The Research and Postgraduate Centre congratulates Sim Xue Yan, Asst. Prof. Dr. Tan Jian Ping, from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Prof. Dr. Yeap Swee Keong and Dr. Erik Hui Yew Woh from the China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences (CAMS) for publishing their research in Ultrasonics Sonochemistry. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry is SCI Q1 journal dedi cated to publishing quality research articles on chemical reactions and reactors induced by ultrasonic waves, with an impact factor of 8.7.

It is an project with Prof. He Ning (Xiamen University China), Malaysia Government-Linked Company Sime Darby Plantation Research (SDPR), Malaysia Palm Oil Board (MPOB), National University of Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Teknologi MARA.

With the title “Fermentable sugar recovery from durian peel by using ultrasound-assisted chemical pretreatment”, the manuscript highlighted that durian peel, an abundant waste in Malaysia, could be a potential substrate for fermentable sugar recovery for value-added biochemical production. Common pretreatment such as acid or alkaline pretreatment require extensive solid washing, which generates wastewater. Herein, this study aims to introduce sonication, on top of chemical pretreatment, to destruct lignin and reduce the chemical usage during the durian peel pretreatment process.

"I hope future research builds upon these findings can further explore the potential applications of combining ultrasound and chemical pretreatment, particularly in optimizing the recovery of fermentable sugars from various types of biomass, including durian peel waste” said Sim Xue Yan, the first author of the article.

This research is supported by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia through the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) (Project Number FRGS/1/2020/TK0/XMU/03/2), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Project Number TDF07211418), and Xiamen University Research Fund (Project Number XMUMRF/2022-C10/IENG/0047).

The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2024.106811

	Dr. Tan Jian Ping is an Assistant Professor and Industrial Training Coordinator for Chemical Engineering Programme at XMUM School of Energy and Chemical Engineering. He is among the founding members of Bio-Alliance, consortium led by National Institute of Biotechnology Malaysia, initiated by MOSTI to spearhead national bio-based technologies development in agriculture, animal feed and biotechnology. He has been among the committee member for Malaysia Academic Research on Palm Oil Sustainability (ARPOS) since 2022.
	Prof. Yeap Swee Keong graduated with his PhD from University Putra Malaysia and currently serves as the Assistant Dean for the China ASEAN College of Marine Sciences. Notable achievements include being listed as global top 2% of cited scientists, serving as an international expert member for an AHEAD grant funded by World Bank to the Sri Lanka Government agency as well as receiving multiple Malaysian government and private linked research grants.
	Dr. Hui Yew Woh obtained his PhD degree from Monash University and is currently a Senior Lab executive cum Research Fellow at XMUM Lab Center. He has collaborated extensively with private industries in the fields of microbiology and molecular biology. His achievements include being a co-recipient of FRGS and MOSTI grants, and a member of Golden Key International Honour Society.