Virtual Booth

Malaysia recorded 45% of rivers exceed Class II water quality standards where industrial spills and heavy-metal contamination are among the major pollutants that threaten Malaysia's aquatic ecosystems and directly enter the food chain. It is found that 12% of canned fish contain cadmium (Cd²⁺) and lead (Pb²⁺) above the WHO limits and recent oil spill in Tanjung Langsat involved 1.6m³ oil required prompt clean-up. Current remediation technology relies on separate treatment for oil and metals, increasing costs, time and waste generation. To address this issue, we reported a dual function of oil and heavy metals adsorbent synthesized from biodegradable gelator. This research aims to apply the gelator to a controlled and real food sample. The gelator achieved a critical gel concentration (CGC) at 0.61 wt% in paraffin oil forming a stable gel after 5 minutes. It showed stability in various non-polar solvents attributed from the hydrophobic interaction in the solvent. Canned sardines and selected food samples was digested using acid (HNO₃-HCl mixture) and the amount of heavy metal contamination was measured using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). In a preliminary test, the gelator was subjected to a pre-determined concentration of selected heavy metals (Fe, Ni, Cd, Cr, Pb) and paraffin oil. The gelator removed paraffin oil almost completely in one treatment. This innovation aligns with Malaysia National Water Resources Policy, Rancangan Malaysia Kedua Belas (RMKe-12), SDG 6 (Clean Water) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption). The novelty lies in innovating oil gelation and heavy-metal adsorbent in one environmentally friendly material yet cost effective. Future work will cover the recyclability and biological activity of the gelator.  

Keywords: Biodegradable gelator, oil gelation, heavy-metal contamination, oil spill, sustainable remediation