BEM Mar09-May09 - Board of Engineers Malaysia

LEMBAGA JURUTERA MALAYSIA 

BOARD OF ENGINEERS MALAYSIA 

KDN PP11720/01/2010(023647) ISSN 0128-4347 VOL.41 MAR - MAY 2009 RM10.00

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16 

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Volume 41 March - May 2009 

c o n t e n t s 

4 President’s Message 

Editor’s Note 

6 Announcements 

Cancellation Of Registration Of Registered Engineer And 

Removal From Register 

Publication Calendar 

Invitation To Serve In Investigating Committee 

Cover Feature 

8 Solid Waste Management: Towards Better 

Treatment And Disposal Facilities 

13 Aquaponics: The Future Of Agriculture 

17 Building Structures For The Future – The Green Way? 

Engineering & Law 

27 The JKR/PWD Forms (Rev. 2007): An Overview (Part 2) 

Feature 

34 Incorporating Electro-Magnetic Compatibility Design 

Into Mission Critical Facilities 

42 Riding The Economic Tsunami: Investing In Local 

Workforce And IBS Construction Technology 

46 Utilisation Of Rice Husk Waste And Its Ash (Part 1) 

Lighter Moments 

51 Sudoku : A Mental Callisthenics 

Engineering Nostalgia 

54 Bertam Valley New Village, Cameron Highlands

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS MALAYSIA 

(BEM) 2009/2010 

President 

YBhg. Dato’ Sri Prof. Ir. Dr Judin Abdul Karim 

Registrar 

Ir. Dr Mohd Johari Md. Arif 

Secretary 

Ir. Ruslan Abdul Aziz 

Members 

YBhg Tan Sri Prof. Ir. Dr Mohd Zulkifli bin Tan Sri Mohd Ghazali 

YBhg Dato’ Ir. Hj. Ahmad Husaini bin Sulaiman 

YBhg. Dato’ Ir. Abdul Rashid Maidin 

YBhg. Dato’ Ir. Dr Johari bin Basri 

YBhg. Datuk (Dr) Ir. Abdul Rahim Hj. Hashim 

YBhg. Brig. Jen. Dato’ Pahlawan Ir. Abdul Nasser bin Ahmad 

YBhg. Dato’ Ir. Prof. Dr Chuah Hean Teik 

YBhg. Datuk Ir. Anjin Hj Ajik 

YBhg. Datuk Ar. Dr Amer Hamzah Mohd Yunus 

Ir. Wong Siu Hieng 

Ir. Mohd Rousdin bin Hassan 

Ir. Prof. Dr Ruslan bin Hassan 

Ir. Tan Yean Chin 

Ir. Vincent Chen Kim Kieong 

Ir. Chong Pick Eng 

Jaafar bin Shahidan 

EDITORIAL BOARD 

Advisor 

YBhg. Dato’ Sri Prof. Ir. Dr Judin Abdul Karim 

Secretary 

Ir. Ruslan Abdul Aziz 

Chairman 

YBhg. Dato’ Ir. Abdul Rashid bin Maidin 

Editor 

Ir. Fong Tian Yong 

Members 

Prof. Sr. Ir. Dr Suhaimi bin Abdul Talib 

Ir. Ishak bin Abdul Rahman 

Ir. Prof. Dr K.S. Kannan 

Ir. Mustaza bin Salim 

Ir. Prem Kumar 

Ir. Rasid Osman 

Ir. Dr Zuhairi Abdul Hamid 

Ir. Ali Askar bin Sher Mohamad 

Executive Director 

Ir. Ashari Mohd Yakub 

Publication Officer 

Pn. Nik Kamaliah Nik Abdul Rahman 

Assistant Publication Officer 

Pn. Che Asiah Mohamad Ali 

Design and Production 

Inforeach Communications Sdn Bhd 

Printer 

Art Printing Works Sdn Bhd 

29 Jalan Riong, 59100 Kuala Lumpur 

The Ingenieur is published by the Board of Engineers Malaysia 

(Lembaga Jurutera Malaysia) and is distributed free of charge to 

registered Professional Engineers. 

The statements and opinions expressed in this 

publication are those of the writers. 

BEM invites all registered engineers to contribute articles or 

send their views and comments to 

the following address: 

Commnunication & IT Dept. 

Lembaga Jurutera Malaysia, 

Tingkat 17, Ibu Pejabat JKR, 

Jalan Sultan Salahuddin, 

50580 Kuala Lumpur. 

Tel: 03-2698 0590 Fax: 03-2692 5017 

E-mail: bem1@streamyx.com; publication@bem.org.my 

Website: http://www.bem.org.my 

4 THE INGENIEUR 

KDN PP11720/01/2010(023647) 

ISSN 0128-4347 

Vol. 41 March - May 2009 

Advertising 

Subscription Form is on page 33 

Advertisement Form is on page 37 

president’s message 

Industries thrive on innovation and cutting edge 

technology. The engineering input towards new 

technologies that satisfy clients’ needs which are 

closely related to state-of-art technology, is without 

doubt the most important aspect of the whole formula. 

