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UPV Theses and Dissertations

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Degree: search.filters.degree.Bachelor of Science in ChemistrySDG: search.filters.sdg.SDG 14 - Life below water

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    Moss (Brachythecium sp.) and a filamentous green algae (Oedogonium sp.) as bunker oil sorbents
    Bautista, Norwell Brian C. (Division of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2007-04)
    Oil spills are very catastrophic and very destructive events. One way of controlling the dispersion of oil from these spills is by the use of sorbents. The procurement of commercial sorbents can be very costly. Thus, this study analyzed and evaluated the efficiency and effectivity of moss (Brachythecium sp.) and a green filamentous algae Oedogonium sp. as substitutes for commercial sorbents. Brachythecium sp. can grow in any moisture—rich environment and Oedogonium sp. algae grow freely in fish ponds and in any body of stagnant, oxygen-poor water. Thus, both samples are very abundant in the environment. Sorption capacity results showed that the moss Brachythecium sp. and the algae Oedogonium sp. can sorb five times and seven times its weight, respectively. In comparison, Peat Sorb, a commercial sorbent, was recorded to sorb 15 times its weight (Emedco, 2007). The minimum sorption capacity of the moss and algae samples was recorded to be approximately equal to their weight. The adsorption isotherms of both samples follow the Langmuir plot for monolayer adsorption. In the hexane capillary rise experiment, hexane rose significantly in ground moss (72.25 mm in 7 min.) and unground moss (64.80 mm in 7 min.) compared with unground algae (23.52 mm in 7 min.) and (20.70 mm in 7 min.), indicating that moss is more hydrophobic. In water, capillary rise, on the other hand, unground algae is a better medium (5.76 mm in 4 min) compared to the rest (ground algae - 4 mm, unground moss - 5.29 mm, and ground moss — 4.11 mm, all in 4 min.). Results also revealed that the moss Brachythecium sp. and the algae Oedogonium sp. expressed hydrophobic characters in the hexane-water system by remaining in the hexane layer after agitation. The moisture content of the algae (14.85%) is twice that of moss (7.94%). This gives the moss an advantage in oil sorption. The lipid contents of algae (15.58%) and moss (11.47%) do not comprise the majority of their biomass, but the lipids aid in increasing the samples’ affinity for non-polar substances. The samples may not sorb as effectively as the commercial sorbents, but they are abundant in the environment, thus, a cheaper alternative. Like Peat Sorb, which was processed from the biomass of Sphagnum sp. moss, the samples may undergo the same process that increases the hydrophobicity several-fold and gives oil-biodegradation capabilities.
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    Bioaccumulation of cadmium, copper and lead by Hydrilla (Hydrilla vericillata)
    Baniago, Arjay C. (Division of Pysical Sciences and Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2007-04)
    Bioaccumulation of cadmium, copper, and lead by Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) were tested to 5 different initial concentrations. The water contaminant sample was composed of mixed cadmium, copper and lead metals supplied as nitrate salts. These were analyzed for the decrease in concentrations at 24-hour intervals for 5 days using the SpectrAA 55B Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. Plants exposed only for 5 days were digested and analyzed. The plant growth was normal at lower concentrations and showed higher removal efficiency. H. verticillata showed maximum removal percentage on the 5th day of exposure at 5 mg L-1 for cadmium (90.47%) and copper (95.20%) but for lead was on the 1st day (96.74%). The order of metal ion removal and the actual uptake for the three metals by H. verticillata is Pb>Cu>Cd, but at lower concentration, cadmium was absorbed more than copper. The copper and lead uptakes by H. verticillata are superior as compared to other aquatic plants uptakes. Lead uptake at higher concentrations might be due to physicochemical adsorption of the metal to the plant components and not on metabolism-mediated uptake, because plant condition does not have an adverse effect on the uptake
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    Mud crab (Scylla serrata) shells for the removal of humic acids from Santa Barbara well water
    Asdillo, Reina Jean A. (Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2010-04)
    The chemical contamination of drinking water from a wide range of contaminants such as humic acids can potentially lead to health-related in living organisms, especially humans. In rural areas of the Philippines, the use of low cost methods to remove water pollutants is, therefore, of great interest. In this study, osterized mud crab (Scylla serrata) shells or exoskeletons from cooked crab wastes were used to remove humic acids from the Santa Barbara well water. Adsorption experiments were done to evaluate its capacity to remove humic acids from the well water. Adsorption Isotherms and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy were employed to study the characteristics of the adsorption of humic acids onto the OSSE (osterized Scylla serrata exoskeletons). Adsorption experiments showed that at an average 1.0010 g of OSSE and after six hours of agitation, an average 74.95% of humic substances were removed from 50 mL of Montinola, Santa Barbara well water sample. Isotherm experiments showed that the experimental data can be fitted in both Langmuir and Freundlich models with low K values of 0.0235 L/mg and 0.4450 (mg/g)(L/mg), respectively. Based on the results of the above experiments, OSSE is a good adsorbent for humic acids in well waters (although more research need to be done on the removal of the substances remaining in the water after OSSE treatment) and the U-OSSE (used osterized Scylla serrata exoskeletons) can possibly be recycled.
