60% and 57% respectively at stoichiometry ratio.

Platinum Nanoparticles Modified with Octylamine Derivatives as High Performance Catalysts for Oxygen

Reduction Reaction of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell

M. Miyake1*, H. Nishihara2, and K. Miyabayashi3 1Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Univeristi Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia, 2Graduate School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science

and Technology, Japan, 3Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, Japan

The authors successfully applied structure-controlled Pt nanoparticles (NPs), prepared by the aid of organic surface modification agents, as olefin

hydrogenation catalysts. Here, we aim at the functions of organic modification agents to control surface states of Pt NPs and apply as catalysts for oxygen

reduction reaction (ORR) of polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Pt NPs of 2.4~2.8 nm modified with octylamine (OA) as well as partially replaced by controlled

ratios of alkylamine with pyrene group (PA) were synthesized by a two-phase liquid reduction method of Pt(IV). The modification of the Pt NP surface

with OA and PA significantly improved the electro-catalytic activity such as area specific and mass specific activities, whose values increased by an

increase in PA ratios. The potential cycle tests demonstrate that the PA modification of Pt NPs enhances the stability of the catalyst and sustains high

specific activities of ORR. This work was supported by NEDO, Japan.

Strontium Cobalt Oxide Perovskite for Methane Dry Reforming

Chin Kui Cheng* and Ying Shi Chang Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering, Univeristi Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia

We have prepared SrCoO3 perovskite employing a sol-gel citrate method and used as a catalyst for dry reforming of methane at the stoichiometric ratio

and temperature of 1023 K. The catalyst was characterized by techniques such as N2 physisorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron

microscopy (SEM). The textural properties of the as-synthesized catalyst show BET specific surface area of 14.40 m2 g-1 with an average pore diameter

of 49.21 Å. The powder XRD pattern confirms the formation of perovskite phase that can be indexed in an orthorhombic symmetry. Catalytic activity

evaluation showed conversion of 20.0% for both CH4 and CO2 with concomitant production of syngas with H2:CO ratio of 0.37.

A part of this work was supported by the Research University Grant (No. RDU140315) of Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia

CO2 Reforming of CH4 over Ni-Ce/SBA-15: Effect of Ni-Ce Loading Methods

H.D. Setiabudi*, S.M. Abed, N. Ainirazali1 and S.Y. Chin Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia

CO2 reforming of CH4 (CRM) has recently attracted considerable attention to produce syngas (CO + H2) than those available industrial processes. Owing

to the fact that metal-loading method has significant influences on the activities of CRM, a series of Ni-Ce/SBA-15 catalysts with 6wt% Ce and 5wt%

Ni were prepared by conventional impregnation (Ni-Ce/SBA-15(C-IM)), ultrasonic-assisted impregnation (Ni-Ce/SBA-15(US-IM)) and reflux-assisted

impregnation (Ni-Ce/SBA-15(R-IM)) methods for CRM. The results showed that Ni-Ce loading methods greatly influences the properties of Ni-Ce/SBA-

15 and the activity of catalysts followed the order of Ni-Ce/SBA-15(US-IM) > Ni-Ce/SBA-15(C-IM) > Ni-Ce/SBA-15(R-IM), with the conversion of

CH4 and CO2 over Ni-Ce/SBA-15(US-IM) was about 88% and 78%, respectively, and H2/CO ratio of 1.09. The superior catalytic performance of Ni-

Ce/SBA-15(US-IM) probably was related with the well-dispersed metal particles and strong metal-support interaction which altered the properties of

catalyst towards an excellent catalytic performance. This study provides new perspective on the preparation of Ni-Ce/SBA-15 towards an excellent

performance of CRM.

This work was supported by the Research University Grant (RDU140398) of Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia.

Mesoporous TiO2 Catalyst for Deoxygenation of Triglyceride into Hydrocarbon-like Biofuel

Lee Eng Oi1, Min-Yee Choo1, Hwei Voon Lee1, Sharifah Bee Abdul Hamid1, Chin Wei Lai1, Joon Ching Juan1,2* 1Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Center (NANOCAT), University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2Monash University, Sunway Campus, Jalan Lagoon

Selatan, 46150 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia. Email: [email protected]

Worldwide environmental concern owing to greenhouse gas emission through combustion of fossil fuel and depletion of fossil fuel urged the need for

sustainable biofuel production. Special attention has been given to the deoxygenation, an important method for a sustainable supply of biofuel for future

generations. This work reports the deoxygenation of triglycerides to hydrocarbon like biofuel was investigated over commercial nanoparticle TiO2 (NP-

TiO2) and synthesized mesoporous TiO2 (M-TiO2). Mesoporous TiO2 (M-TiO2) was synthesized via sol-gel method by addition of triblock copolymer

(Pluronic F127) as surfactant. The physicochemical properties of these catalysts were characterized by XRD, FESEM, BET, Raman and FTIR. The

deoxygenation of triglycerides was studied by using triolein as model compound at 380 °C for 4 h. The major deoxygenated products of the reaction are

olefin and paraffin. The synthesized M-TiO2 catalyst gave higher conversion (62%) as compared with NP-TiO2 (49%). This result may due to the higher

surface area and presence of mesoporosity which improve the diffusional transport of reactants. This study suggests that surface area and porosity play

an essential role in determining deoxygenation activities. Mesoporous TiO2 is a promising catalyst in producing hydrocarbon like biofuel from

triglyceride.



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Bi-reforming of Methane with Steam and CO2 over Ni/La-SBA-15 Catalyst for Synthesis Gas Production

Sharanjit Singh1, Osaze Omoregbe1, Bawadi Abdullah2, Pham T. T. Phuong3, Quang Duc Truong4, Maksudur R. Khan1, Dai-Viet N. Vo1,5,* 1Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia, 2Chemical

Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 31750, Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia, 3Institute of Chemical Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and

Technology, 1 Mac Dinh Chi Str., Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 4Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1,

Aoba-Ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan, 5Centre of Excellence for Advanced Research in Fluid Flow, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

Bi-reforming of methane with steam and CO2 has been emerged as an alluring reforming technique for syngas production with a desirable H2/CO ratio

close to 2, which is highly compatible for the industrial generation of methanol and Fischer-Tropsch chemicals. This study focuses on preparation,

physicochemical attributes and the catalytic performance of 10%Ni/La-SBA-15 catalyst for the combined steam and dry reforming of methane. The

La2O3-incorporated mesoporous silica support (La-SBA-15) previously prepared by one-pot hydrothermal method was doped with Ni(NO3)2 precursor

solution using an incipient wetness impregnation approach to synthesize a 10%Ni/La-SBA-15 catalyst. Various characterization techniques including

XRD, FTIR, BET, HR-TEM, H2-TPR and TPO measurements were employed to investigate the physicochemical properties of both fresh and spent

catalysts. Bi-reforming of methane was carried out in a tubular fixed-bed reactor under atmospheric pressure at 923 K – 1023 K and CH4:CO2:H2O =

2:1:1 with gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 36 L gcat-1 h-1. Although La-SBA-15 support possessed high BET surface area of 737.3 m2 g-1, an

unavoidable decline in surface area with Ni metal addition to 535.4 m2 g-1 for 10%Ni/La-SBA-15 catalyst was evident indicating the diffusion of NiO

nanoparticles into the mesopores of La-SBA-15 support. Indeed, H2-TPR result shows that NiO particles present on support surface were reduced to

metallic Ni0 phase at 675 K, while NiO species inhabited inside the mesoporous channels of support were completely reduced at higher reduction

temperature of above 750 K due to strong metal-support interaction. Additionally, the presence of NiO phase with small average crystallite size of 17.4

nm was confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurement. The 10%Ni/La-SBA-15 catalyst exhibited stable activity and selectivity during the span of 12 h

on-stream regardless of reaction temperature of 923-1023 K. Methane conversion increased with growing reaction temperature from 923 to 1023 K and

reached to the highest value of about 55%. Interestingly, H2/CO ratio also enhanced with rising temperature and it was always greater than 1. In addition,

H2 selectivity and yield were superior to those of CO. These observations would be due to the concomitant presence of CH4 steam reforming reaction

favored for H2 formation.

Effect of Pre-Treatment Temperature to the Silica Fibrous Beta Zeolite for Isomerization of Cyclohexane

Izan, S.M.1, Triwahyono, S.*1, Jalil, A.A.2,3, Majid, Z.A.1, Firmansyah, M.L.1 , Fatah, N. A.A.3 , Jamari, N.S.1 , Jamian, S. F. 1

1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, 2Center of Hydrogen Economy, Institute of Future Energy, 3Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and

Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Research octane number used as a reference in petrochemical refining industries by modifying its value to produce high quality gasoline through

isomerization process without causing any negative impacts to environment. In this study, a novel fibrous silica zeolite Beta (HFBEA) was successfully

synthesized via microemulsion method. The platinum loaded (0.5%) on protonated FBEA (Pt/HFBEA) was prepared. The catalysts were characterized

with XRD, nitrogen physisorption, FESEM, NMR and FTIR spectrometer. The intrinsic acidity was determined by lutidine pre-adsorbed FTIR

spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of the catalyst was carried out in a continuous flow reactor. We propose to study the effect of pre-treatment temperature

(623,673 and 723 K) to all the catalyst. Pt/HFBEA has resulted in a good catalyst for conversion of cyclohexane at pre-treatment temperature 673 K. It

is noteworthy that at higher pre-treatment temperature of reaction has increased the formation of cracking products.

Sulfated Angel Wing Shell for Biodiesel Production from Oleic Acid using Supercritical Methanol

O. N. Syazwani1, 2, Mohd Izham Saiman1, 2, Umer Rashid3, Hideki Kanda4, Motonobu Goto4 ,Y. H.Taufiq Yap*1, 2

1Catalysis Science and Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia, 2Departments of Chemistry,

Faculty Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor,Malaysia., 3Insitute of Advance Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia,

43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor,Malaysia, 4Department of Chemical Eng., Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku 464-8603, Nagoya, Japan

Utilization of waste shell for biodiesel production has been much interest due to its availability. However, this CaO was not suitable for high FFA

feedstocks. In this work, CaO derived from waste shells of Angel Wing was functionalized with sulfate group and being used for the first time for biodiesel

production from oleic acid. The sulfated CaO was used as solid acid catalyst in the esterification process by using supercritical fixed reactor. The

synthesized catalyst was characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Frountier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Temperature programmed

desorption of carbon dioxide (TPD-CO2) and Temperature programmed desorption of ammonia (TPD-NH3). The highest FAME yield obtained was

93.82 % with 6:1 methanol to oil molar ratio, 1 wt. % catalyst loading, 270 ˚C for 15 min reaction time. The catalyst can be reused for 7 times with

FAME yield greater than 80 % without further treatment.

Synthesis, Characterization and Catalytic Application of Various Si and Al based Nanozeolites Beta – Green Fuel

M. Arumugam1*, Y. H. Taufiq-Yap1 and S. Triwahyono2 1Catalysis Science and Technology Research Centre (PutraCat), Fac. of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia., 2Dept. of Chemistry, Fac. of Science, Univ. Teknologi Malaysia

Nanozeolites with the size of less than 100 nm have received much of interest recently in the field of catalysis. This is due to their great ability in diffusion

and accessibility of bulky vegetable oil molecules. In this study, enhanced nanozeolite beta has been produced via various Si and Al sources with following

attributes such as high external surface area and narrow particle size distribution. In the zeolites synthesis process, fumed silica and colloidal silica severed

as a Si sources and sodium aluminate, and aluminium sulphate hexadecahydrate as an Al sources. The catalytic activities of synthesized nanozeolites

were evaluated against hydrodeoxygenation of triolein for the production of green fuels. The results showed fumed silica and sodium aluminate yielded

smaller nanobeta zeolite with crystal size around 100 nm when compared to the colloidal silica source (200-300 nm). A correlation was obtained to the

crystal size and the activity. The reduction in the size of nanozeolites increased the production of desired hydrocarbons.

A part of this work was supported by the Science Fund Grant (UPM0007744) from Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia



20

Unique Fibrous Morphology Silica Nanoparticle for CO2 Methanation

M.Y.S. Hamid1, S. Triwahyono2, A. A. Jalil1, 3, M.L. Firmansyah2

1Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science,

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia., 3Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere is one of the major problems contribute to the global warming. This triggered intensive

research of the CO2 mitigation such as CO2 methanation. Thus, increasing the needs of effective catalyst to achieve satisfactory rates and selectivity. In

this study Fibrous mesostructured silica nanoparticle (FMSN) was successfully synthesized by microemulsion system coupled with microwave-assisted

hydrothermal method. The catalyst was characterized by using XRD, N2 physisorption and Pyrrole-FTIR spectroscopy. BET study reveal that FMSN

exhibited type IV isotherm with type H1 hysteresis loop with average surface area of 773m2g-1. FMSN showed the high peak intensity in FTIR-pyrrole

analysis indicating the presence of high concentration of basic sites. The rate of CH4 formation for FMSN increased with increasing of the reaction

temperature. At 723 K, the rate of CH4 formation for FMSN was 9.2x10-8 mmol m-2s-1. The result was attributed from the basicity property of the catalyst

which was crucial in the CO2 Methanation.