However, such input has to keep up with the fast 

pace of innovation and discovery to stay competitive 

in this borderless world. 

As the world’s economic trend moves from 

agriculture, industry, ICT and then to the nanotechnology era, we 

expect to see more emerging technologies introduced to industrial and 

household products. Some of these are already at our doorsteps. If one 

has not been to Cameron Highlands for the last 10 years, one will be 

surprised to see the new trend of tomato cultivation in bags laid on top 

of concrete floors fed with tubes of nutrient water, called vertigation. 

Flower beds are lighted up at night to stop buds from blooming until 

ready for harvesting 

Malaysia, via its Science and Technology Policy for the 21 st Century, 

has set an objective of spending 1.5% of GDP to enhance national 

capacity in R&D and to achieve a competent work force of 60 RSEs 

(researchers, scientists and engineers) per 10,000 labour force by 2010. 

This should be a good platform for innovative engineers to tap into and 

move further up the value chain of industrial products. I hope more 

research groups will collaborate with locally trained engineers to move 

into emerging technologies as the potential is immensely beneficial to 

the nation. 

Dato’ Sri Prof Ir. Dr. Judin bin Abdul Karim 

President 

BOARD OF ENGINEERS MALAYSIA 

editor’s note 

The increasing pace of scientific and technological 

innovation has kept engineers on their toes to update 

themselves with the latest codes of practices, technologies 

and scientific breakthroughs. Engineering, as an applied 

science, has improved the quality of life for man through 

the introduction of new and improved products. Emerging 

engineering technology holds an important place for the 

nation and practising engineers to stay relevant in the manufacturing 

and construction industry. 

This issue of the publication looks at green ways of building structures 

for the future and some of the policies towards Industralised Building 

System (IBS) construction technology. Innovations in agriculture that 

integrate aquaculture and hydroponics offer wide economic potential 

for local industrial players and practising engineers to ponder about. 

Technology on incineration of solid waste is relatively new to Malaysia. 

The article dedicated to this technology should provide readers some 

insight into the wide range of technologies available to incinerate solid 

waste. 

Ir Fong Tian Yong 

Editor

announcement 

Registration Of Engineers Act 1967 

Cancellation Of Registration Of 

Registered Engineer And Removal 

From Register Pursuant To Section 15 

And Paragraph 16(c) 

IN ACCORDANCE with subsubparagraph 6(2)(a)(i)(B) 

and subparagraph 6(2)(a)(ii) of the Registration of 

Engineers Act 1967 [Act A138], the Registrar publishes 

the particulars of the registered Engineer as stated in 

Schedule whose registration has been cancelled and 

removed from the Register pursuant to paragraphs 

15(1)(g), 15(1A)(d) and 16(c) of the Act with effect 

from 1 August 2008. 

SCHEDULE 

No. Name, Address and 

Qualification 

1. Leong Pui Kun 

No. 52 Tengkat Tong Shin 

50200 Kuala Lumpur 

BE (Civil) 

Dated 12 November 2008 

[KKR.PUU.110-1/4/3/1 Jld.2; PN(PU 2 )47/X] 

Registration Number 

4112 

- SGD - 

Ir. Dr. Mohd Johari Bin Md Arif 

Registrar of the Board of Engineers Malaysia 

INVITATION TO SERVE IN 

INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE 

The Board of Engineers Malaysia would like to invite 

all Professional Engineers of not less than ten years 

standing as Professional Engineers to serve as members 

in Investigating Committee. 

The Committee’s prime duty is to investigate into 

complaints involving professionalism and breach of 

ethics of professional engineers. 

If you are interested in serving this Committee, kindly fill 

in the form below and return to the Secretariat. Training 

would be given to potential members. 

To: 

Chairman 

Professional Practice Committee 

Board of Engineers Malaysia 

17 th Floor JKR HQ Building 

Jln. Sultan Salahuddin, 

50580 Kuala Lumpur. 

Tel. No: 03-26912090 

Fax. No: 03-26925017 

e-mail: ppc@bem.org.my 

I am interested to serve as a member of 

Investigation Committee. 

Name: 

PE Registration: 

Discipline: 

Date Registration: 

Tel. No.: 

Fax. No.: 

E-mail: 

Office Address: 

Home Address: 

Specialization: 

Signature 

June 2009: 

PUBLIC AMENITIES 

Sept 2009: 

SAFETY & HEALTH 

Dec 2009: 

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 

✁

cover feature 

Solid Waste Management: 

Towards Better Treatment 

And Disposal Facilities 

By Nadzri Bin Yahaya (PhD) 

Director-General, Department of National Solid Waste Management, Ministry of Housing and Local Government 

Solid Waste Management 

(SWM) in Malaysia, as in 

most countries worldwide, 

has traditionally been a task for 

Local Authorities (LA). It falls 

under sanitation which is listed 

as an item under the concurrent 

list of the Federal Constitution. 