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    Comparison of protein quality of three seaweed species (Sargasum polycystum, Sargassum oligocystum and Ulva pertusa) from Panay and Guimaras Island, Philippines for potential use in milkfish feed
    Arnaiz, Regina Marielle T. (Division of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2016-06)
    Aquafeed production is the largest expenditure in intensive aquaculture operations, contributing to about 40-60% of total costs (Yildrim et al., 2009; Akiyama et al., 1992 cited in Ali et al., 2009). This is mostly due to the ingredients being used, particularly the protein source fishmeal (Millamena, 2002). The variable and finite supple of fishmeal, however, result in high costs, prompting the search for cheaper alternative ingredients as a priority in cost reduction practices regarding the production of aquafeeds (Attala and Mikhail, 2008). Seaweeds have known nutritional values, and are naturally abundant in Philippine waters, thus their potential could be tapped to reduce costs in aquaculture and could therefore maintain the sustainability of the industry (Shields and Lupatsch, 2012; Trono, 1999). In this study, the protein quality of two brown seaweeds (Sargassum polycystum and Sargassum oligocystum) and one green seaweed (Ulva pertusa) was evaluated by determining their crude protein content, inhibitory activities against trypsin and chymotrypsin, and in vitro protein digestibility. Among the three species, the green seaweed U. pertusa has the highest crude protein content at 23.43%. The obtained crude protein content was 8.28% for S. polycystum and 9.22% for S. oligocystum. Trypsin inhibition of the seaweeds ranged from 54-57%, and chymotrypsin inhibition was from 57-64%. Total phenolic content (TPC) was highest in S. polycystum, and lowest in S. oligocystum. In vitro protein digestibility action of milkfish gut enzyme was highest in S. oligocystum (92.30 ± 2.80), followed by the observed digestibility in U. pertusa (75.01 ± 2.14), and lowest in S. polycystum (64.99 ± 8.11). Determination of Pearson's correlation (r) showed a negative correlation (r=-0.99, p=0.08) existing between the TPC and %RPD values. Based on the results, among the threes species, U. pertusa with 23.43% crude protein content and a %RPD of 75.01% has a potential for partial inclusion in aquafeeds to reduce costs.
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    Treatment of Vibrio harveyi-infected Penaeus monodon using Alibutbut (Tabernaemontana pandacaqui Poir.) plant powder
    Bacaling, Marivic T. (Division of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2005-04)
    The cytotoxicity test of crude methanolic leaf extract using Brine Shrimp Lethality Assay revealed that Alibutbut (Tabernaemontana pandacaqui Poir.) is safe to use in treating vibrio-infected penaeid shrimps. The effectiveness of the alibutbut powder against vibriosis was examined through the determination of the post-larvae 20 (PL 20) penaeid shrimp mortality and the water microbial assay after 48 hours. Percent penaied shrimp mortality (0-6.67%) and microbial count (2.91 x 10^4- 3.26 x 104 cfu/mL) of the plant treatments were significantly lower compared to the negative control (no treatment) that exhibited 50% penaeid shrimp mortality and a microbial count greater than 6.00 x 10^4 cfu/mL. The results of the experiment showed that Alibutbut plant powder is indeed effective in controlling Vibrio harveyi bacteria.
