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OUR
Keynote Speakers
Associate Professor Dr. Mohanad Anuar Kamaruddin
School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia
Associate Professor Dr. Mohanad Anuar Kamaruddin
Associate Professor Dr. Mohanad Anuar Kamaruddin is a researcher, lecturer, and consultant specializing in environmental engineering, with a strong focus on sustainable waste management, landfill leachate treatment, and industrial wastewater management. He holds a BSc in Civil Engineering, as well as an MSc and PhD in Environmental Engineering from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Dr. Anuar's research explores innovative approaches to mitigating environmental pollution, including sludge valorization and circular economy applications. He has been actively involved in numerous environmental protection initiatives, technical site visits, and policy drafting, including Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), contaminated land management, and scheduled waste compliance under Malaysia’s Environmental Quality Act. Beyond research, Dr. Anuar is a dedicated educator, supervising 10 PhD and 6 MSc candidates within his research niche. Dr. Anuar serves on various organizing and technical committees and is a member of several prestigious environmental and engineering bodies. Through his academic and applied research efforts, he strives to bridge policy, technology, and industrial best practices to advance environmental sustainability.
Improvement of Biogas Production by using Anaerobic Digestion with the presence of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (IONPs) extracted from Azadirachta Indica leaves for the decomposition of Zea mays L. biomass
School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Pulau Pinang
*anuarkamaruddin@usm.my
Lignocellulosic materials are composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin; having substantial environmental advantages, especially in Malaysia. However, the use of lignocelluloses in anaerobic digestion has been constrained for a few reasons. First, lignin is difficult to degrade in anaerobic environments. Second, the rate of lignocellulose degradation is hampered by high crosslinking concentrations in cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Finally, the enzyme's catalytic pathway for the cellulose is inadvertently blocked during hydrolysis stage. An effective pre-treatment is required to increase the enzyme accessibility of cellulose by the removal of hemicellulose or lignin in order to achieve high biogas generation of lignocelluloses. Azadirachta indica (neem) leaves will be synthesized with iron (III) chloride hexahydrate solution (0.03 M), ethanol, and iron (II) chloride tetrahydrate to extract iron oxide nanoparticles from them. This study will focus on the anaerobic digestion of Zea mays L. biomass (corn straw) with assistance from IONPs from Azadirachta indica to produce biomethane. This extraction is projected to increase biomethane ratio output and anaerobic digestion efficiency. The efficiency of iron oxide nanoparticles extraction on anaerobic digestion will be evaluated using four reactors, one with an indicator devoid of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) and three with increasing quantities (5, 10, and 20 ml/L) of IONPs. The impact of the particles on Zea mays L.'s genetic makeup will also be investigated. The percentages of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin will be assessed before and after anaerobic digestion, as well as testing the efficiency of pre-treatment and anaerobic digestion. The developed mechanism will be able to contribute process optimization of agricultural waste decomposition, particularly in a single chamber anaerobic digestion, by addressing the ability of lignin breakdown, cross-linking concentration of cellulose, and stability of the enzyme's catalytic route. This will also help to achieve SDG number 12 on responsible and sustainable material consumption.