Items listed in the concurrent list 

indicate that both the State and 

the Federal Governments have 

jurisdiction over it. 

RDF Plant in Semenyih 


In this regard, The Local 

G o v e r n m e n t A c t ( A c t 1 7 1 ) 

empowers the LAs to establish, 

maintain and carry out sanitary 

services with regard to solid 

waste and public cleansing for 

areas within their jurisdiction. 

Another piece of legislation that 

empowered the LAs relating to 

the maintenance, repair and 

provision of ash pits, dustbin 

and like receptacles is the Street, 

Drainage and Building Act, 1974 

(Act 133). 

The Federal Government’s 

engagement in the sector is 

traditionally restricted to financing 

of facilities, equipment and 

collection vehicles, based on 

applications from local authorities, 

and establishing policies and 

awareness. In addition, the States 

play an important role as the 

authority on land and hence 

responsible for the allocation 

of land for landfills and other 

facilities. 

The management of solid 

waste by LAs has given rise to 

increasing criticism from the 

public, due to poor quality in 

some places. The quality of the 

service to a large degree depends 

on financial resources. LAs are 

also handicapped in handling the 

latest technologies for disposal 

and treatment of solid waste. Lack 

of human resources also hamper 

good quality enforcement. All 

these factors contributed to the 

deterioration in the quality of 

the environment, in particular, 

those surrounding the landfill 

sites. In its effort to ensure a coordinated, 

effective and efficient 

solid waste management, the 

Federal Government embarked on

a two-prong strategy; federalising 

the SWM through the enactment 

of the Solid Waste and Public 

Cleansing Management Act 2007 

and privatising the collection and 

transportation of the household 

solid waste to reduce financial 

pressure on LAs. The enactment 

of the Act saw the establishment 

of the Department of National 

Solid Waste Management and the 

Corporation on Solid Waste and 

Public Cleansing Management as 

dedicated agencies to manage 

solid waste in the country. 

Policy and National 

Strategic Plan on Waste 

Management 

The importance of technologies 

in the management of solid waste 

in the country was clearly defined 

by the 3 rd Outline Perspective Plan 

(2001-2010). The 3 rd OPP reported 

that the Government will install 

incinerators for safe and efficient 

disposal of solid waste. The 

National Policy on Solid Waste 

Management which was approved 

by Cabinet in 2006 as well as the 

National Strategic Plan on Solid 

Waste Management which was 

approved by Cabinet in 2005 put 

great emphasis on the importance 

of technologies to improve the 

quality of solid waste management. 

The National Strategic Plan laid 

down the provision of sustainable 

technologies as its fourth strategy 

to achieve the Plan’s objectives 

among which is to adopt an 

integrated management of solid 

wa s t e . Th e N a t i o n a l Po l i cy 

provides clear guidance on the 

criteria of technologies to be 

used. Its 5 th thrust emphasizes 

that only technologies which 

are environmental-friendly, cost 

effective and proven should be 

adopted for use in this country. 

Another criterion is that local 

Mini incinerator in Pulau Tioman 

t e ch n o l o g i e s w i l l b e g iven 

priority. 

To ensure that solid waste 

management technologies which 

are proposed for implementation 

in the county comply with the 

criteria laid down by the National 

Policy and National Strategic Plan, 

a National Committee to evaluate 

solid waste technologies was 

formed under the Chairmanship of 

the Secretary-General of Ministry 

of Housing and Local Government. 

Its members among others consist 

of professionals and academicians 

from various universities and 

research institutions that are well 

versed in solid waste management 

technologies. The Committee will 

analyse not only the technical 

and technological features of the 

proposed facilities, but also the 

economic and financial aspects. 

Cost which includes capital and 

operating expenditure remains a 

crucial criterion in any proposal 

to built solid waste management 

cover feature 

facilities in the country. Hence, 

the reason behind the termination 

of the Broga’s Incinerator as 

announced by the Deputy Prime 

Minister in 2007. He cited high 

cost as the main reason for the 

cancellation of the project. 

Provision on technologies 

in the Solid Waste and 

Public Cleansing Act 2007 

The Act besides laying down 

the various provisions on general 

management of solid waste has 

also recognized the importance 

of standards and specifications 

in the building of facilities to 

treat and dispose solid waste. 

Under Section 108 of the Act, 

the Minister may prescribe the 

standards and specifications for 

the design, construction, operation 

and maintenance of any prescribed 

solid waste management facilities. 