Biomass-based Acid Catalyst for Biodiesel Production from Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD)

Ahmad Farabi Mohamad Saman1,2,3* , Umer Rashid4, Taufiq-Yap Yun Hin1,2， 1Catalysis Science and Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia., 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty

of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia., 3Faculty of Science and Technology, University Sains Islam Malaysia, 71800 Nilai,Negeri

Sembilan, Malaysia., 4 Insitute of Advance Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor,Malaysia

In this work sulfonated carbon based catalyst were synthesized and studied for its physicochemical properties and applied as catalyst to convert the PFAD

into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). Solid acid catalyst were derived from the bamboo and palm kernel shell biomass. The sulfonated (-SO3H) group

was attached on surface of catalyst by hydrothermal process of carbon source with the chlorosulfonic acid (ClSO3H). The resultant catalyst were

characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET),

infrared (IR- Pyridine), temperature program desorption (TPD-NH3). Meanwhile acid value for PFAD and percentage reduction of FFA were calculated

using standard AOCS method (Cd 3d-63). From the result, it was found that the carbon based catalyst has been successfully functionalized with –SO3H

group that attached on the carbon structure. Meanwhile, a series of reaction have been done to analyse the performance of prepared catalyst in assisting

the esterification reaction of PFAD.

Sonicated Carbon Supported Hydrotalcite-like Catalyst for Renewable Fuel Production

N. Z. A. Shajaratun1, H. V. Lee1 and Y. H. Taufiq-Yap2* 1Nanotechnology & Catalysis Research Centre (Nanocat), Institute of Postgraduate Studies, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., 2Catalysis Science &

Technology Research Centre (PutraCAT), Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Serious environmental degradation and long term effects due to implementation of fossil-based energy has triggered to the development of renewable

and environmental-friendly energy, such as biofuel. Nowadays, the most common biofuels in the market are bio-oil and biodiesel. However, the

employment of these fuels in full-scale is not convincing due to some reasons; incompatible with fossil fuel engine as well as large oxygen content in the

product. In order to overcome these problems, renewable diesel was generated from oleic acid model compound through deoxygenation process without

presence of H2. Hydrotalcite supported on activated carbon was synthesised by coprecipitation method and sonicated before aging. The calcined precursor

catalysed the deoxygenation reaction and produced high selectivity of renewable diesel. The properties of catalyst was characterised by using X-ray

Diffractometer (XRD), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area and Temperature Program Desorption (TPD) analysers, while the product of

deoxygenation reaction was analysed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GCMS).

Production of Ethylene from Ethanol Dehydration over H3PO4-Modified Cerium Oxide Catalyst

Soo Ling Chong1*, Jiah Chee Soh1, Chin Kui Cheng1, 2, 3

1Faculty of Chemical & Natural Resources Engineering, 2Centre of Excellence for Advanced Research in Fluid Flow, 3Rare Earth Research Centre, Universiti Malaysia

Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Gambang Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

Production of ethylene from ethanol dehydration was investigated over H3PO4 (10wt% to 30wt%)-modified cerium oxide catalysts synthesized by wet

impregnation technique. The prepared catalysts were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy

(EDX), N2 adsorption-desorption method, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis

(TGA) for the structure, surface and thermal properties. The ethanol catalytic dehydration was carried out in a fixed-bed reactor at 673-773 K and at

ethanol partial pressure of 33 kPa. The effects of phosphorus loading on catalyst and reaction temperatures were investigated in terms of catalytic activity

towards product selectivity and yield. Overall, the selectivity and yield of ethylene increased with the temperature and phosphorus loading. The highest

ethylene selectivity and yield were 99% and 65%, respectively, at 773 K and 33 kPa over the 30wt% H3PO4-modified cerium oxide.

A part of this work was supported by the Research University Grant (RDU160335) of Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia

Biodiesel production from Crude Palm Oil using a Two Step Process using Sulfuric Acid Activated Clay Catalyst

for Esterification Step.

Nurhayati, Muhdarina, and Tengku Ariful Amri Chemistry Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science,University of Riau Pekanbaru – Indonesia

Biodiesel was produced from Crude Palm Oil (CPO) by the two step catalyzed process, esterification reactions using sulfuric acid activated clay and

transesterification using CaO catalyst of shell blood clams (anadara granosa). Natural Clay was refluxed with sulphuric acid of different concentrations

0,1 M, 0,2 M and 0,3 M at 80 oC for 3 h followed by calcination at 500C for 10 h. The acid catalyst was characterized by FTIR, XRD and XRF. The free

fatty acids (FFA) of CPO were first esterified with methanol catalyzed by clay pretreated with H2SO4 and triglycerides in CPO were transesterified with

methanol catalyzed by CaO derived from anadara granosa shell. The acid catalyst can reduce FFA by 34,91%. The maximum biodiesel yield was 75,45%



21

which was obtained from esterification process using catalyst activated with H2SO4 0,3M. The properties of biodiesel obtained was characterized

including viscosity, density, flash point, Iodine and cetane number.

Steam Reforming of Phenol-PET solution over Ni/Al2O3 Catalyst for Hydrogen Production

Bahador Nabgana, Tuan Amran Tuan Abdullaha,b*, Walid Nabgana, Mohammad Tahirc,d

aCentre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, bDept. of Chemical Eng., cChemical Reaction Eng. Group/Low Carbon Energy Group, Fac. of Chemical Eng., Universiti

Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM, Skudai, Johor Baharu, Johor, Malaysia, dDept. of Chemical Eng., COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.,

Email: [email protected]

As a sustainable and clean energy carrier, hydrogen has gained interest as a potential candidate in the global energy scenario during past few years. Its

combustion only results in water as a product, thereby making it a low carbon energy system for the future. In the present study, phenol with dissolved

PET (polyethylene terephthalate) was proposed for catalytic steam reforming. Phenol as an unwanted liquid product in the bio-oil can be found in many

wastewater streams. Moreover, PET is one of the major products of plastic waste which constitutes a major hindrance to the environmental conservation

efforts and causes harm to living organism. The aim of this research is to yield hydrogen from waste polymer such as PET via dissolution method. The

Ni / γ-Al2O3 catalysts were characterized using XRD, BET, TPD-CO2, TPR-H2, SEM, and EDX. The catalysts performance was expressed in terms of

hydrogen mole fraction and phenol conversion for the phenol-PET steam reforming. The work explored a new knowledge, producing a renewal energy

carrier (hydrogen), which could help in reducing CO2 emission. The maximum hydrogen mole fraction was about 0.60 uunder 0.46 ml/min flow rate,

0.2 g catalysts, 800 oC temperature and at atmospheric pressure. Under the reaction condition at temperature of 700 oC, the feed conversion was about

87% for Ni/Alumina. In the experimental analysis of phenol-PET steam reforming, the optimal condition of the reaction was resulted on 30 SCCM feed

flow rate, 1-9 feed ratio and 3% PET concentration.

Effective Catalytic Deoxygenation of Waste Cooking oil over nanorods activated carbon supported CaO

G. Abdulkareem-Alsultan1 2, a *, N. Asikin-Mijan12, b and Y.H. Taufiq-Yap1, 2, c

1Catalysis Science and Technology Research Centre (PutraCat); Faculty of Science, 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM

Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia., [email protected], b [email protected], c [email protected]

Under nitrogen atmosphere, waste cooking oil (WCO) was deoxygenated in semi-batch experiments by using the nanorods of phosphate-activated carbon,

which is derived from walnut shell and promoted by CaO as catalyst at 350 °C. The deoxygenation reaction showed high activity (> 48% hydrocarbon

yield) and high selectivity towards decarboxylation/decarbonylation (deCOx) reactions via exclusive formation of green diesel C15 fraction (> 60%).

The high activity and high selectivity were attributed to the good physicochemical characteristics of the catalyst, including improved metal dispersion,

high surface area and high basic properties. Overall, this study demonstrates CaO/AC catalytic deoxygenation as a promising approach to produce liquid

green diesel C15 from WCO under hydrogen-free atmosphere.

Effect Of Bifunctional Acid-Base Catalyst For Deoxygenation Of Triglyceride Into Biofuel

H.V. Lee1*, N. Asikin-Mijan1,2 and Y.H. Taufiq-Yap2 1Nanotechnology & Catalysis Research Centre (NanoCat), Institute of Postgraduate Studies, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., 2Catalysis Science and Technology

Research Centre (PutraCat); Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

Deoxygenation process is an important reaction pathway to produce fuel-grade paraffin from plant oil via removal of oxygen molecules by

decarboxylation or decarbonylation pathways. In the present study, Ca-based catalysts with binary metal oxide system, such as Ni-CaO, Zn-CaO, Fe-

CaO and Co-CaO were used as deoxygenation catalyst. Results showed that the synergic effect between CaO and transition metal oxide rendered

bifunctional acid-base active sites that performed actively in cracking-decarboxylation effect. Besides, the deoxygenized liquid products composed

majority of paraffin ranged of C8-C20. The paraffin yield was significantly increased in the order of Co-CaO > Ni-CaO > Zn-CaO > Fe-CaO. Amongst

the catalysts, Co-CaO catalysed reaction capable to rendered high gasoline selectivity at 75 % under reaction condition of 5 wt.% catalyst loading, 350 °C

reaction temperature, 10 mbar pressure and 45 min of reaction time.

Platinum Supported On Fibrous Silica Hy Zeolite For n-Hexane Isomerization

Jamari, N.S.1, Triwahyono, S.*1, Jalil, A.A.2,3, Ramli, Z.1, Firmansyah, M.L1, Fatah, N.A.3, Izan, S.M.1, Jamian, S.F.1

1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, 2Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, 3Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and

Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Catalytic isomerization of n-alkanes is an important process in petrochemical refining industry to obtained high gasoline octane number. New fibrous

silica Y zeolite (FY) catalyst was introduced as a new support catalyst for n-hexane isomerization. The FY catalyst was prepared by a microwave assisted

microemulsion system using CTAB as a surfactant. The platinum loaded on protonated FY (Pt/HFY) was prepared by protonation of FY (HFY) followed

by impregnation of platinum. XRD and FESEM results showed the dendrimeric morphology of HFY at diameter range of 500 – 700 nm and diffraction

peaks at 2θ = 6.3o, 10.3o, 12.2o and 15.9o showing the characteristics of Faujasite-type of zeolite Y. Nitrogen physisorption showed the presence

of mesoporosity in HFY and increased the BET surface area from 473 to 550 m2/g. In addition, the pyridine pre-adsorbed IR results indicated that the

presence of fibrous silica increases the number of both Lewis and Bronsted acid sites. Catalytic n-hexane isomerization showed Pt/HFY gives higher

conversion and isomers selectivity compared to Pt/HY which are 80.4 % and 80.2 %, respectively. It might be due to the increase in the strong Lewis acid

sites which facilitate formation of protonic acid sites. In the absence of Pt, both HY and HFY possessed low activity with less than 10 % of n-hexane

conversion and selectivity of isomers product. Therefore, it was concluded that Pt improve the activity and stability of Y zeolite in the presence of strong

Lewis acid by forming and stabilizing of protonic acid sites from molecular hydrogen.



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Self- Combustion Synthesis of Ni Catalyst Modified with Rare Earth Metal Oxides using Glycine–Nitrate Process

(GNP)

M. M. Tajuddin, M.H. Patulla, A. Ideris* and M. Ismail Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia

Combustion synthesis has become an attractive method for preparing oxides and metallic materials for various applications including catalysis. One

common combustion route is glycine–nitrate process (GNP). GNP involves a self-sustained reaction between an oxidizer (i.e. metal nitrates) and a fuel

(i.e. glycine). The process is known to be rapid and simple, and generates powders that are high purity, crystalline and homogeneous. In this work, Ni

catalysts modified with rare earth metal oxides (CeO₂, La₂O₃) were synthesized using GNP. A precursor solution was prepared by mixing glycine with

an aqueous solution of metal nitrates at various glycine-nitrate ratios (G/N= 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0). The precursor was heated overnight to yield a gel-like

liquid. Further heating at ~150°C causing the gel to self-erupt, producing the catalyst ash. The ash was then calcined at various temperatures (600-800°C).

The morphology of catalyst powders produced were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal-

gravimetric analysis (TGA).

This work was supported by the Research University Grant (No. RDU150382) of Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia

Adsorption And Photocatalytic Degradation Of Methylene Blue Using Graphene Oxide – Supported Engelhard

Titanosilicate – 10 Go/Ets – 10

S. Y. Nguang and P. Y. Moh Water Research Unit, Faculty of Science and Natural Resource, University Malaysia Sabah

ETS-10 is a microporous zeotype material formed by coner-sharing TiO6 octahedra and SiO4 tetrahedra linked through oxygen atoms. ETS-10 is a good

adsorbent with high cation exchange capacity. Besides, the presence of titania chain make ETS-10 a possible photocatalyst in degrading organic chemicals.

However, the adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity of the modified ETS-10 remain unclear. Here, we present the adsoption and photocatalytic

activity of GO/ETS-10 synthesized by mixing certain portion of ETS-10 with GO suspension in water. The GO/ETS-10 showed remarkable adsorption

ability towards cationic Methylene Blue (MB) compared to unmodified ETS-10. The GO/ETS-10 also gave a significant photocatalytic degradation of

MB under UVA irradiation. This implies that GO can reduce the band gap of ETS-10 and subsequently prevent electron recombination by improving the

electronic mobility of the material.

Effect of temperature and aging time towards fibrous silica structure

Jamian, S.F. 1*, Triwahyono S.1 and Jalil A. A.2,3 1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, 2Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, 3Centre of Hydrogen Economy, Institute

of Future Energy, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.

Fibrous mesoporous silica nanoparticle has been getting attention in catalysis research. This is due to high surface area and better accessibility of active

site on the silica surface. The high surface area will increase metal dispersion on the catalyst and the interaction of reactant with support or active sites.

In order to identify the optimal condition for synthesizing fibrous mesoporous silica nanoparticle, the effects of aging temperature and aging time were

investigated. The reaction temperature chosen were 105, 120, 135 and 150 ºC. The effect of various aging time on the fibrous silica structure was also

studied during the synthesis process. 4, 6, 8 and 10 hours were chosen. Different aging temperature and time will lead to different rate of nucleation and

growth of the silica. The structure of the fibrous silica will be characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and N2 adsorption-

desorption analysis.