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    Determination of heavy metal (Cu, Cd, and Pb) concentration in musclemeat of fish from different areas in Batan Bay, Aklan
    Bagarinao, Cathrina F. (Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2014-04)
    Food safety is of utmost importance but it is usually compromised by the presence of pollutants in the environment such as heavy metals. This study was conducted to investigate heavy metals concentrations in fish musclemeat collected from different areas of Batan Bay, Aklan. A total of 22 fish species were analyzed for Cu, Cd and Pb using Flame Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy. Pb concentration in the musclemeat of fish ranged from 0.0292 ± 0.2070- 2.09 ±1.15 mg/kg wet weight and was found to be highest in Mugil cephalus (flathead grey mullet), while Cd concentration ranged from 0.0075 ± 0.0016-0.157 ± 0.209 mg/kg wet weight with highest value in Megalops cyprinoides (Indo-pacific tarpon), and Cu concentration ranged from 0.0605 ± 0.0667-2.76 ± 0.05 mg/kg wet weight, with highest concentration in Leiognathus equulus (common ponyfish). Among the metals, only Pb concentration in flathead grey mullet exceeded the maximum permissible concentration in food as indicated by the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius (1984). Assessment of Noncarcinogenic Hazard Quotient (NHQ) gave NHQ values less than 1, indicating that the risk of developing adverse effects due to fish intake is low.
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    Heavy metal concentrations in sediments from Batan Bay and its tributaries
    Andrada, Mary Royce D. (Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2014-04)
    The concentration of three heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu) in sediments from Batan Bay and its tributaries were determined in order to assess the degree of contamination of sediments in the said area. The samples were digested following the Method 3050B of US Environmental Protection Program (EPA, 1996). The heavy metal concentrations were determined using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (FAAS). Results show that the heavy metal concentrations ranged from n.d. - 2.57 mg/kg dry weight (dw) for Cd; 16.44-143.02 mg/kg dw for Cu; and 3.18-28.53 mg/kg dw for Pb. Sediment sample collected from BTN #10 has the highest Cd concentration while sediment sample collected from BTN 052 which is a rice field in Batan, Aklan registered the highest Pb and Cu concentrations. Three sediment quality guidelines (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Canadian Sediment Quality Guideline and Hong Kong Sediment Quality Guideline) were employed to assess the metal contamination in sediments. The concentrations of Cd and Pb in all sites did not exceed the maximum permissible limits set by the three guidelines. As for Cu, BTN 052 exceeded the Upper Chemical Exceedance Level set by Hong Kong SQG. Correlation analysis showed that there is a significant correlation (p <0.01) between Pb and Cu indicating possible similar source input. Special attention must be given to BTN 052 since the levels of the studied heavy metals are high in this area. The results can be used as basis for the pollution level of sediments from Batan Bay and its tributaries. Special consideration should be given to BTN 052 since all of the test metals are significantly high in this area. It is also suggested to in identify the primary sources of metal contamination in this area.
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    Geochemical association of Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb in the sediments of Iloilo River estuary
    Arban, John Paul B. (Division of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2005-04)
    The geochemical association of Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb in the sediments of Iloilo River Estuary has been studied using a modified Tessier’s sequential extraction procedure. The results obtained show that most of the metals studied are mostly associated in the residual and organic matter fractions of the sediment samples (Cr: 66.26% - 74.36% in the residual,15.43% - 24.08% in the Fe-Mn oxide fraction, 8.14% - 12.71% in organic matter fraction, and 0.000% - 2.996% in the exchangeable/carbonate fraction; Cu: 39.30% - 46.73% in the residual, 12.00% - 52.18% in the organic fraction, 3.227% - 11.41% in the Fe-Mn fraction, and 0.000% - 17.43% in the exchangeable/carbonate fractions; Ni: 42.75% - 57.02% in the organic matter fraction, 24.93% - 39.33% in the residual, 5.814% - 14.15% in the Fe-Mn fraction, and 5.504% - 13.12% exchangeable/carbonate fraction; and Pb in sample AAA-21: 48.02% in the residual, 38.55% in the organic matter fraction, and 7.33% in the Fe-Mn fraction, and 6.078% in the exchangeable/carbonate fraction). The analysis of the total metal concentrations of the sediment samples taken from Iloilo River are found to be above the reported concentration of uncontaminated sediment except for Pb in sediment sample AAA-21 (Chromium: 102.1 ug/g - 150.5 pg/g; Copper: 62.56 pg/g - 111.7 pg/g; Nickel: 53.40 pg/g - 75.44 pg/g; and Lead in sample AAA-21: 22.21 pg/g). The study shows that about 50% of the total metal concentration in the sediment samples are bioavailable to the aquatic organisms.