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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>Characterization of Local Mill Rice Husk Charcoal and<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>Its Effect on Compost Properties<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>Theeba, M.</span></b><b><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>1*</span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>, Robert T. Bachmann</span></b><b><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>2</span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>, Illani Z.I</span></b><b><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>1, </span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Zulkefli M</span></b><b><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>1</span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>Husni M.H.A</span></b><b><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>3 </span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>and Samsuri A.W</span></b><b><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>3<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><i><span style='font-size:6.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT","sans-serif"'>1</span></i><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT","sans-serif"'>Water and Soil Management Programme, Malaysian Agricultural Research Institute<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT","sans-serif"'>(MARDI) Persiaran UPM-MARDI, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><i><span style='font-size:6.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT","sans-serif"'>2</span></i><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT","sans-serif"'>Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT","sans-serif"'>Technology (UNIKL-MICET), 78000 Alor Gajah Melaka, Malaysia<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><i><span style='font-size:6.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT","sans-serif"'>3</span></i><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT","sans-serif"'>Department of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT","sans-serif"'>Malaysia , 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>ABSTRACT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Rice husk charcoal (RHC) is a by-product of rice processing mills which can befound in very large quantities in these mills. Tis industrial waste is largely </span><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>unutilized, causing environmental pollution especially in the state of Kelantan.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>In order to increase its utilization, RHC was characterized and investigated for<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>its potential in enhancing the composting process. Physico-chemical properties<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>of RHC such as pH, nutrient content, ash content, CEC, adsorption kinetics,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>surface area, functional groups, surface structure and pore sizes were studied. The composting treatments were carried out by mixing 4% (wt/wt) and 6% wt/wt) RHC <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>with organic substrates and with no RHC amended as control. Parameters such as<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>daily temperature, CO2 flux, nutrient cntent, pH, moisture and total microbial<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>unt were measured during the composting process. Results showed that RHC is<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>a highly alkaline material (pH 8.9) with a carbon content of 16% (wt/wt dry basis),<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>CEC of 17cmol kg-1soil, BET surface area of 401 mg g-1 and a methylene blue<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Adsorption capacity of 38.8 mg g-1. Thepresence of C=O carboxyl-C, ketones and </span><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>ester, aliphatic C=H, C=C benzene ring and C-H aromatic hydrogen suggests that</span><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>RHC mainly comprises amorphous char, a ramdom mixture of thermally altered mole</span><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>cules and aromatic polycondensates. The addition of RHC to organic matter<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>accelerated the composting process through higher decomposition rates due to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>higher microbial population at the thermophilic stage with RHC acting as a bulking<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>agent, as well as higher moisture and nutrient retention during composting. N<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'>losses were found to be lower with RHC composting<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>Keywords: Rice husk charcoal, composting, physico-chemical, decomposition,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'>nutrient retention<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.msss.com.my/mjss/Full%20Text/Vol%2016/Theeba.pdf">http://www.msss.com.my/mjss/Full%20Text/Vol%2016/Theeba.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>