Density functional theory predicts Pd-modified heterofullerene as a novel selective acetylene hydrogenation material

M. C. Padole and P. A. Deshpande* Quantum and Molecular Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India

Using density functional theory, catalytic activity of the palladium and nickel substituted fullerenes (C59M; M = Pd/Ni) was investigated for the selective

acetylene hydrogenation reaction. Stability and reactivity of the proposed heterofullerenes were established with insights into the metal-carbon bond

character, electron affinity and chemical potential. Adsorption potential of C60 and C59M was then assessed from the study of adsorption of acetylene,

ethylene and ethane. Acetylene was found to be more stable over the bridge site, shared between two hexagonal rings, in comparison with ethylene and

ethane. Adsorption of gases enhanced after Pd and Ni substitution in C60. Free energy landscapes for the selective and complete hydrogenation of acetylene

over all three compounds were developed. Activation barriers were observed to be higher over C60, limiting its application for the hydrogenation. In

contrast, reduction of activation barriers was noticed over metal-substituted fullerenes. Smaller activation barriers over C59Ni for ethylene hydrogenation

to ethane inhibited its activity for the selective acetylene hydrogenation. Larger activation barriers for ethylene hydrogenation over C59Pd, obtained from

the given study, concluded Pd substituted heterofullerene as a potential catalyst for the selective acetylene hydrogenation reaction.

CrO3-ZrO2 for N-Pentane Isomerization: Influence of Chromium Precursors on the Physical Properties, Acidity

and Catalytic Activity

N.H.R. Annuar1*, S. Triwahyono2, A.A. Jalil3 and N.H.N. Kamarudin4 1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, UiTM Johor, Pasir Gudang Campus, 81750 Masai, Johor, Malaysia., 2Department of

Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia., 3Institute of Future Energy, Faculty of Chemical Engineering,

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia., 4Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment,

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.

Two types of zirconia (ZrO2) supported by chromium oxide (CrO3) for isomerization of n-pentane were studied. CrO3-ZrO2 was prepared by two different

chromium precursors of chromium nitrate (CN) and ammonium chromate (AC) in order to observe the interaction of CN and AC with ZrO2. The XRD

and nitrogen physisorption analyses confirmed higher tetragonal phase of ZrO2 and specific surface area for CrO3-ZrO2(AC) showing the ammonium



23

chromate performed better interaction with Zr(OH)4. Besides, some of the chromium nitrate did not interact with Zr(OH)4 and formed bulk crystalline

CrO3 during the calcination. 2,6-lutidine and CO adsorbed IR spectroscopies distinguished that CrO3-ZrO2(CN) possessed a stronger Lewis acid sites,

while CrO3-ZrO2(AC) possessed a stronger Brønsted acid sites. The isomerization of n-pentane was carried out at 523 K under hydrogen stream where

the conversion for CrO3-ZrO2(CN) and CrO3-ZrO2(AC) is 32% and 3% respectively. This result suggested that the activity of CrO3-ZrO2 was strongly

determined by the Lewis acid sites of the catalyst.

Understanding the Role of Protective Ligand to the Catalytic Performance of Gold Nanocluster for 4-Nitrophenol

Hydrogenation

Ricca Rahman NASARUDDIN, Jingguo LI, Ning YAN and Jianping XIE* Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, 117585, Singapore

Ligand-protected gold nanoclusters has become attractive in catalysis study owing to their distinct properties such as ultrasmall size, quantized charging

and HOMO-LUMO electronic transition. The protective ligand is the state-of-art in the synthesis of gold nanoclusters with controlled size, monodispersity

and solubility in any solvents, making them readily applicable as quasi-homogeneous catalysts to facilitate a better understanding of the catalytic nature

of nanogold. However, ligands are usually being removed to activate the active gold surface due their steric effects. Study that leverage the ligands of Au

NCs for catalysis is still rare. Herein, we explore the fundamental understanding on the role of the protective ligands to the performance of gold nanocluster

in catalysis. Au25 nanoclusters protected by thiolate (p-mercaptobenzoic acid) has been selected as the model catalyst in 4-nitrophenol hydrogenation

reaction. Our findings reveal that functional group of ligands significantly affect the accessibility, activity and reaction pathway of Au25 nanoclusters.

O2 reforming of methane over Ni/MgO Catalysts Promoted with Zr and La Oxides

Faris A. J. Al-Doghachi1, Yun Hin Taufiq-Yap2,3* 1Chemistry department, Faculty of Science, Basra university, Basra, Iraq., 2Catalysis Science and Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, University Putra Malaysia,

43400, UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia., 3Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University Putra Malaysia, 43400, UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Being one of the most abundant and bio-renewable resource in Malaysia and Indonesia, Palm oil biomass is the with great potential for sustainable

production of chemicals and fuels. However, its effluent is highly polluting waste water that is usually treated with anaerobic digestion that has the

drawback of yielding greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) (Chin et al.,2013; Poh et al., 2009). The catalytic process of

CO2 (dry) reforming of methane (DRM), involves the conversion of two greenhouse gases, CO2 and CH4 into synthesis gas (H2 and CO) and the

production of liquid hydrocarbons using Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The reaction of DRM together with Fischer-Tropsch synthesis allows the storage of

energy that is used to drive this endothermic reaction into producing final liquid items. Hence, this process provides storage and utilization of remote

energy. One of the drawbacks of this reaction is that the Ni-based catalysts, which are among the best catalysts for DRM suffer from fast deactivation

caused by serious carbon deposition, which is of high thermodynamic potential. Consequently, the focus of study is to develop a highly active and carbon

resistant Ni-based catalyst for DRM. In this study characterization of the catalysts was performed using different techniques namely, XRD, XPS, FTIR,

TPR-H2, BET, TEM, FE-SEM, and TGA. It was found that with the addition of promoter Zr, the catalyst Ni/Mg0.85Zr0.15O displayed a high level of activity

(CH4; 84%, and CO2; 98%) and maintained stability. The results of this analysis also revealed a significant anti-coking activity of reduced catalyst with

low Ni metal. In addition, the research study examined the performance of the catalyst activity and the stability of the produced catalyst. The results

obtained from temperature program reduction (TPR) revealed that the presence of ZrO2 with MgO support can enhance Ni reducibility in comparison to

La2O3, which is an important indicator of high activity and stability of the Ni catalysts for DRM.

This work was supported by Research NanoMite Grant (Vot. No: 5526308) of Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

A one-step green synthesis of TiO2-Ag Nanocomposites and their performance towards photocatalytic activities and

antimicrobial properties

Sunderishwary S. Muniandy1, Tan Shueai1, Noor Haida Mohd Kaus1, S. Sasidharan2, Hooi Ling Lee1 1School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia, 2Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), University Sains Malaysia, Minden,

Penang, Malaysia

Heterogeneous nanocomposites consist of metal oxide and noble metals such as titanium dioxide (TiO2) - silver (Ag) is explored extensively using various

methods. In the current work, TiO2-Ag nanocomposites were prepared using facile hydrothermal technique. The nanocomposites were synthesised at

160 °C for 24 hours with titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TTIP), silver nitrate (AgNO3) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a reducing agent. The sample

with the best antibacterial and photocatalytic properties were further characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy

(UV-DRS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), field-emission and scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The as- synthesised

TiO2-Ag nanocomposites with different TTIP loading were tested on methylene blue under sunlight as well as antibacterial activities against Gram-

positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). TiO2-Ag nanocomposite showed two times broader zone of inhibition

than AgNPs on both Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. This smart material synthesised via green method has high potential in applications that

combine both self cleaning and antibacterial properties.

Synthesis of Mesoporous SBA-15/Ionic Liquid Nanocomposites for the Selective Oxidation of 2,3,6-Trimethylphenol

Nurliana Roslan1*, Zainab Ramli1, Mohd Bakri Bakar1, Salasiah Endud1 and Hendrik O. Lintang1 1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Johor Bharu, Johor, Malaysia

Ionic liquids (ILs) have received great interest as favorable reaction media as well as catalysts because of their unique properties of high thermal stability,

negligible vapor pressure, and chemical stability. However the catalytic ability of ILs still suffered by several drawbacks such as high cost, difficulty to

separate and recycle. Therefore, IL-supported on solid support is highly desirable in order to overcome these limitations. In this study, ordered mesoporous

silica SBA-15 support with high surface area was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis using amphiphilic triblock copolymers as the surfactant. IL, 1-(3-

triethoxysilylpropyl)-3-methylimidazolium chloride was prepared by reacting N-methylimidazole with (3-chloropropyl) triethoxysilane, and then was

grafted onto SBA-15 via sol-gel method to obtain IL-SBA-15. A series of prepared IL-SBA-15 nanocomposites were characterized with FTIR

spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis and TGA. The appearance of vibration bands of C-H bonds (~2900 cm-1), C=C bonds (~1630 cm-



24

1) and C=N bonds (~1570 cm-1) in the FTIR spectra indicates that the IL has been successfully grafted on the surface of SBA-15. It was found that the

grafted amount of IL on SBA-15 nanocomposites increased from 0.60 to 0.97 mmol/g when the amount of IL content in the mixture was increased from

1 to 10 mmol. The IL-SBA-15 nanocomposites was tested as heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of 2,3,5-trimethylbenzoquinone (TMBQ) by the

one-step oxidation of 2,3,6-trimethylphenol (TMP), employing tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant at 80 °C for 24 hours. All IL-SBA-15

nanocomposites gave 100 % selectivity towards TMBQ with 37 % conversion of TMP.

Effect Of One Step Activation KOH Modified Carbon In Dimethyl Carbonate Transesterification Reactions

Abdul Rahim Yacob, Nor Wajihan Muda, Muhammad Azam Muhammad Zaki Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

In this work one step activation carbon was prepared from palm kernel shells using potassium hydroxide (KOH), which acts as an activating agent and

as well as dopant. Various concentration of potassium hydroxide was used to activate and impregnate the carbon during calcination at 600oC for 2 hours.

All the prepared samples were then characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Nitrogen Adsorption Analysis and Field Emission Scanning

Electron Microscope (FESEM). Following the preparation, the samples were used for biodiesel production in heterogeneous base catalyst of palm oil

with dimethyl carbonate (DMC) reactions. Analysis and determination of the products were then performed using Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization

Detector (GC-FID). To check for any possibility of leaching, the presence of potassium in the biodiesel was then identified using X-ray Fluorescence

(XRF) spectroscopy. This study thus shows, in one step activation as the percentage of potassium doped activated carbon increases, the basic strength

will also increase with the production of biodiesel will increase with leaching free biodiesel products.

Mechanistic investigation of CO2 methanation on metal promoted mesostructured silica nanoparticles through

in situ FTIR Spectroscopy

M. A. A. Aziz1*, A. A. Jalil1,2, S. Triwahyono3 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, 2Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, 3Department of Chemistry,

Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

The surface species on metal-promoted mesostructured silica nanoparticles during CO2 methanation were observed through in situ FTIR spectroscopy.

Firstly, CO2 and H2 was adsorbed and dissociated on metal sites to form CO, O and H atoms, followed by migration onto the MSN surface. The

dissociated CO then interacted with oxide surfaces of MSN to form bridged carbonyl and linear carbonyl, while the presence of H atom facilitated the

formation of bidentate formate. These three species could be responsible for the formation of methane. However, the bidentate formate species could be

the main route to formation of methane. MSN support has been found to play an important role in the mechanism. MSN support served the sites for

carbonyl species which act as precursors to methane formation. These results provided new perspectives in the catalysis, particularly in the recycling of

CO2.

A part of this work was supported by the Research University Grant (No: Q.J130000.2746.02K22) of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

Comparison between carbon and oxide-based support for Cu/ZnO catalyst

Noor Asmawati Mohd Zabidi1*, Tuan Syahylah Tuan Sulong1, Nadia Syazana Abd. Halim1, Sara Faiz Hana Tasfy2 1Department of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, 32610 Perak, Malaysia, 2Department of Chemical and Petroleum

Engineering, American University of Ras Al Khaima, UAE

Cu/ZnO catalyst is used in methanol formation via CO2 hydrogenation reaction. Effect of textural properties and morphologies of various supports on the

catalytic properties and activity have been investigated. Catalysts were prepared via incipient wetness impregnation method on alumina, mesoporous

silica (SBA-15), silicon carbide (SiC) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) supports. Observation through TEM revealed that deposition of metals onto SiC and

CNTs supports resulted in agglomeration of nanoparticles with average particle size of 16 nm. The highest CO2 conversion (14%) and methanol selectivity

(91%) was obtained using Cu/ZnO catalyst impregnated on SBA-15 support for CO2 hydrogenation reaction performed at 523 K, 22.5 bar and CO2:H2

ratio of 1:3. Amongst the four samples, Cu/ZnO supported on SBA-15 had smallest size of Cu nanoparticles (8 nm), and largest BET surface area of 458

m2/g, which resulted in a catalyst with good activity and selectivity.

