Browsing by Author "Narayanan Kannan"

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    Ambient BTEX levels over urban, suburban and rural areas in Malaysia
    (Springer, 2019) Haris Hafizal Abd Hamid; Mohd Talib Latif; Mohd Shahrul Mohd Nadzir; Royston Uning; Md Firoz Khan; Narayanan Kannan
    Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers (BTEX) are volatile organic air pollutants of concern which arise from natural and anthropogenic sources. This study aims to determine and evaluate the BTEX levels in ambient air in selected areas of Malaysia, namely: Kuala Lumpur (KL-urban), Penang (PG-urban), Bangi (BG-suburban), Langkawi (LGK-suburban) and the Danum Valley (DV-rural). Active sampling with sorbent tubes was applied in this study and samples were analysed using thermal desorption (TD) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
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    Anthropogenic waste indicators (AWIs), particularly PAHs and LABs, in Malaysian sediments: Application of aquatic environment for identifying anthropogenic pollution
    (Elsevier, 2016) Najat Masood; Mohamad Pauzi Zakaria; Normala Halimoon; Ahmad Zaharin Aris; Sami M. Magam; Narayanan Kannan; Shuhaimi Mustafa; Masni Mohd Ali; Mehrzad Keshavarzifard; Vahab Vaezzadeh; Sadeq Abdullah Abdo Alkhadher; Najat Ahmed Al-Odaini
    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) were used as anthropogenic markers of organic chemical pollution of sediments in the Selangor River, Peninsular Malaysia. This study was conducted on sediment samples from the beginning of the estuary to the upstream river during dry and rainy seasons.
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    Composition and source identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mangrove sediments of Peninsular Malaysia: indication of anthropogenic input
    (Springer, 2013) Muhammad Raza; Mohamad Pauzi Zakaria; Nor Rasidah Hashim; Un Hyuk Yim; Narayanan Kannan; Sung Yong Ha
    This is a comprehensive study of the composition, origin and sources of specific polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments of mangrove estuary in the western part of Peninsular Malaysia. Mangrove sediments were analyzed for 17 PAHs by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
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    Observations of BTEX in the ambient air of Kuala Lumpur by passive sampling
    (Elsevier, 2020) Haris Hafizal Abd Hamid; Mohd Talib Latif; Royston Uning; Mohd Shahrul Mohd Nadzir; Md Firoz Khan; Goh Choo Ta; Narayanan Kannan
    Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) are well known hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) due to their human health risks and photochemical effects. The main objective of this study was to estimate BTEX levels and evaluate interspecies ratios and ozone formation potentials (OFP) in the ambient air of urban Kuala Lumpur (KL) based on a passive sampling method with a Tenax® GR adsorbent tube. Analysis of BTEX was performed using a thermal desorption (TD)-gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GCMS). OFP was calculated based on the Maximum Incremental Reactivity (MIR).
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    Solid waste transportation through ocean currents: Marine debris sightings and their waste quantification at Port Dickson beaches, Peninsular Malaysia
    (Thai Society of Higher Education Institutes on Environment, 2016) Chong Jing Yi; Narayanan Kannan
    Four beaches at Port Dickson, Peninsular Malaysia, namely Saujana Beach, Nelayan Beach, Bagan Pinang Beach and Cermin beach have been sampled for marine debris from 7th June 2014 until 26th July 2014, on every Saturday. These beaches face the Strait of Malacca with a coastline stretching 18 km each. Our observations revealed a total debris items of 13193 in those beaches. The top three items of highest frequency were cigarette butts, foamed fragments and food wrappers. Plastic debris scaled high upto 41% of the total debris. Compared to the ocean conservancy s 2013 report of marine debris in Malaysian beaches, which was 27,005 items with in 6.44 km, the current count is slightly low. However, Malaysia was ranked 14th place among the top 20 countries in International Marine Debris Watch program. Nelayan Beach is the dirtiest beach in Port Dickson. Around 50% of the total plastic items collected are found on those beaches. The marine debris items indicated that they arrived there by land-based and ocean-based activities. High energy conditions such as wind and waves in the beaches correlated well with less debris deposition on the beaches. With debris equivalent of 4193 items/km, Malaysia harvests less solid wastes compared to Croatia, USA, Singapore and Turkey. However, a nation wide survey is needed to assess the seriousness of marine debris problem in Malaysia.