Specific activity (U/mg) FINAL YEAR TITLE……………………………………………………………………… STUDENT NAME SUPERVISOR NAME CONTACT DETAILS Email: STUDENT EMAIL@ SUPERVISOR EMAIL@ INTRODUCTION Industrial processing of latex concentrate discharges substantial volumes of liquid waste with high BOD and COD levels annually. The release of this effluent into the environment without proper treatment will negatively affect the ecological system which human health ultimately depends on. Therefore, the present study focuses on utilizing the rubber processing effluent for bioremediation as well as value-added production of enzymes such as protease in this particular case. Biomass-Product-Remediation Profile The highest biomass concentration was obtained after 36 h while the highest protease concentration recorded was at 12 h. The major part of this effluent is known as skim latex which comprised of 30% rubber particles while the remaining liquids are known as skim latex serum. The serum is a clear, slightly yellowish liquid with a distinct acidic odour caused by the acid used in coagulation process (mainly sulphuric acid or formic acid). According to Omorusi (2013), an average of 45 000 litres of effluent is discharged from every 20 – 30 million tonnes of rubber per rubber factory daily containing high BOD and COD, high concentration of organic matter, suspended solids and nitrogen, high gaseous and liquid effluent which could severely damage the environment if not properly discharged. Purification of Protease by Column Chromatography Method M = Marker IEC = Ion-Exchange Chromatography +ve = Commercial protease from A.oryzae Table of Purification Sample Volume Total enzyme (U) Total protein (mg) Specific activity (U/mg) Fold of purification Yield (%) Crude 200 13.148 749.219 0.018 1.000 100 Freeze Dried 40 7.811 940.351 0.008 0.473 59 Dialyzed 52 6.523 1199.234 0.005 0.310 50 Ion-Exchange 58.5 4.333 14.387 0.301 17.162 33 (SUBMERGED FERMENTATION OF A.ORYZAE IN SLS: 0 HOUR 24 HOURS 36 HOURS 48 HOURS Creating a zero-waste scenario and value-added product in industrial natural rubber processing. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT It is the first ever attempt to use non-pathogenic fungal strains for utilization of the liquid waste from the rubber industry for the production of bio-products (enzyme). The financial support provided by the Ministry of Education Malaysia (KPM) through Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Exploratory Research Grant Scheme (ERGS) and Research Acculturation Collaborative E (RACE) are acknowledged.