Tungsten -Sulphate Modified Silica-Titania As Oxidative- Acidic Bifunctional Catalyst

Swee Ean Lim1, Salasiah Che Me1, Siew Ling Lee1,2* aChemistry Department, bCenter for Sustainable Nanomaterials, Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,

81310 UTM Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

A new tungsten-sulphate modified silica-titania bifunctional catalyst was successfully synthesized and characterized. Two parameters, namely tungsten

loading and sulphuric acid content were studied in order to produce a promising bifunctional catalyst. TiO2-SiO2 was prepared via sol-gel method,

followed by impregnation with WO3 and SO42-. XRD results demonstrated that the samples were in amorphous form. However, monoclinic WO3 appeared

in samples with high tungsten loading. The materials possessed high surface area of 210 m2/g even after loading with both WO3 and SO42-. The presence

of WO3 in addition to hydrated tetrahedral Ti was crucial to generate oxidative sites. Meanwhile, higher loading of W tended to enhance hydrophilicity

of the materials. Further modification with SO42- has significantly improved both oxidative ability and acid strength of solid catalyst, producing several

folds higher of epoxides and diols. Since Brønsted acid sites play a role in transformation of epoxides to diol, it was believed that the current materials

possessed Brønsted acidity. Evidently, the coexistence of WO3 and SO42- were vital to generate both oxidative and acidic sites in TiO2-SiO2. The results

suggested that 0.5M_SO42-/W/TiO2-SiO2 was a promising bifunctional catalyst in diol synthesis which yielded 1217 μmol 1,2-epoxyoctane and 246 μmol

1,2-octanediol after 24 h reaction.

A part of this work was supported by the Research University Grant (Q.J130000.2526.12H77 and Q.J130000.2609.10J66) of Universiti Teknologi

Malaysia, Malaysia



25

Photo-polishing of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) over UV/ZnO System

K. H. Ng* and C. K. Cheng

Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engienering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia

The photo-polishing of POME over UV/ZnO photocatalysis system was performed in current study. The ZnO material, with band gap energy of 3.2 eV

from our UV-Vis DRS measurement, was proven responsive towards 100 W UV-irradiation of 365 nm wavelength. The effect of ZnO loading was

investigated. Based on the results obtained, the optimum ZnO loading for POME photomineralization was 1.0 g/L, with about 50% of COD removal

recorded after 240 min of UV irradiation. It is found that all the photomineralization kinetics for all the photoreaction followed the 1st-order reaction with

specific reaction rates (k) ranging from1.022 x10-3 to 3.118 x10-3 min-1. Significantly, the organic removal efficiency was further enhanced when UV

exposure was prolonged to 22 h, attaining final readings of 44 ppm of chemical oxygen demand (COD) level.

Synthesis of Iron Oxide supported Carbon Nanotubes and Its Photoactivity

N. F. Khusnun 1, A. A. Jalil 1, 2*, S. Triwahyono 3 and N. S. Hassan 1

1Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, 2Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, 3Department of Chemistry,

Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, Email: [email protected]

Iron oxide supported on carbon nanotubes (Fe/CNT) photocatalyst was synthesized using electrochemical method. The as-obtained Fe/CNT was well

characterized using XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, and FTIR. XRD results showed that the incorporation of Fe decreased the crystallinity of the CNT.

N2 physisorption analysis exhibited that the surface area of the catalysts were directly decreased with incorporating Fe loading suggesting pore blockage

of the CNT by Fe deposition. FTIR analysis showed the chemical properties of the catalysts. The photodegradation of p-chloroaniline (PCA) was done

under various parameter such as pH, catalyst dosage, and initial concentration of solution to find desired condition. The photodegradation were in the

order of Fe2O3 > CNT > Fe/CNT. The highest activity achieved by Fe/CNT was attributed to the synergistic effect between Fe and CNT. Then, the kinetic

and mechanistic also was studied.

Copper Oxide Supported on Titanium Dioxide for Photocatalytic Oxidative Desulfurization

C.N.C. Hitam1, A.A. Jalil2*, S. Triwahyono2 and A.F.A. Rahman 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, 2Centre of Hydrogen Energy,Institute of Future Energy, 3Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science,

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia., Email: [email protected]

The photocatalytic oxidative desulfurization (PODS) has received much attention due to low energy consumption and high efficiency, as well as simple

and pollution-free operation. In this study, copper oxide supported on TiO2 (CuO/TiO2) were prepared via a simple electrochemical method. The XRD

data showed that pure TiO2 exhibit characteristic peak of anatase phase and the similar phase also observed in CuO/TiO2 with additional peak of CuO.

The difference in surface area and pore distribution was obtained by varying the CuO loading onto TiO2, and the adsorption edge of TiO2 shifted to longer

wavelength after the addition of CuO. 10 wt% CuO/TiO2 catalyst showed the best performance on photocatalytic oxidative desulfurization (PODS) of

dibenzothiophene (DBT) with initial rate (7.60 x 10-5) mM min-1.

Solar Driven Degradation of Methyl Orange by Natural Rubber - blend - Poly-vinylpyrrolidone/Silver (NR-b-

PVP/Ag) Membranes

N. H. H. Abu Bakar, N. I. F. Jamil, W. L. Tan

School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Environmental friendly, low cost membranes have been prepared via casting the blends of natural rubber latex with poly-vinylpyrrolidone. Various

molecular weights (Mw) of PVP were employed to prepare these membranes. Membranes prepared with a lower Mw of PVP (40 K) exhibited better

swelling capacity in water, compared to membranes prepared using higher Mw’s of PVP (360 K and 1300 K).The membranes were then impregnated

with silver ions and exposed to low temperature heat treatments to form Ag nanoparticles. Atomic adsorption analysis revealed that the NR-b-PVP/Ag

membranes contained approximately 0.02 - 0.05 wt% of Ag. Upon applying the membranes for the catalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO), it is

revealed that membranes prepared with a higher Mw of PVP exhibited a lower % of MO degradation. This phenomenon can be correlated to the polymer

chain length of PVP. Other parameters such as pH and MO concentration were also investigated.

Synthesis and Characterization of Fibrous Silica ZSM‐5 for Cumene Hydrocracking

S. Triwahyonoa*, A.A. Jalilb,c, M.L. Firmansyaha a Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, b Center of Hydrogen Economy, Institute of Future Energy, c Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and

Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.

The increasing demand for valuable middle distillates has placed hydrocracking as the most important secondary process. Cumene hydrocracking is an

ideal hydrocracking reaction due to the minimum amount of side reactions. A novel ZSM-5 catalyst with fibrous morphology (FZSM-5) and platinum

loaded on FZSM-5 (Pt/FZSM-5) were successfully prepared by using a microemulsion system and impregnation method for cumene hydrocracking.

XRD and FESEM/TEM-EDX analyses showed that the FZSM-5 possesses ZSM-5 structure and a spherical morphology with evenly distributed

dendrimeric silica fibers. Pyridine FTIR result showed the presence of a large number of Lewis acid sites and a small number of Brönsted acid sites. In

addition, the protonation and introduction of Pt on FZSM-5 increased the rate of cumene conversion up to 0.303 μmole/s g-cat at 623 K with 92% product

yield in which the product equally distribute to benzene and propylene. This activity of Pt/HFZSM-5 in cumene hydrocracking was almost 1.5-fold higher

than that of Pt/HZSM-5. The high activity of Pt/HFZSM-5 towards cumene hydrocracking could be attributed to the unique morphology of FZSM-5

which increase the accessibility of the active sites and facilitated the hydrogen spillover phenomena assisted by the presence of a large number of Lewis

acid sites and platinum metal.



26



Biogenic Synthesis of Magnetic Gold Catalyst for Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol

Sze-Ting Wong 1, Mustaffa Shamsuddin 1, 2*, Abdolhamid Alizadeh 3, Yeoung-Sang Yun 4

1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, 2Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials, Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,

81310 UTM Skudai, Johor, Malaysia., 3Department of Chemistry & Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research Center (NNRC), Razi University, Kermanshah 67149, Iran., 4Environmental Biotechnology National Research Laboratory, School of Chemical Eng., Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.

Gold nanoparticles supported on APTES-silica-coated magnetite (FSAP) were successfully prepared by co-precipitation, sol-gel, grafting and bio-

reduction methods. The use of the magnetically recoverable supporting material promises fast, clean and easy separation of the catalyst at the end of the

reaction cycle. XRD patterns and TEM images indicate that small sized of 0.3 % Au nanoparticles (ca. 5 nm) are highly dispersed on the magnetic support.

Inversely, larger sized of 3 % Au nanoparticles (ca. 10 nm) are highly agglomerated. The catalytic activity of different Au loading on FSAP are studied

and compared. Interestingly, 0.3 % Au/FSAP is the most efficient as compared to other Au % loadings in the oxidation of benzyl alcohol with 94 %

selectivity towards benzaldehyde and turn over frequency of 140 h-1.

Optimization Study Of Corn Oil Methanolysis Using NaOH-Modified Mesoporous Gamma Alumina

Abdu Muhammad Bello1,2, Abdul Rahim Yacob1*, Kamaluddeen Suleiman Kabo1,2 1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, 2Department of Chemistry, School of Natural and

Applied Sciences, Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education Kumbotso, PMB 3218, Kano State, Nigeria

The conventional one-variable-at-a-time optimization technique is faced with so many challenges that include inability to simultaneously optimize all

variables and many experimental runs are required to optimize the reaction parameters. To solve these problems Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

is introduced. In the present study a number of NaOH-modified mesoporous gamma alumina catalysts were prepared using 5 to 25% NaOH by wet

impregnation method. The catalysts were characterized using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), Nitrogen Adsorption Analysis (BET), Basic Back

Titration and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray (FESEM-EDX). The surface area decreased while the number

of basic sites increased with the increasing amount of NaOH doping. The optimization of corn oil methanolysis was performed using RSM analysis by

Box-Bahnken Design (BBD). The parameters studied are the amount of NaOH doping (10-20 g), catalyst loading (3-6%), oil:methanol molar ratio (1:6-

1:15) and the reaction time (1-3 hrs.). From the optimization results all parameters were found to be influential on the methanolysis experiment, with the

most influential variable being molar ratio followed by amount of NaOH support and reaction time. Very high R2 (0.9989), the agreement between

Predicted R2 (0.9948) and Adjusted R2 (0.9978), as well as the high Adequate Precision of 96.833 signified the fitness of the model. This was further

confirmed by the good agreement between experimental (96.1%) and the predicted conversion (98.9%), under suggested experimental condition by the

model.

Selective Dibenzothiophene Adsorption by ZSM5 and its Composites

Mikio Miyake1, Weihua Eika Qian2, Sharifah Nor Hafizai binti Syed Jaya and Fawzi Mohamad Amin Elfagaih 1Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia., 2Department of

Chemical Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.

The world has faced the problems regarding environment since years ago. One of the factors was the sulfur compound such dibenzothiophene (DBT)

contains in diesel fuel. The government worldwide has set the new regulations of sulfur concentration DBT to 15ppm. The adsorbents used in this research

were synthesised HZSM5, GO, NiZSM5, CuZSM5 and GO-NiZSM5. The physiochemical properties for these absorbents were characterized using

Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. All absorbents were undergoing absorption activity test using fixed

bed flow reactor. Decalin was used as the solvent for all the absorbents because it has properties of diesel. The feed and product distribution includes

sulfur residue or concentration will be analysed using Gas Chromatography - Sulfur Chemiluminescence Detector (GC-SCD).

The Influence of Thermal Treatment on TiO2 for Deoxygenation of Triolein

Lee Eng Oi1, Zulkepli Suraya1, Min-Yee Choo1, Hwei Voon Lee1, Sharifah Bee Abdul Hamid1, Noorsaadah A. Rahman1, Joon Ching Juan12* 1Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Center (NANOCAT), University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., 2Monash University, Sunway Campus, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, 46150 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia., Email: [email protected]

Deoxygenation of triglycerides to produce sustainable biofuel has gained much attention due to the environmental degradation and deterioration of health

standards through utilization of fossil fuel. This work studied the potential of titanium dioxie (TiO2) for deoxygenation of triglycerides. At the same time,

the influence of thermal treatment on TiO2 over deoxygenation activity was also investigated. TiO2 showed good catalytic activity for deoxygenation of

triolein as model compound of triglyceride. Over the range of thermal treatment temperature, TiO2 pre-heated at 400 °C possess the highest deoxygenation

activity of 49% as compared to that of unheated and elevated temperatures. This can be ascribed to an improvement in crystallinity and phase

transformation from anatase to rutile after thermal treatment. The results indicate that thermal treatment on TiO2 significantly affect the structural

properties and deoxygenation activity. In sum, there are an apparent relationship between structural properties of catalyst and deoxygenation activity.

Preparation And Characterization Of Nano-Crystalline Hydroxyapatite From Geloina Coaxans Shell Using

Precipitation Method

Pepi Helza Yanti 1*, Irmina Kris Murwani 2, I Nyoman Marsih 3 1Department of Chemistry, FMIPA, Universitas Riau, Pekanbaru-Indonesia., 2Department of Chemistry, FMIPA, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember,

Surabaya-Indonesia., 3Department of Chemistry, FMIPA, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung-Indonesia

This paper presents preparation and characterization of hydroxyapatite from Geloina coaxans shell and several phospates such as (NH4)2 HPO4, H3PO4,

P2O5 as precursors by precipitation method. The chemical composition of Geloina coaxans shell was analyzed using XRF technique and proved that the

main composition of Geloina coaxans shell was CaO 97,412 %, and several oxides such as Na2O; MgO; SiO2; Al2O3; SO3 and K2O of trivial amount.

XRD analysis was also done to determine the crystalinity and mineral phase of Geloina coaxans shell after calcination at 1000oC with several calcination

times 1; 4; 8 and 12 hours. The XRD patterns showed there were no changes of minerals type and revealed that Geloina coaxans shell consist of lime and

portlandite minerals and calcination time for 12 hour have highest intensity and crystalinity of CaO. Analysis by BET instruments revealed that surface



27


area of CaO after calcination at 1000oC for 12 hours was 10.12 m2g-1. Synthesis of HAp was done with molar ratio of precursor 1,67 and pH of solution

was maintaned at 11,5 with different stirring times 1; 2; 4 and 6 hours. The result proved that nano-crystalline of HAp can be obtained successfully with

variation of stirring time. Using Schererr equation, particle size of HAp powder were 38,6- 40 nm. The FTIR analysis was also done to determine

functional group of HAp compound. The FTIR spectra of HAp powder showed there were characteristics band exhibited in sample spectra. The

morphology of HAp synthesized also was examined by SEM instrument.

