Research
Six areas. Put them together and you have most of a process plant.
- A-01Corrosion engineeringDr Najmiddin5 grants
- A-02Process safety and riskDr Azil · Prof. Zulkifli7 grants
- A-03Separation and membranesDr Nur Hashimah · Dr Fauziah22 grants
- A-04Waste to wealthDr Azil · Prof. Juferi · Prof. Shatir52 grants
- A-05Pollution controlProf. Zulkifli · Prof. Juferi · Dr Fauziah11 grants
- A-06Process design and optimisationProf. Shatir · Dr Azil8 grants
A-01
Corrosion engineering
Wet gas pipelines corrode from the top as well as the bottom, where water condenses on cold steel. Dr Najmiddin's team studies sweet and sour corrosion, tests inhibitors that travel with the vapour, and reads coupons pulled from live lines at Pengerang and from PTTEP flexible pipes.
- 1Top-of-line corrosion in sweet and sour wet gas
- 2Volatile corrosion inhibitors
- 3Coupon analysis and interpretation for refineries and petrochemical plants
Recently funded · 5 of 5 grants in this area
Insight into Dynamic Redox Transformation of Synergistic H2S/CO2 Corrosion Evolution of Carbon Steel in Mitigating the Risk using Hybrid Intelligent Algorithm Prediction Models
Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
Investigation on Corrosion Inhibition Mechanism Through Diffusion and Adsorption of Thiols in Co-Condensation of Water/N-Heptane in Top-Of-Line Corrosion (TLC) Environment.
Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
Corrosion Inhibition Mechanism of Thiols Against Formation of Iron (II) Sulphide (FES) Polymorph in Marginal Sour Top of Line Corrosion (TLC) Environment
Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
Investigation on Corrosion Inhibition Mechanism Through Diffusion and Adsorption of Thiols in Co-Condensation of Water/N-Heptane in Top-Of-Line Corrosion (TLC) Environment
Special Research Grant
Microstructure Studies Of Bio-water-based Coated Material For Metal Exposed In Various Corrosive Environment
Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
With UiTM's Industrial Corrosion Research Centre (InCORE). Read the case: reading the top of the pipe
A-02
Process safety and risk
If a site stores enough chlorine, LPG, ethylene oxide or methanol, Malaysian law requires a CIMAH safety report. Dr Azil and Prof. Zulkifli have written them for chemical plants, glove factories, semiconductor fabs, ports and PETRONAS fuel terminals since 2016.
| Substance named in the regulations | Report |
|---|---|
| chlorine | CIMAH |
| LPG | CIMAH |
| ethylene oxide | CIMAH |
| methanol | CIMAH |
- 1CIMAH safety reports
- 2Quantitative risk assessment and consequence modelling
- 3Hazardous area classification and facility siting
Recently funded · 6 of 7 grants in this area
Groundwater Quality and Potential Health Risk Assessment in Sarawak
Strategic Research Partnership
Conceptual Dynamic Reliability and Risk Assessment Framework in the Control of Major Accident Hazard using Bayesian Approach
Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
Dynamic Risk Assessment Method Coupled with Material Strength and Consequence Real Time Analysis in Process Safety Optimization
Special Research Grant
Quantitative Risk Reliability Study on the Design High Pressurized Strength Reactor (400 to 900 bar) for Green Methanol Synthesis from Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Hydrogenation process route
Ump-Iium-UITM Sustainable Research Collaboration
Prediction of Uncertainty Quantification in the Health Consequences Cause by Fire Explosion(pf) Phenomenon at Industrial Domino Accident Scenarios
Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
Evaluation of Glycerol as an Oxidant and Free Radicals Stabilizer in Supercritical Water Partial Oxidation of Hazardous Organic Compounds
Other Grants
Most CIMAH work is consultancy, not grants. See the industry projects or meet the major hazards team and try the risk demo.
A-03
Separation and membranes
Spinning polymer into fibres a fraction of a hair wide gives a membrane that can strip oil out of produced water. Dr Nur Hashimah works on those membranes and on light-driven catalysts. Dr Fauziah puts enzymes inside membrane reactors so the reaction and the separation happen in one step.
- 1Electrospun nanofibre membranes
- 2Photocatalytic water treatment
- 3Enzyme membrane reactors
Recently funded · 6 of 22 grants in this area
Development of SCOBY Membrane as Living Filtration for Sustainable Water Disinfection
Other Grants
Effective VOC Removal from Wastewater Effluent using ZSM-5 Pervaporation Membrane
Other Grants
Synergistic Effects of Band Gap Narrowing Through Ti3+ Self-Doping and Oxygen Vacancies in Black TiO2 as a Promising Homojunction Photocatalyst for Visible Light-Driven CO2 Reduction
Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
Suppression of the coffee-ring effect in membrane-protein dot blotting by adapting solute addition
Myra Research Grant
Roles of Ag, Pt, N, C and S as Dopants in Photocatalytic Enhancement of Prepared Titanium Dioxide using Solvothermal Method Under Photodegradation of Methylene Blue Dye
UITM Research Entity Collaboration Grant
Interfacial Interaction and Fouling Mechanisms of Solar-Driven Mxene-Based Membrane for Seawater Desalination
Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
A-04
Waste to wealth
Malaysia produces mountains of palm fibre, coconut shell and sewage sludge. We heat them, with or without air, into biochar, activated carbon, hydrochar, bio-oil and hydrogen. Then we test whether anyone would pay for the result.
