Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) student Tai Jia Wei won the consolation prize at the 6th Tan Sri Haji Yusoff Ibrahim Final Year Project (FYP) Competition 2022, which took place at Malakoff Auditorium, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. She walked away with a certificate of achievement for her project titled “Removal of nickel (Ii) ions by floating aquatic plants”.

Organised by The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM) and The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), the competition aimed to encourage engineering undergraduates to produce excellent quality final year projects.

Talking about her project, Tai said, “My final year project was titled ‘Removal of nickel (ii) ions by floating aquatic plants’. The research was conducted to develop a novel removal of heavy metal technique through phytoremediation using floating aquatic plants by investigating the cultivation conditions, process parameters and the kinetic of the phytoremediation. In this research, several species of floating aquatic plants with high reproductive rates were compared in characterisation and performance in phytoremediation. Besides, the parameter studies on the effect of solution pH, initial heavy metal and addition of chelating agent on the phytoremediation efficiency were conducted. The results showed that the optimum cultivation conditions were at a solution pH of 7-8, 4 mg/L of nickel (II) ions and 0.1 mg/L of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as chelating agents to remove 65.14 %, 78.1 %, 93.52 % and 93.1 % of nickel (II) ions after seven days by Pistia stratiotes, Eichhornia crassipes, Salvinia natans and Salvinia auriculata, respectively. The phytoremediation of nickel (II) ions followed the pseudo-second kinetic model and the Freundlich isotherm model. In conclusion, phytoremediation by floating aquatic plants was applicable in removing nickel (II) ions from the water source.”

Speaking about her achievement, she said, “First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my FYP supervisor, Dr Pang Yean Ling, for providing guidance and support throughout the process. I feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment after winning the competition. It is a validation of the hard work, dedication, and countless hours I put into preparing for it. This achievement has further motivated me to continue striving for excellence in my chosen field. Winning the competition has not only boosted my confidence but also allowed me to grow personally and professionally. It has reinforced my belief in my abilities and has shown me that perseverance and commitment can lead to success.”