Glycerol Hydrogenolysis to 1,2-Propanediol over Os/bentonite Catalyst

N. Hamzah1*, W.Z. Abd. Samad2 and M.A. Yarmo2 1Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Technology MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia., 2Department of Chemistry,Kulliyah of

Science,International Islamic University Malaysia, IIUM, Kampus Kuantan, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Bandar Indera Mahkota, 25200 KuantanPahangDarul Makmur,

Malaysia, 3Faculty of Science and Food Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia ,43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Supported osmium, Os catalysts were synthesized and applied to convert glycerol, a remewable feedstock, to value-added propanediols. Among these

catalyst, the bentonite supported Os catalysts showed superior performance. The experimental results combined with the characterization studies using

temperature programmed desorption ammonia (TPD-NH3) and temperature programmed reduction (TPR) techniques revealed that the total acidity and

suitable pre-reduction temperature of Os/bentonite catalyst were 117.45 mmol NH3/g and 140C. The Os/bentonite catalyst with the optimized amount

of Os showed a selectivity to propanediols about 90.0% with a glycerol conversion about 65.0% under mild reaction conditions (150C), 20 bar intial H2

pressure, 7 h, catalyst loading 5 wt%).Recyclability study of Os/bentonite showed that catalytic activity of this catalyst was maintain with good selectivity

of target product.

Deacidification of Acidic Petroleum Crude Oil Utilizing Metal Oxide Catalysts Supported on Alumina and

Ammoniated-Polyethylene Glycol Solution

N. M. Shukri, J. Jaafar*, W. A. W. Abu Bakar, and Z. Abdul Majid Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

High total acid number (TAN) crude oil contain large amounts of naphthenic acid (NA) creating serious corrosion problems in the oil refining process.

Therefore, this study was conducted to remove the NA in crude oil utilizing metal oxides (Ce, Zn and Sn) supported on alumina as catalyst and

ammoniated-polyethylene glycol (NH3-PEG) solution as basic chemical reagent. Crude oil B with a TAN value of 2.52 mg KOH/g was used in this study.

The parameter investigated are different molecular weight of PEGs, concentrations of basic chemical, type of metal oxide catalysts, catalyst calcination

temperatures and catalyst loading. Potential catalyst was characterized by XRD, NA, and TGA-DTA for its physical properties. The data showed that the

combination of 1000 mg/L of PEG solution (MW 600) with aids of Ce/Al2O3 catalyst at calcination temperature of 1000◦C had successfully removed NA

from petroleum crude oil which gave TAN value of 0.56 mg KOH/g.

Part of this work was supported by the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (4F225), Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia

Synthesis of Copper Oxide Supported on Graphene Nanoplatelets for Paracetamol Degradation

N.S. Hassan1, A.A. Jalil1,2*, S. Triwahyono3 and N. F. Khusnun1 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, 2Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy., 3Department of Chemistry,

Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

In recent years, frequent occurrence of pharmaceutical waste in aquatic environments has raised a concern about their potential effects on environment

and human health. Photocatalysis is one of the promising advanced oxidation processes for degradation of paracetamol. In this study, copper oxide

supported on graphene nanoplatelets (CuO/GNPs) was prepared and its photocatalytic activity was tested. The catalysts were characterized by X-Ray

Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. The results showed that the interaction between copper and graphene support

could enhance the photocatalytic activity. The CuO/GNPs found to give the highest degradation rate (8.8 x 10-2 mg L-1 min-1) of 20 mg L-1 of paracetamol

solution at pH 9 using 1 g L-1 catalyst after 3 hours under visible light irradiation. This study demonstrated that the CuO/GNPs has a potential to be used

in photocatalytic degradation of various organic pollutants.

MoO3 and Platinum Supported Mesostructured Silica Nanoparticles for n-Heptane Isomerization

N. A. A. Fatah1, S. Triwahyono2*, A. A. Jalil1,3 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti

Teknologi Malaysia, 3Centre of Hydrogen Economy, Institute of Future Energy, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Isomerization of alkanes into the corresponding branched isomers has attracted many attentions as a reaction to produce clean fuel with high standard

quality. This study focused on platinum and molybdenum oxide supported on mesostructured silica nanoparticles for n-heptane isomerization. High

activity of n-heptane isomerization was observed for MoO3/MSN with rate conversion of 31.7x10-9 mol/m2s at 623 K. ESR and IR studies indicated that

the high activity of MoO3/MSN could be attributed to the dissociative-adsorption of molecular hydrogen to form atomic hydrogen, which subsequently

formed active (MoOx)−(Hy)

+. Although Pt sites have better ability to interact with hydrogen than Mo sites, the electrically neutral charge of the silicate

framework was not able to form active protonic acid sites on the Pt/MSN, which subsequently resulted in low catalytic activity. It is plausible that the Pt-

H formed via the interaction of Pt/MSN and molecular hydrogen was not active in n-heptane isomerization.

Design Optimization By Box-Behnken Of In-Situ Carbon Dioxide Conversion Using Lanthanum Oxide

Salmiah Jamal Mat Rosid1,2*, Wan Azelee Wan Abu Bakar2 and Rusmidah Ali2 1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science, Univeristi Teknologi Mara Pahang, Jengka, Malaysia, 2Department of Chemistry Faculty of Science, Universiti

Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia

Lanthanum oxide based catalyst was revealed as one of potential catalyst to convert carbon dioxide to wealth product methane in simulated natural gas.



28

To produce higher conversion of carbon dioxide, the Box-behnken design was used to optimize of lanthanum oxide based catalysts by three critical

parameters which were calcination temperature, based ratio and catalyst dosage. The maximum CO2 conversion was achieved at 1000 oC calcination

temperature using 7 g of catalyst for 60% based loading. The result from response surface methodology is in good agreement with experimental data.

The optimize parameters gave 99 % of CO2 conversion determined using FTIR and yielded about 50 % of CH4 at reaction temperature of 400 °C. X-ray

Diffraction (XRD) analysis showed an amorphous structure with RuO2 as active species and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM)

illustrated the catalyst surface was covered with small and dispersed particles with undefined shape. EDX analysis revealed that when calcination

temperature increased, the mass ratio of Ru increased.

A part of this work was supported by the Research University Grant (GUP, Vot 04H97) of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

Effect of pH On Photocatalytic Decolorization of Congo Red Using Titania Supported Mesoporous Silica

Nanoparticles

A.F.A. Rahman 1, A.A. Jalil1,2*, S. Triwahyono3 and C.N.C. Hitam1 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, 2Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, 3Department of Chemistry,

Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.

The pH plays a significant role in the photodecolorization of dyes because of all the interactions between the catalyst surface and dye molecule. In this

study, TiO2/MSN was used as catalyst on decolorization of congo red (CR). The effect of pH on degradation of CR was investigated over a pH range

from 5 to 11. Higher degradation of CR was obtained at pH 5 (91.55 %). This phenomenon could be explained by the amphoteric behavior of the catalyst

using point zero charge (pHPZC). The pHZPC for TiO2/MSN was found to be at pH 6. Hence, the activities of the catalysts may have been affected by the

existence of a strong electrostatic field between the positively charged catalysts surface and negatively charged CR caused a pH value lower than their

pHZPC give greater decolorization.

Photocatalytic Removal and Degradation of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid on Modified Copper(II) Pyrazolate

Complex/Titanium Oxide Composites

Nurul Husna Sabran1, Leny Yuliati2,3, Siew Ling Lee1,2 and Hendrik O. Lintang2,3* 1Dept. of Chemistry, Fac. of Science, 2Centre of Sustainable Nanomaterials, Ibnu Sina for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,3Ma Chung

Research Center for Photosynthetic Pigments, Universitas Ma Chung, 65151 Malang, Indonesia., Email: [email protected]

Titanium oxide (TiO2) photocatalysts have been widely modified with copper ions and oxides to give an enhancement in their photocatalytic activities

for removal and degradation of organic pollutants. Although those modified photocatalysts can give better photocatalytic activity, there is no further study

using modification of TiO2 with copper(II) complex (Cu(II)/TiO2). In this report, a series of 0.1 – 1.0 wt% of Cu(II) pyrazolate complex in TiO2 have

been successfully synthesized and their photocatalytic activity was evaluated using 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) as a model pollutant. The

photocatalytic testing results showed Cu(II)/TiO2 photocatalyst with 0.4 wt% Cu(II) pyrazolate complex gave the highest removal (99%) and degradation

(42%) of 2,4-D compared to bulk TiO2 (49% for removal and 10% for degradation) and copper(II) complex (5% for removal and 2% for degradation).

The findings indicated that copper(II) pyrazolate complex with a longer metal-metal distance for light emission at 593 nm might have improved the

charge separation and reduced the electron-hole recombination in TiO2.

Synthesis Of Zinc Oxide/ Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanohybrid Photocatalysts For Waste Water Treatment

Marilyn Sok Wen Yuen, Abdul Halim Abdullah, Hong Ngee Lim Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

A series of ZnO/rGO nanohybrid with different GO content was successfully synthesized via simple precipitation method using zinc acetate dihydrate

and ammonium hydroxide as the starting materials. The prepared photocatalysts were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission

electron microscopy (TEM), and band gap energy. The characterization results revealed the formation hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO on the surface

of graphene sheet and the presence of rGO on the nanohybrid. The band gap energy of ZnO/rGO nanohybrid was lower than that of pure ZnO. The

photocatalytic performance of ZnO and ZnO/rGO nanohybrid were tested by degrading methyl orange in aqueous medium under UV irradiation. All

ZnO/rGO nanohybrids showed better photocatalytic efficiency than that of ZnO. ZnO/rGO10 exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity with the kinetic

rate constant three times higher than pure ZnO and an approximately 40 % enhancement in photocatalytic activity for the removal of methyl orange. The

enhanced photocatalytic activity of the nanohybrid can be attributed to the presence of rGO, an excellent electron acceptor which enhanced the active

transfer of photogenerated electrons of ZnO to the graphene sheet, thereby retards the charge carrier recombination as well as enhances charge separation.

Furthermore, the effect of different parameters such as methyl orange concentration and photocatalyst loadings on the photocatalytic activity was

determined particularly to optimize the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange using ZnO/rGO nanohybrid.

Immobilization of TiO2 into Polyethersulfone Matrix as Hybrid Thin Film Photocatalyst for Effective Degradation

of Methyl Orange Dye

Zul Adlan Mohd Hir*, Abdul Halim Abdullah, Lim Hong Ngee and Zulkarnain Zainal Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

With the continuous growth of industrialization, water pollution has become a serious environmental problem as industrial effluents containing organic

and inorganic pollutants are being discharged into the water stream. Although there are several water treatment technologies available, photocatalysis thin

film is increasingly seen as a better option to mitigate this problem without the requirement of post-treatment. Hence, the objective of this study is to

prepare mixed-matrix films by incorporating TiO2 nanoparticles into polyethersulfone (PES) membrane and were used in the photodegradation of methyl

orange (MO) as the substrate. The films were synthesized by dispersing various amounts of hydrophilic TiO2 (0–15 wt %) into a polymeric solution

containing appropriate proportion of PES and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). SEM-EDX, XRD, AFM and XPS were employed to investigate the

dispersion of the TiO2 within the polymer matrix, characterise the surface and energy properties of the film. The photocatalytic performance of the films

with respect to methyl orange (MO) degradation was significantly improved through the addition of TiO2. The photodegradation process displayed pseudo

first-order kinetics with almost 100% MO removal was achieved in acidic condition. In particular, the PES/TiO2 film with 13 wt.% TiO2 exhibited the



29

best performance. Additionally, the recyclability test revealed that the film can be reused for multiple cycles while retaining its stability and high

degradation efficiency.

Photoelectrochemical oxidation of methanol over anatase supported ruthenium, manganese and cobalt catalyst

Ahmad Nazeer Che Mat*, Nor Asrina Sairi, Wan Jeffrey Basirun and Muhammad Mazhar Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Univerisity of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur.

A trimetallic titania supported catalyst consisting of Ru, Mn and Co in 1:10:10 percent respectively has been successfully synthesized by using

precipitation method and tested for photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of methanol in 0.1M KOH under visible irradiation. The as-prepared catalyst has been

characterized by FTIR, UV-vis, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FESEM/EDX, BET, XPS and TPR for its band gap, structure, morphology, elemental

compositions, surface area, oxidation states of constituents and reduction temperature respectively. Photoelectrochemical studies supported by cyclic

voltammetry indicate that the catalyst is active for oxidation of methanol to CO2 and H2O on exposure to visible light. The results indicate that the catalyst

may be suitable for methanol based fuel cell for energy generation.

Plasmonic Photocatalytic Reduction of Greenhouse Gases Using Silver on TiO2 Nanoparticles

Mojtaba Khani1, Nor Aishah Saidina Amin1*, Seyed Nezamedin Hosseini2 1Chemical Reaction Engineering Group (CREG)/Low Carbon Energy Group, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM,

Skudai, Johor Baharu, Johor, Malaysia., 2Research and Production Complex, Pasteur Institute of Iran (IPI), Tehran, Iran.

Increasing of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in atmosphere has gain major attention by the researchers. This is due to CO2 ability to absorb heat

from the UV light and emits the heat to atmosphere resulted in earth warming. Conventional method and also Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) have

been invented as a way to reduce the concentration of the predominant greenhouse gases especially CO2. This study will be focusing on one of the AOP

which is plasmonic photocatalytic reduction process of CO2. In this research, highly ordered Ag/TiO2 supported on stainless steel webnet were fabricated

by the dip coating method and applied to reduce CO2 in the presence of CH4 under Uv-visible light. Due to the excitation of plasmon resonances, silver

nanoparticles efficiently interacted with visible light. The visible light absorption scattering of TiO2 were enhanced by the Ag NPs due to their SPR effect.