Fig. A-04.1 · line art, not to scale
- 01 / 04
Feedstock
Palm empty fruit bunch, coconut shell, landscape waste, sewage sludge.
- 02 / 04
Heat, little or no air
Pyrolysis, carbonisation or hydrothermal treatment. The first trial ran in a steel oil drum.
- 03 / 04
Char
Biochar, hydrochar, activated carbon after steam activation; bio-oil and hydrogen as other products.
- 04 / 04
Use
Adsorbent for H2S and effluent, compost and slow-release fertiliser, solid fuel.
- 1Pyrolysis, carbonisation and hydrothermal treatment
- 2Biochar and activated carbon from biomass
- 3Catalytic conversion of coal, biomass and gas
Recently funded · 8 of 52 grants in this area
Preparation of Materials for Commercial-Scale Composting with Biochar
Other Grants
Adsorption of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) using Newly Improved Hybrid Carbon Gel Derived from Coconut Shell: Synthesis, Characterization and Optimization
Faculty Internal Fund
Composting with Biochar: Process Optimization for Commercialization
National Fund
Formulation and Characterization of Cosmecuetical Products Enhanced with Activated Carbon from Bamboo (dendrocalamus Asper) and its by Product (vinegar)
Other Grants
Combustion Characteristics of Hydrochar Derived from Hydrothermal Carbonization of Sewage Sludge
Other Grants
Hydrogen Sulphide Removal using a Blended Series of Biochar and Xerogel Originated from Coconut Shells
Faculty Internal Fund
A Blending Series of Coconut Shell Biochar (CSB) and Xerogel Based Coconut Shell (XCS) for H2S Removal in a Multilayered Sorption Bed
Other Grants
Synthesis and Characterizations of Oven-Dried Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB)-Based Xerogels for Absorption of Engine Oil
UITM Research Entity Collaboration Grant
A-05
Pollution control
Adsorbents that pull H2S out of biogas, SO2 out of flue gas and VOCs out of effluent. Wastewater and air-pollution design that keeps a plant inside its Department of Environment limits.
- 1Adsorbents and CO2 capture
- 2Wastewater treatment design
- 3Air pollution control and EIA
Recently funded · 6 of 11 grants in this area
Equilibrium and Kinetic Studies in Adsorption of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) using Coconut Shell Activated Carbon Xerogel (CSACX)
Other Grants
Development Of VCI And CCI Formulation For The Carbon Dioxide (Sweet) And Hydrogen Sulfide (Sour) Environments In The Oil And Gas Industry With The Objective Of Commercializing The Said Formulation
Micro Hub Industry
Pb(II) adsorption mechanism and capability from aqueous solution using Leucaena leucocephala bark modified by NaOH
Myra Research Grant
Heterogenous Fenton Chemistry: Mechanisms of Degradation Kinetics of Plastic Pollutants by the Interaction Between Iron Bearing Soil Minerals and Glutathione in Soil and Groundwater
Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
Mechanism of Heavy Metals Bioaugmentation in Contaminated Riverbank and Agriculture Soil
Faculty Internal Fund
Adsorption Mechanism and Kinetic Behaviour of Fe3o4-Magnetic Graphene (fe3o4-Mg) Nanocomposite
Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
A-06
Process design and optimisation
Flask → pilot → plant
Taking a process that works in a flask and proving it will work at scale, with the mass balance, P&ID and costs to back it. Prof. Shatir is doing exactly this for rare earth separation in 2026.
- 1Process design and simulation
- 2Lab-to-plant process validation
- 3Catalysis, energy and fuel systems
Recently funded · 6 of 8 grants in this area
Dynamic Human Vulnerability Accident Risk Modelling using Chemical Process Historical Database and Bayesian Tree Augmented Naïve Algorithm on Crude Oil Distillation
Myra Research Grant
Evaluation of Activation Energy of Ni supported MgAl2O4 and unsupported Ni catalyst and its correlation with active metal sites and catalytic activity of dry reforming of methane
Myra Research Grant
Flame Integral Model Based Geometrical Parameters on Buoyancy/Momentum-Controlled Jet Diffusion Flame
Special Research Grant
Role of Tungsten Carbide (WC) as a promoter on Ni/Al2MgO4 Catalyst for Dry Methane Reforming (DMR)
Ump-Iium-UITM Sustainable Research Collaboration
Mechanism of Thermo-Catalytic Decomposition of Biomethane and Formation of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes using Unsupported Mesoporous Nickel-Cobaltites Synthesis via a Facile Co-Precipitation Method
Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
Improvement of Oxygen Permeation using In-Situ Mixed Ionic Electron Conduction (miec) Oxides Catalyst for Surface Modification
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