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Solar energy is one of the purest types of energy and is regarded as a green energy source. Solar energy benefits include reduced carbon emissions, no need for fossil fuels, long-term solar resources and shorter payback period. Solar energy, like other forms of energy, has various safety, health and environmental (SHE) issues. The research scope is limited to solar panel manufacturing companies and solar panel industries. The first objective is to address the SHE impact of solar energy technology, particularly PV modules, on human activity sustainability. The second objective is to suggest possible ways to reduce the effect of potential hazards of widespread use of PV modules. The third objective is to conduct a survey in order to determine the most feasible recommendation for mitigating the impact of the possible risk of widespread use of PV modules. The first and second objectives is met through the synthesis of theories and concepts through the literature review. For the third objective, a questionnaire survey was performed among Malaysia solar panel manufacturing sectors and solar panel companies, with 60 responses. Conjoint analysis is used to analyse the data gathered for the third objective. According to the result, respondents are exposed to various kinds of chemical compounds during manufacturing and decommissioning process. 85% of the respondents strongly agrees that all of the suggested recommendation are required to be executed as soon as possible. This analysis identifies potential environmental burdens. There are both negative and positive socioeconomic consequences. This article also recommended to conduct an interview with individuals involved in the manufacture and disposal of PV modules to obtain more accurate research findings and understand the genuine condition of employees. For future improvement, conducting a thorough examination of each recommendation that can be implemented in the current scenario in order to obtain a specific solution that reflects the current situation and specifies future research on employees in the PV module manufacturing and disposal industries are also suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing concern to determine an alternative adsorbent for remediating landfill leachate effluent with minimal environmental impact and operational cost. In this work, four low cost sustainable biocomposite materials such as limestone, peat, activated carbon and zeolite were employed as an adsorbent media in an adsorption batch study for the removal of ammoniacal nitrogen from landfill leachate. Isotherm adsorption models of Langmuir and Freundlich were utilized to analyze the adsorption data. The Langmuir isotherm model showed the best fit for experimental data with a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 26.18 mg/g which is indicated that the ammoniacal nitrogen adsorption took placed on the surface of biocomposite with monolayer formation of the adsorbate at a specific homogeneous site. The adsorption isotherm follows Langmuir's model (R2=0.99) and Freundlich's model (R2=0.98). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, fiberglass is used as an insulation material, and this synthetic fiber is categorised as non-biodegradable and causes air pollution. This study compared the thermal and acoustical properties of Betong bamboo (Dendrocalamus Asper) and fiberglass. Conductivity (K-Value) and sound absorption coefficient (SAC) were measured for both materials. The SAC was calculated using an impedance tube at low and high frequencies in accordance with EN ISO 10534-2:2001, while thermal conductivity was measured using Solteq HE110 thermal conductivity apparatus. From data analysis, the k-values of bamboo and fibreglass were 0.05 and 0.04, respectively. The analysis also showed that the difference in k-value between natural and synthetic fibers was 0.01 at 25 mm thickness, while fiberglass was 4.986. For sound acoustic, bamboo fibre showed 0.54 and 0.86 SAC between 2000 Hz and 2500 Hz, while 0.47 and 0.71 SAC were recorded for fibreglass. It can be concluded that bamboo fibre could be used as thermal and sound insulation, with performance equal to or better than fibreglass. Further research can be extended to make bamboo fibers as natural insulation for ducting, or in building. This study recommends refining bamboo fibres using different binders to increase durability and be used as insulation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]