The effect of parameters such as irradiation time, dosage of catalyst and initial ratio of feed components (CO2:CH4:N2) used were observed and studied.

It was shown that an equal initial ratio of carbon dioxide (45%) to methane (45%) and nitrogen (10%) in the feed was the most efficient at 6hour reaction.

The photon energy in the UV-visible range was high enough to excite the electron transition in the Ag/TiO2 to produce Ethylene and Ethane. The

conversion products obtained were determined using gas chromatography. The properties of calcined photocatalysis on the mesh were characterized using

X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM & EDX), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and

Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectra.

Dual-active Fe species supported on mesostructured silica nanoparticles for photo-Fenton-like degradation of

phenolic compounds

R. Jusoh1*, A.A. Jalil2 and S. Triwahyono3 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia, 2Department of Chemical

Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, 3Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Dual-active Fe species (a colloidal α-FeOOH (IS-FeOOH) and an isomorphously substituted Fe species) supported on mesostructured silica nanoparticles

(IS-FeOOH/MSN) were prepared by a simple electrochemical method followed by impregnation. Characterizations were conducted using X–ray

diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results indicated that the cationic

surfactant was retained around the IS-FeOOH surface while isomorphous substitution of iron (Fe) ion was occurred by introducing the α–FeOOH to the

MSN support. It was found that the photoactivity of the IS-FeOOH/MSN toward photo-Fenton-like degradation of two phenolic compounds under visible

light irradiation was in the following order: 2-chlorophenol (92.2%) > Phenol (88.0%). The catalytic results suggest that a synergistic effect between the

dual-active Fe species (Si–O–Fe and IS-FeOOH colloid) and MSN played important roles in the degradation of the phenolic compounds.



30

POSTER PRESENTATION

Development of modified MCM-41 catalyst systems towards epoxidation of 1-Octene

Suhaila Mohamed Segi University, Jalan Teknologi, Taman Sains Selangor, Kota Damansara, PJU 5, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, Email: [email protected]

The discovery of mesoporous molecular sieves has created a tremendous interest in the synthesis of these materials, particularly MCM-41 and its analogue,

because of their very high surface areas and possibility of precisely tuning the pore sizes (20-100OA). These mesoporous materials have a wide range of

potential applications starting from selective adsorption to heterogeneous catalysis, particularly for bulky molecules. Ti-MCM-41 has been widely

developed as a catalyst for olefin epoxidation because of the active sites of Ti can react as a very reactive compound for this reaction besides MCM-41

plays an important role as a support which is in the mesopore range. Titanium sites grafted on several siliceous supports are able to act as multifunctional

catalytic centers, activating tert-butyl hydroperoxide for oxidation reactions, as redox centers and promoting rearrangements, as Lewis acids. The

materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR and diffuse reflectance UV-Vis spectroscopies (DRUV-Visible), which showed that most

of the metal was incorporated into the framework of MCM-41. Ti containing MCM-41 was tested in the solvent-free epoxidation of 1-Octene using tert-

butyl hydroperoxide as oxidant. The research done provides an optimal reaction condition for epoxidation of 1-Octene. The optimized reaction conditions

lead to a maximum of epoxide selectivity and yield and also alkene conversion. After 7 h of reaction using sylilated Ti-MCM-41 as catalyst, 93.5% yields

of octene epoxide.

Synthesis Of Zinc Oxide Based Visible-Light Active Photocatalyst For Degradation Of Methyl Orange

Ainisah Yunus, Abdul Halim Abdullah

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia., Email: [email protected]

In this paper, the effectiveness of ZnO, ZnO/Ag3PO4 and ZnO/MWCNT which were synthesized by chemical precipitation method in the

photodegradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation is compared. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field

emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis diffusion reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS)

to study the properties and morphology of the composite. Due to the shifting of its UV-Vis (DRS) to longer wavelength, both heterostructure photocatalysts

had provided better improvement in their performances rather than ZnO alone. For ZnO/Ag3PO4, five different amount of Ag3PO4 has been tested which

is 5 mg,10 mg,15 mg,20 mg and 25 mg. It was found that 15 mg of Ag3PO4 shows the highest percentage photodegradation which was at 98%.While

similar methodology has been carried out for ZnO /MWCNT photocatalyst and the result reveals that 5 mg of MWCNT exhibit the highest percentage

photodegradation which was at 78% compared to ZnO alone which only achieved at 76% of percentage photocatalysis degradation.

Production of Syngas via CO2 Reforming of Methane on Ni/SBA-15

N. Ainirazali 1*, H.D. Setiabudi1, C.Y. Chin1, S.N.M. Arof and N.V. Dai-Viet1,2 1Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia., 2Centre of Excellence for Advanced Research in Fluid Flow, Universiti

Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia

This paper present catalytic activity of Ni/SBA-15 catalyst with different Ni loading for the production of hydrogen and syngas. The results showed that

increasing in Ni addition resulted on decreasing the crystallinity, surface area, pore volume, pore diameter and physically absorbed water content of the

catalysts, which were reasonably owing to the substitution of surface silanol group with Ni species. The optimum Ni loading was at 3 wt% Ni with the

CH4 conversion, CO2 conversion and H2/CO ratio was about 55%, 47%, and 0.99, respectively. Meanwhile, higher Ni loading (7wt%) decreased the

catalytic performance of catalyst due to the agglomeration of Ni particles which led to easier sintering and carbon deposition on the catalyst surfaces. The

results presented can help to improve the GHGs conversion strategies in term of feasibility and catalyst efficiency.

This work was supported by the Research University Grant (RDU140391) of Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia.

Studies on Bimetallic Nanoalloys for Formic Acid Decomposition

Masitah Abdul Halim Azizi1, Wan Nor Roslam Wan Isahak1, Mohd Ambar Yarmo2 1Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia., 2School of Chemical Science

and Food Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia.

Non-eco-friendly gas which continuously released from the combustion of petroleum was contributing to global warming issue. Therefore, scientist has

focused on hydrogen as a renewable energy source. Formic acid has been used as hydrogen carrier which produces clean hydrogen via decomposition

reaction. However, this reaction needs a suitable catalyst to enhance the production of hydrogen gas. In this work, the bimetallic nanoalloy (Fe-Ni) catalyst

was synthesized by microwave combustion method. The physical and chemical properties of the catalyst were characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR and

BET. Considering the reduction of catalytic activity of Fe monometallic will occur upon decomposition of formic acid, the Fe-Ni bimetallic nanoalloy

catalyst was proposed as it can increase the catalytic activity and chemical stability. It was found that the presence of Ni can increase the oxidation

stability of the catalyst. The long-term catalyst stability and recyclability was also studied.

A part of this work was supported by FRGS/1/2015/SG01/UKM/02/2 and GGPM-2015-014 funded by Ministry of Higher Education and Universiti

Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia, respectively.

Modification of Natural Calcium-based Catalysts for Biodiesel Production via Hydration Technique

E.N. Muhamad1,2*, C.M. Aqliliriana1,2 and R. Irmawati1,2 1Catalysis Science and Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia, 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Univeristi Putra

Malaysia, Malaysia

Calcium oxide has gained much interest among researchers in the production of biodiesel due to its high catalytic activity compared to other solid



31

heterogeneous catalysts. Interestingly, it can be produced from abundant natural material that is cheap and readily available. In this study, various types

of natural calcium sources (i.e.: cockle shells, horned helmet shells, limestone and mud creeper shells) were modified via facile hydration techniques in

different medium (i.e.: distilled water, ammonium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide) for biodiesel production. All of the modified catalysts show

significantly higher biodiesel conversion compared to that of pure calcined CaO catalyst, whereby distilled water can be regarded as the best medium for

hydration technique. Among the tested catalysts, hydrate limestone (HLS) shows the highest biodiesel conversion of 98%, while the lowest biodiesel

conversion of 67% was recorded when the mud creeper shells (OSS) was modified in sodium hydroxide solution.

Studies of Fe Metal Carburization by Carbon Monoxide

Norliza Dzakaria1, 2, Fairous Salleh2, Tengku Shafazila Tengku Saharuddin2, Alinda Samsuri2, Azizul Hakim2, Wan Nor Roslam Wan Isahak2,

Mohamed Wahab Mohamed Hisham2 and Mohd Ambar Yarmo2 1School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, 2School of Chemistry and

Environment, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Negeri Sembilan, Kampus Kuala Pilah, Pekan Parit Tinggi, 72000 Kuala Pilah, Negeri

Sembilan

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of carburization of metallic Fe by (20%,v/v) carbon monoxide (CO). Carburization of Fe by carbon

monoxide was examined by using TPR, XRD and CHNS technique. Based on a thermodynamic calculation, the free energy Gibb’s value to produce

carbon is -8.08 kcal/mol which are favorable. However, production of iron carbide from the same reaction, the free energy Gibb’s value is +9.24 kcal/mol

which is not feasible. From the XRD results, shows that after carburization of Fe, the peak appears only for Fe but there is a broad peak between 20 –

30°. The peak might be indicated as carbon in amorphous form. This finding is supported by the percent of carbon content in CHNS analysis which are

increasing when the temperature is increased. This shows that after carburization the carbon content is increasing with increasing in temperature due to

carbon deposited on metallic iron.

A part of this work was supported by FRGS/1/2015/SG01/UKM/02/2 funded by Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia.

Deoxygenation of Triolein over Hierarchical Zeolite Y to Produce Green Hydrocarbon

Min-Yee Choo1, Lee Eng Oi1, Tau Chuan Ling3, Eng-Poh Ng4, Joon Ching Juan*1,2

1Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Center (NANOCAT), University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2Monash University, Sunway Campus, Jalan Lagoon

Selatan, 46150 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia, 3Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 4School of

Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang, Malaysia, Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Recently, research in biofuel production has gaining more attentions due to the depletion and associated environmental issue with combustion of fossil

fuel. Deoxygenation, an important process to convert bio-oil into green hydrocarbon which having same properties as petroleum fuel. This study reports

deoxygenation of triolein as bio-oil model compound over zeolite Y catalyst. Conventional microporous zeolite Y and hierarchical zeolite Y which possess

both microporosity and mesoporosity were synthesized via hydrothermal approach. The physiochemical properties of zeolite Y was characterized by

XRD, BET surface area, HRTEM, and XRF. Deoxygenation of triolein was carried out under solvent-free condition with vacuum distillation setup.

Hierarchical zeolite Y achieving relatively higher conversion (66.7%) as compared with microporous zeolite Y (58.1%) at 380 oC after 4 h. Surprisingly,

the selectivity towards hydrocarbon of hierarchical zeolite Y (93.1%) is two-fold higher than that of microporous zeolite Y (42.5%). The superior

deoxygenation ability of hierarchical zeolite Y is ascribed to the introduction of mesoporosity which greatly enhance the diffusional transfer of the

reactants. This study suggests that the hierarchical zeolite Y is a promising catalyst for deoxygenation of bio-oil.

Synthesis of Mesoporous Nanoparticles SBA-15 by Controlled Aging Temperature

Darfizzi Derawi1,2*, Nazrizawati Ahmad Tajuddin1,3 and K. Wilson1 1European Bioenergy Research Institute (EBRI), Aston University, B4 7ET Birmingham, United Kingdom, 2School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty of

Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malayia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia, 3Faculty of Applied Science, University of Technology MARA (UiTM), 40450

Shah Alam, Selangor, MALAYSIA., Email: [email protected], Tel: +603 8921 4297

Nanoparticles are widely used to catalyze a chemical reaction. Mesoporous structure of catalyst support is very important to optimize the distribution in

grafting the precursors. SBA-15 is a mesoporous silica as one of well-known supporter which has been synthesized using triblock copolymer,

EO20PO70EO20 (Pluronic P123) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). Synthesis process was performed by manipulating the aging temperature between 80 – 120 oC. SBA-15 series were analyzed for the physical properties using N2 porosimetry and low angle XRD analysis. The surface area of the products were

determined using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) technique and the pore size distribution were obtained from the desorption branch of the isotherm curve

using the Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) model. Results show a significant effect by manipulating the aging temperature on surface area and pore size

distribution of SBA-15. Aging at 100°C showed the optimum BET surface area (1241 m2/g) with 6.4 nm of pore diameter. Increasing beyond of this

temperature up to 120°C suppress the BET surface area (639 m2/g) and decreased the pore size to 5.8 nm. The low angle XRD analysis has proved that

the synthesized SBA-15 samples are in amorphous state.

This work was supported by the Royal Society UK and Academy of Science Malaysia through Newton-Ungku Omar Fund (grant code: ST-2016-006)

and Newton Advanced Fellowship (grant code: 60888). Authors would like to acknowledge the Ministry of Higher Education, Universiti Kebangsaan

Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi MARA for the provided scholarships.

IR study of interaction of molecular cumene with MoO3 type catalyst

S.N. Timmiati1*, S. Triwahyono2, A. A Jalil3 and N. H. N. Kamarudin4 1Fuel Cell Institute, Univeristi Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia, 2Dept. of Chemistry, Fac. of Science, 3Dept. of Chemical Eng., Faculty of

Chemical and Energy Eng., Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 4Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

The interaction of molecular cumene with the surface of MoO3 and Pt/MoO3 was observed using infrared IR spectroscopy. The results show that the

presence of Pt metal exhibited higher interaction of molecular cumene on Pt/MoO3, resulting higher activity on cumene catalytic cracking under nitrogen

gas. Meanwhile, very low activity was observed over MoO3 catalyst due to small interaction between molecular cumene. The IR adsorbed cumene also



32

exhibited the decomposition of cumene was extensively observed on Pt/MoO3. We suggested that the interaction of cumene vapor with the surface of

Pt/MoO3 resulting the dissociation of a cumene molecule to a cumene radical and a hydrogen atom. The generated hydrogen atom will spillover onto the

support, becomes a proton and facilitate the formation of acidic Bronsted Mo-OH, thereby producing acidic Brönsted (MoOx)-(Hy)

+. The presence of Pt

on MoO3 catalyst facilitates the formation of acidic Brönsted (MoOx)-(Hy)

+ that enhanced cumene cracking reaction under nitrogen gas.

A Highly Active Bi-Functional Catalyst of Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide for Glycerol Conversion: Effect of Temperature and

Hydrogen Pressure

Wan Zurina Samad1*, Wan Nor Roslam Wan Isahak2, Mohd Ambar Yarmo3, and Muhammad Rahimi Yusop3 1Department of Chemistry, Kulliyyah of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Bandar Indera Mahkota, 25200 Kuantan,

Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia, 2Department of Chemical & Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Build Environment, 3Department of Chemical Science & Food

Technology, Faculty of Science & Technology, National University of Malaysia, 43650 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

The highly active of new supported material known as fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) was introduced in this study. Ruthenium (Ru) metal was taken as

active sites to be supported on FTO materials and as new development of heterogeneous catalyst for hydrogenolysis of glycerol. The glycerol conversion

into 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) have been attempted using some parameters which are temperature and hydrogen pressure. The former three types of

temperatures (100, 150, 200oC) and hydrogen pressure (10, 20, 30 bar) approaches were seen can enhanced the glycerol conversion and selectivity to 1,2-

propanediol as a major product and propanol as minor product respectively. The reactions were done under mild condition of reaction (7.5% of metal

loading, and 8 hours of reaction time). The highest glycerol conversion was obtained at 150oC, 20 bar with average of 100%. Meanwhile, the highest of

1,2-PDO selectivity was observed at 100oC, 20 bar also with 100%. The optimum condition were recorded at the temperature of 150oC, 20 bar resulted

100% conversion and 94% selectivity of 1,2-PDO respectively.

Carbon Nanotubes – Mesostructured silica nanoparticles: Efficient adsorbent for methylene blue

Ainul Hakimah Karim1, Aishah Abdul Jalil3,4* and Sugeng Triwahyono2,5 1Universiti Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian Institute for Industrial Technology, 81750 Johor Bahru, Johor, 2Dept of Chemistry, Fac. of Science, 3Institute of

Hydrogen Economy, 4Dept. of Chemical Eng., Faculty of Chemical Eng., Universiti Teknologi Malaysia .Email: [email protected]

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted great attention in nanoscale science and technology due to their unique optical, electronic and mechanical

properties. Besides, mesostructured silica nanoparticles (MSN) have become effective adsorbents owe to its high surface area and pore size which is

essential to adsorb wide range of organic pollutant. Modification of CNT with MSN may enhance the dispersion properties and adsorption capacities

from their singles. The integration of these outstanding properties by modification of MSN with singlewalled CNT (SWCNT) and multiwalled CNT

(MWCNT) is quite new in this area of study and is expected to produce an adsorbent with higher adsorption capacity. In this study, three types of

adsorbents were prepared by a simple one step method; MSN, series of SWCNT-MSN composites, and series of MWCNT-MSN composites. Their

characteristics have been observed by XRD, N2 physisorption, FTIR, TEM, and FESEM, while their adsorption performance were evaluated on the

adsorption of methylene blue (MB) at various pH, adsorbent dosage, initial MB concentration, and temperature. The results demonstrated that the

adsorbents consist of mesoporous structures and produces relatively higher number of pores with larger diameters. The CNTs were found to improve the

physicochemical properties of the MSN and led to an enhanced adsorptivity for MB. N2 physisorption measurements revealed the development of a

bimodal pore structure in MWCNT-MSN composites that increased the pore size, pore volume and surface area. The best conditions for MSN, SWCNT-

MSN and MWCNT-MSN composites achieved at pH 7 and 303 K using 0.05 g L-1 adsorbent and 100 mg L-1 MB. Fitting with linear Langmuir isotherm

produce the maximum adsorption capacity of 500.1 mg g−1, 500.0 mg g−1, and 263.2 mg g−1 for MSNAP, SWCNT-MSN and MWCNT-MSN, respectively.

The equilibrium data were evaluated using the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models, with the Freundlich model

affording the best fit to the adsorption data for MSN and Langmuir model for both SWCNT-MSN and MWCNT-MSN. The adsorption kinetics for all

MSN, SWCNT-MSN and MWCNT-MSN were best described by the pseudo-second order model. Thermodynamic study showed that the nature of MSNs

and MWCNT-MSNs are exothermic, and endothermic for SWCNT-MSNs. This study proved that relatively new mesostructured materials have been

produced and potential to be used as adsorbent for dye removal and water treatment.

Intrinsic properties assessment by hydrogen and pyridine preadsorbed FTIR of Pt/Zn-Hβ for determining the role

of Zn in n-pentane isomerization

N.H.N. Kamarudin1,2*, S.N. Timmiati2, N.H.R. Annuar3, H.D. Setiabudi4, A.A. Jalil5,6 and S. Triwahyono7 1Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, 2Fuel Cell Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor,

Malaysia., 3Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Johor, Pasir Gudang Campus, 81750 Masai, Johor, Malaysia., 4Faculty

of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia., 5Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty

of Chemical and Energy Engineering, 6Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, 7Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,

81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.

This study assessed the intrinsic property of various Zn loading (0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 wt%) on Pt/Zn-Hβ by hydrogen and pyridine preadsorbed FTIR for the

application of n-pentane isomerization. Pyridine preadsorbed FTIR showed the decrease of Bronsted acid sites and concomitant increase of Lewis acid

sites in the increasing of Zn loading in the catalyst. These changes are due to the existence of extra framework of Zn on the surface of Hβ. The hydrogen

preadsorbed FTIR revealed that the presence of Zn facilitated the formation of protonic acid sites from molecular hydrogen in which protonic acid sites

are suggested to be an active site for isomerisation and removal of carbon deposites on the surface. For the catalytic activity, the addition of 0.3 wt% Zn

turns out to be a highly efficient catalyst for isomerization of n-pentane in 623 K, presenting 65.4% yield of iso-pentane.

Catalyst of the Porphyrin, By the Porphyrin, For the Porphyrin in Mimicking Natural System

Mohd Bakri Bakar*, Nurafiqah Saadon, Tan Ke Xin, Wong Wen Yee and Nurliana Roslan Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia

The role of a porphyrin-based catalytic reactivity have been established via utilizing the porphyrin or modified porphyrin to catalyse an organic chemical

transformation, and due to the availability of metal-catalysed reaction to form a new porphyrin building block. In a natural system, cytochrome P-450

enzymes which is a mono-oxygenase family of heme enzyme containing porphyrin moiety catalysed a wide range of biological oxidation reactions.

Consequently, synthetic metalloporphyrins were investigated to mimic Cytochrome P-450 which potentially can catalyse selective oxidation reactions.



33


To overcome the limitations of homogeneous catalysis, metalloporphyrin was immobilized onto inorganic support of SBA-15. This heterogeneous

catalytic system was further tested for epoxidation of limonene and oxidation of benzyl alcohol. Mimicking the natural existence also drives an extensive

discovery of synthetic pathways. It is well-known that the naturally occurring porphyrins exist as a chlorophyll for photosynthesis process. Therefore,

various metal-catalysed synthetic strategies have been used to prepare the conjugated porphyrins assembly in monomer, dimer and trimer arrays which

in-turn leading to mimic the photosynthetic system. These extended systems can be realized by employing the metal-catalysed Suzuki, Heck and

Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions. Overall, catalysis studies have advanced the porphyrin molecular system which was accelerated by natural

mimicking approaches.

The Role of Zinc in Simple Mixed Fe-Zn Catalysts for Formic Acid Decomposition at Room Temperature

Wan Nor Roslam Wan Isahak1,2*, Masitah Abdul Halim1, Zatil Amali Che Ramli2, Mohd Shahbudin Masdar1,2, Wan Zurina Samad3 and Mohd

Ambar Yarmo3 1Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, 2Fuel Cell Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia, 3Department of Chemistry, Kulliyah of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Bandar Indera Mahkota, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia 4School of Chemical Science and Food Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia

Hydrogen has been considered as a promising energy carrier that may play a key role in power generation in the future especially in clean energy

generation via fuel cell technology. Formic acid (FA) is one of the prominent source of clean and cheap hydrogen. The potential application of iron (Fe)

and zinc (Zn) based catalysts to accelerate FA decomposition have been studied. In this work, the formic acid conversion and selectivity to hydrogen of

almost 100% was achieved with the use of Fe-Zn catalyst at a weight ratio of catalyst: FA of 1: 5, after 1 hour at room temperature. The addition of Zn

resulting the higher catalyst stability and performance. From XRD analysis, after several hours, it is showed the layer of formate on the catalyst surfaces

contributing the lower catalytic activity. The catalyst can be re-used after thermal treatment to remove adsorbed formate that reduce the catalytic

performance.

A part of this work was supported by FRGS/1/2015/SG01/UKM/02/2 and GGPM-2015-014 funded by Ministry of Higher Education and Universiti

Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia, respectively.

Incorporation of As-Prepared Magnetite-Polypyrrole onto Oil Palm Fiber Activated Carbon for Organochlorine

Pesticides Removal in Natural Waters

Faridah M. Marsin1, Wan Aini Wan Ibrahim2,3*, Hamid Rashidi Nodeh4, Mohd Marsin Sanagi2 1Department of Chemistry Malaysia Johor, 80100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM

Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, 3Centre of Sustainable Nanomaterials, Ibnu Sina Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM

Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, 4School of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB), were used to prepare activated carbon (OPAC) via physiochemical process, and further reinforced with Fe3O4-

magnetic nanoparticles and conducting polymer-polypyrrole (Ppy) using a two-step precipitation-oxidation. The surface structure and active sites of the

raw material (OPEFB) to OPAC and its further composites (OPAC-Fe3O4-Ppy) were characterized by means of Fourier Transform infrared spectrometry

(FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The composite was then used for the extraction of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs)

using magnetic solid phase extraction followed by gas chromatography micro-electron detector (MSPE-GC-μECD). The removal efficiency study showed

the capability of OPAC and its composites to adsorb OCPs (85–96% adsorption). The extraction ability revealed that it mostly depends on the active sites

contributed by Ppy via electrostatic interaction, thus showed the ability of OPAC-Fe3O4-Ppy adsorbent as a green sustainable alternative for OCPs

extraction in environmental solutions.

This work is supported by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Hague, Netherlands (Grant No. 4B219, Universiti

Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia).

Highly photoactivity rutile phase TiO2 for degradation of methylene blue

F.H. Mustapha1, A.A. Jalil1,2*, S. Triwahyono3, M. Mohamed1 and A.S. Zolkifli1

1Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical & Energy Engineering, 2Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, 3Department

of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, Email: [email protected]

Photocatalysis is one of the important process in water remediation especially in textile industry. The continuous demand of textile products and the

growing environmental concerns lead to the urge for development of an improved TiO2 photocatalyst to replace its restricted treatability due to the limited

light response range, high electron-hole recombination rate and easy to agglomerate when dispersed on wastewater reservoirs. Thus, TiO2 with highly

reactive rutile phase was developed for degradation of Methylene Blue (MB). Rutile TiO2 (RTiO2) was synthesized by using a free template hydrothermal

method. The structure and surface morphology of RTiO2 were characterized by using XRD and FESEM. RTiO2 showed a flower-like morphology with

an opened structure of nanospindles extended from center. According to XRD pattern, the synthesized TiO2 indeed possessed a signature peak of rutile

phase with high crystallinity within the range of 20-70° of 2θ. Moreover, FTIR and ESR was used to characterize the functional group and paramagnetic

species (OV and TSD) respectively in the catalyst. The photocatalytic performance of RTiO2 was assessed in degradation of MB. The reaction was

conducted under visible light exposure with 98% degradation of MB after 90 min. The result demonstrated a highly potential TiO2 catalyst with improved

light response range was successfully introduced.

Stereoselective Syntheses of Open-Chain Compounds with 1,3,5-trimethyl Substituents

N. Basar1*, H. M. Sirat1 and E. J. Thomas2 1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Univeristi Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia, 2School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, United

Kingdom

The bismuth mediated reactions have provided homoallylic alcohols (1) with useful levels of stereocontrol. The presence of the (E)-double-bond would

allow possibilities of performing selective reductions or oxidations to form compounds (2) or (3), also (4) and (5). In addition, it was of interest to study

applications of these compounds in synthesis, in particular to the stereoselectivity synthesis of open-chain compounds with syn- (6) and anti-disposed (7)



34

1,3,5-trimethyl substituents.

Synthesis of Molybdenum Oxide Supported on Fibrous Silica KCC-1 for 1,4-Diisopropylbenzene Hydrocracking

Nadzidah Yusofa, Che Rozid Mamata*, Aishah Abdul Jalilb, Sugeng Triwahyonoa aDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, bDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemcial and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310

Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, Email : [email protected]

Hydrocracking is an important catalytic process in petroleum refining industry to convert heavy feedstock into valuable gasoline and diesel product. This

process is typically carried out over acidic catalyst consist of hydrogenating-dehydrogenating component. In this study, fibrous silica KCC-1 and MoO3

loaded on KCC-1(MoO3/KCC-1) for hydrocracking of 1,4-diisoproylbenzene were prepared via microemulsion system coupled with microwave-assisted

hydrothermal and physical mixing method. The catalytic activity was conducted at the temperature range of 423-573 K in a microcatalytic pulse reactor.

The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and nitrogen physisorption analysis of KCC-1 showed a spherical morphology dendrimeric

silica fiber with a high surface area of 634 m2/g. The addition of MoO3 did not much change the support morphology but reduced the surface area to 245

m2/g. At 573 K, the conversion of 1,4-diisopropylbenzene over MoO3/KCC-1 30.6% higher than the pristine KCC-1. The products distribution of 1,4-

diiisopropylbenzene cracking over MoO3/KCC-1 consisted of propane (35.4%), benzene (2.1%), cumene (61.7%) and traced amount of lower

hydrocarbon (0.8%). The high catalytic activity of MoO3/KCC-1 might be attributed from the presence of moderate Lewis acid sites and Mo, which

facilitate the formation and maintenance of active protonic acid sites through a hydrogen spillover mechanism.

Amine Functionalized Fibrous Mesostructured Silica Particles For Efficient Adsorption Of Heavy Metal Ions

Sugeng Triwahyono a*, Aishah Abdul Jalilb, Nurul Nabihah Mohamad Ishaka, Nurrulhidayah Salamuna aDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, bDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering , Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310

Johor Bahru.

Fibrous Mesostructured Silica Particles (FMSP) was functionalized with amine group ((3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane) and used as adsorbent for the

removal of heavy metal ions. The adsorbents were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Nitrogen physisorption, Fourier transform infrared

spectroscopy (FTIR) and Field Emission Scanning Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (FESEM-EDX). The results demonstrated the

introduction of amine on FMSP increased the heavy metals uptake due to the stronger affinity towards the cationic heavy metals. The equilibrium data

fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm model with maximum adsorption capacity of 122.4, 80.8, 217.1, 140.5, and 342.5 mg g -1 for Zn(II), Cd(II), Cu(II),

Hg(II) and Pb(II), respectively. Batch adsorption model showed that the kinetics followed both pseudo-first order and pseudo-second- order indicated

that adsorption process is controlled by physisorption and chemisorption process. The thermodynamic studies indicated that the nature of metal ions

adsorption is an exothermic and a non-spontaneous process. This study demonstrated that NH-FMSP is a suitable and had a great potential as adsorbent

for heavy metals removal.

Photocatalytic Oxidation of Styrene by Well-Aligned Porous TiO2 Microrods with Liquid Crystal as the Structure-

Aligning Agent under the Influence of Magnetic Field

Nur Izzati Abu Bakar1, Hadi Nur1 and Sheela Chandren2* 1Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials, Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia, 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty

of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

The synthesis of well-aligned porous microrods titania (TiO2) photocatalyst remains a big challenge today. One strategy that could be undertaken would

be the use of strong magnetic field with liquid crystal as the alignment agent. The importance of the well-aligned microrods and porous structures should

be related to the enhancement of electron diffusion and high surface area, which is ideal for photocatalysts. It is expected that, the increase of electron

density will decrease the activation energy for electron trapping, and correspondingly increase the electron transport ability and photocatalytic activity.

In this study, the mixture of liquid crystal, 4′-pentyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (5CB), tetra-n-butyl orthotitanate, 2-propanol and water, was subjected to

slow hydrolysis under magnetic field (up to 0.3 T). The obtained TiO2 was well-aligned rod-shaped when the reaction mixture was placed under an

external magnetic field, while the TiO2 obtained was spherical in shape when no magnetic field was applied. The photocatalytic activity of the well-

aligned TiO2 was evaluated in the photocatalytic oxidation of styrene with aqueous H2O2 (30%). The well-aligned TiO2 synthesized with liquid crystal

under magnetic field showed the highest conversion of styrene and the highest selectivity towards the main product, as compared to that of the non-

aligned TiO2. It can be concluded that the well-aligned TiO2 combined with liquid crystal can give positive effects to the photocatalytic activity. In the

well-aligned TiO2, it is possible that the liquid crystal, as the alignment agent, drove the photogenerated electrons further away from the TiO2, thereby

achieving a more efficient charge separation. The liquid crystal may have trapped the electrons and cause the delay in recombination of electron with the

positive hole and hence, increasing the photocatalytic activity.



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Transition State Study on the Synthesis of Chalcones from Acetophenone and Benzaldehyde with Different

Position of Hydroxy Group

Hasmerya Maarof*, Farhah Kamarudin

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Univeristi Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

Chalcones are one of bioactive compounds that can be synthesized by natural or chemical method. Chemically, chalcones is synthesized using ketone

and aldehyde. Thus, knowing the right starting material is important through theoretical study to aid the experimental method to synthesize chalcone. In

this study, acetophonenone and benzaldehyde with different position of hydroxyl group (ortho-, meta- and para-) were chosen as starting material to

produce nine dihydroxychalcones as the products (4’,4-dihydroxychalcone, 4’,3-dihydroxychalcone, 4,’2-dihydroxychalcone, 5’,4dihydroxychalcone,

5’,3-dihydroxychalcone, 5’,2-dihydroxychalcone, 6’,4-dihydroxychalcone, 6’,3-dihydroxychalcone and 6’,2-dihydroxychalcone). The pairing of

reactants to get nine products is by one-to-one pairings (acetophenone : benzaldehye) which resulted to nine dihydroxychalcones produced (meta-:meta-,

meta-:ortho-, meta-,para-, ortho-:meta-, ortho-:ortho-, ortho-:para-, para:meta-, para-:ortho-, and para-:para-). All structures were sketched and

constructed using Material Studio MS7. The interactions between acetophenone and benzaldehyde with different position of hydroxy group were studied.

The transition state are determined and compared by using synchronous transit method while minimum energy pathway for all reactions are determined

and studied by the nudged elastic band method.

Preliminary Study Of Polypyrrole-Based Nanocomposites For Adsorption Of Heavy Metals And Dyes In Water

Sample

Ng Nyuk Ting, Amirah Farhan Kamaruddin and Aemi Syazwani Abdul Keyon Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

Two new polypyrrole-based organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposites, polypyrrole-titania (Ppy-TiO2) and polypyrrole-iron oxide (Ppy-Fe3O4) were

synthesised and applied for the adsorption of lead and basic dyes (rhodamine 6G, crystal violet and methylene blue) from aqueous samples, respectively.

Ppy-TiO2 was used as an adsorbent to remove lead using batch method combined with flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS). Ppy-Fe3O4 was

used to extract and determine the three dyes using micro-solid phase extraction (μ-SPE) combined with ultraviolet-visible spectrometry (UV-Vis). The

synthesized of both Ppy-TiO2 and Ppy-Fe3O4 were performed by the adsorption of pyrrole monomers on TiO2 and Fe3O4 respectively followed by the

polymerization of pyrrole monomers in the presence of FeCl3 via facile one-pot chemical polymerization. Both Ppy-TiO2 and Ppy-Fe3O4 able to serve as

promising adsorbents for organic and inorganic pollutants removal from water because of its physical/chemical stability, low toxicity, economical and

high adsorption efficiency.

This work is supported by the Research University Grant (No. 09H84) of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

Synthesis and Stability Study of Nano-sized Bacterial-based Pigment using Electrospraying Technique

Mohd Amir Asyraf Mohd Hamza, Wan Azlina Ahmad and Siti Aminah Setu*

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, Email: [email protected]

At present, research has focused on synthesizing nanosized synthetic pigments. It is well known that some synthetic pigments are prohibited due to their

carcinogenicity, hyperallergenicity and toxicological issues. As the trend throughout the world shows a shifting interest towards the use of eco-friendly

and biodegradable commodities, there is increasing interest to produce nanosized pigments from natural source e.g., bacterial-based pigments. Bacterial

pigments also exhibit antioxidants and anticancer properties with great potential in the pharmaceutical industries. However, most nanoparticle chemical

synthesis methods rely on the use of toxic reducing agents and harmful organic solvents. These chemicals represent potential biological and environmental

risks. To solve these problems, bacterial pigment nanoparticles will be synthesized using electrospraying technique, which is a more ecofriendly, clean,

cheap, safe, and convenient nanoparticles production method. What remains to be evaluated is the stability of the prepared bacterial pigment nanoparticles

using stabilizers. Poor stability and dispersibility of nanoparticles lead to aggregation and sedimentation processes which will cause to the lost of biological

activities of the bacterial pigments and reduces the quality of the pigments for potential ink and coating applications. Thus, surface modification of the

nanoparticles with stabilizer molecules, e.g., surfactants and polymers is detrimental in endowing these stability properties. By the addition of stabilizer

molecules, the enhancement of stability of the bacterial pigment nanoparticles can be obtained via two kinds of protecting mechanisms; (a) steric repulsion

and (b) electrostatic repulsion.

The authors would like to acknowledge Ministry of Education (MOE), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and FRGS grant (Vote No.:

R.J130000.7826.4F895).

Exploring the Physicochemical Characteristics of the Malaysian Oil Palm Frond Leaves

Roswanira Abdul Wahab Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

The oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis) is a versatile plant of vital economic standing because virtually all parts of the plant are valuable to man. However,

a substantial portion of its biomass is left to decompose naturally in the environment, a sight displeasing to the eyes as well as impeding movement of

vehicles during harvesting. Considering that oil palm biomass is underutilized in the Malaysian commercial sector, concerted efforts in developing

scientific approaches that converts such wastes into value-added products may prove useful as well as timely. This study was aimed in providing

comprehensive physicochemical characteristics of the Malaysian oil palm frond leaves (OPFL); profiling the characteristic of this plant in realizing such

a goal merits scientific relevance. The results revealed that the untreated OPFL mainly consisted of carbon (47.02 %), hydrogen (6.98 %), nitrogen

(2.016 %) and sulfur (0.150 %) with a corresponding high calorific value of 19.21 MJ/kg. Results of the thermogravimetric and derivative thermal

gravimetric analyses revealed the existence of volatile matters (67.0 %), moisture (4.3 %), and ash (3.2 %). X-ray fluorescence revealed that three major

elements made up the untreated sample viz. Ca (39.20 %), K (22.10 %) and Si (19.20 %) while Si (95.20%) being the major element in the treated sample.

The OPFL was found to be both a non-porous and highly mesoporous material (160.6 m2/g) via analysis of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller. The outcome seen

here in this study impleed that the Malaysian OPFL may prove to be a suitable as well as a possible renewable source of energy and an alternative source

of silica.



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Synthesis of Prenylated and Aldehyde-Type Chalcones via Claisen Schmidt Condensation

Shajarahtunnur Jamil1*, Hasnah Mohd Sirat1 and Ibrahim Jantan2 1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, 2Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,

Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Chalcones are natural products which can be found in several plant family especially Moraceae, Leguminosae and Asteraceae. Natural chalcones

possessed interesting bioactivities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and cytotoxicity. Substituted chalcones are of particular interest

for various studies because of their diverse range of biological activities as well as precursor in the synthesis of varied bioactive heterocyclic compounds.

In this study, prenylated chalcones were prepared using base catalysed Claisen Schmidt condensation of acetophenones with aromatic aldehydes. 2-

Hydroxy-4,4,6-trimethoxy-3-prenylchalcone was synthesised in three steps. The steps involved Friedel-Crafts prenylation of trihydroxyacetophenone

followed by methylation and Claisen-Schmidt condensation. Oxidative cyclisation of this prenylated chalcone yielded an aldehyde-type chalcone

derivative. 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxy-4-O-prenylchalcone was also synthesised. Attempted Claisen rearrangement produced 4-hydroxy-4-methoxy-2-O-

prenylchalcone as the major product. Structures of all synthesised compounds were determined using several spectroscopic methods including IR, NMR

and MS.

Modified Fibrous Mesoporous Silica Particles For Co2 Methanation

Z.A. Alexzmana, M.Y.S. Hamidb, S.M. Sidikb, A.A. Jalilb and S. Triwahyonoa* aDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, bDepartment of Chemical Eng., Faculty of Chemical and Energy Eng., Universiti Teknologi

CO2 is one of the most abundant greenhouse gases nowadays. CO2 methanation has a potential to address this problem by utilization of metal loaded

fibrous silica particles (FMSP) as catalysts. FMSP, Iron (Fe/FMSP), cobalt (Co/FMSP) and (FeCo/FMSP) were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal

and impregnation methods. The catalysts were characterized by FESEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR, BET and CO2 adsorbed IR analyses. FESEM and EDX result

showed the presence of Fe, Co and Fe-Co metal on the uniform spherical shape of FMSP. The BET surface areas of FMSP, Fe/FMSP, Co/FMSP and

FeCo/FMSP were 393.81, 216.30, 273.45 and 402.44 m2/g. The addition of metal into the FMSP catalyst increased the strength of the basic sites of the

catalysts as shown in IR-CO2. At 500 °C, the methanation of CO2 showed that FeCo/FMSP presented the highest methanation performances (60% CO2

conversion and 71% CH4 selectivity) followed by FeMSN, Co/FMSP and FMSP.

Photocatalytic Degradation of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid over Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide

Klinsmann Cheong1, Leny Yuliati2,3, and Siew Ling Lee1,2

1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, 2Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials, Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Univeristi Teknologi Malaysia., 3Ma Chung Research Center for Photosynthetic Pigments, Universities Ma Chung, Malang 65151, Indonesia.

TiO2 and ZnO powders were synthesized by hydrothermal method using isopropoxide and zinc nitrate hexahydrate for TiO2 and ZnO, respectively. The

catalysts were characterized and tested for photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). XRD analysis confirmed co-existence

of anatase and rutile phases in TiO2. On the other hand, the XRD analysis verified formation of wurtzite structure of hexagonal phase in ZnO. It has been

demonstrated that both TiO2 and ZnO showed good photocatalytic activity (~30%) for 2,4-D degradation under UV irradiation.



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