The Minister also may order any 

solid waste generator to reduce 

THE INGENIEUR 9

cover feature 

the generation of solid waste, to 

use environment-friendly materials 

as well as use specified amount 

of recycled materials. All the 

requirements as laid down by 

the Act can only be achieved if 

research and development activities 

are carried out in search of 

emerging environmentally sound 

technologies as well as new 

approaches in production processes. 

Best available technology (BAT) and 

‘Best available technology not at 

excessive cost’ (BATNEC) will be 

the main guiding principle in the 

search for emerging technologies 

under the new National Solid 

Waste Management Department. 

Strategies towards 

sustainable solid waste 

management 

As reported by the 9 th Malaysia 

Plan, 17,000 tonnes of solid waste 

were generated each day in 2002 

of which 45% is food waste, 24% 

plastics, 7% paper and 6% iron. The 

Plan forecasted that in 2020, we 

will generate about 30,000 tonnes 

per day if no new effort is put in 

place to address the ever increasing 

generation of solid waste. In this 

regard, the Department of National 

Solid Waste Management has put in 

place two strategies: prevention at 

source and providing facilities for 

solid waste management treatment 

and disposal. To address this 

menace, high priority is given to 

reducing, reusing and recycling 

(3R) solid waste. Whilst lifestyle 

can largely contribute to the 

reduction of household solid 

waste, manufacturing process and 

technologies play a key role in the 

reduction of other types of solid 

waste, in particular, industrial and 

commercial waste as well as in 

recycling activities. 

Facilities under the solid waste 

management concept include 


Composting process 

the various thermal treatment 

technologies such as incineration, 

p y r o l y s i s a n d g a s i f i c a t i o n 

technologies as well as material 

recovery facilities and mechanical 

and biological treatment, mechanical 

heat treatment; renewable energy 

and waste technologies. Sanitary 

landfill is still the most common 

disposal facility in the country. 

I n c i n e ra t i o n i s t h e m o s t 

established and matured thermal 

treatment technology whereas 

p y r o l y s i s a n d g a s i f i c a t i o n 

technologies are termed as the 

emerging, advance technologies in 

solid waste treatment and disposal. 

Incineration usually involves the 

combustion of mingled solid 

waste with the presence of air or 

sufficient oxygen. Typically, the 

temperature in the incinerator is 

more than 850ºC and the waste 

is converted into carbon dioxide 

and water. Dioxin is the main 

concern but is destroyed with 

high temperature. An incinerator 

will give rise to two types of 

ash; fly ash and bottom ash. Fly 

ash is categorised as scheduled 

waste and controlled under 

the Environmental Quality Act 

1974 and can only be disposed 

off at prescribed facilities as 

designated by the Department 

of Environment. The bottom ash 

consist of any non-combustible 

materials that contain a small 

amount of residual carbon. This 

can be used as materials in road 

making as well brick making. 

In contrast to incineration, 

pyrolysis is the thermal degradation 

of a substance in the absence of 

oxygen. This process requires an 

external heat source to maintain 

the temperature required. Typically, 

relatively low temperatures of 

between 300ºC and 850ºC are 

used during pyrolysis of materials 

such as solid waste. The products 

produced from pyrolysing materials 

are a solid residue and a synthetic 

gas (syngas). The solid residue

(sometimes described as char) is 

a combination of non-combustible 

materials and carbon. The syngas 

is a mixture of gases (combustible 

constituents include carbon 

monoxide, hydrogen, methane 

and a broad range of other VOCs). 

A proportion of these can be 

condensed to produce oils, waxes 

and tars. The syngas typically has 

a net calorific value (NCV) of 

between 10 and 20 MJ/Nm3. 

Gasification can be seen as 

between pyrolysis and incineration 

(combustion) in that it involves the 

partial oxidation of a substance. 

This means that oxygen is added 

but the amounts are not sufficient 

to allow the fuel to be completely 

oxidised and full combustion to 

occur. The temperatures employed 

are typically above 650°C. The 

process is largely exothermic but 

some heat may be required to 

initialise and sustain the gasification 

process. The main product is a 

syngas, which contains carbon 

monoxide, hydrogen and methane. 

Typically, the gas generated from 

Mini incinerator in Denmark 

gasification will have a net calorific 

value (NCV) of 4 - 10 MJ/Nm3. 

While we are engaged in 

thermal treatment technologies, we 

are concerned with the existing 

method of disposal; the landfills. 

At present, we have about 261 

landfills all over the country, 111 

of these are no longer in operation 

and only 10 of the 150 operating 

landfills are sanitary landfills. 

Thus, the Department’s strategies 

on landfill management are laid 

down as follows: 

(i) Decide location, types and size 

of landfills and coverage area 

of each landfill; 

(ii) Build regional landfills with 

centralised treatment plant; 

(iii) Safe closure of landfills in 

sensitive areas 

(iv) Safe closure of the nonsanitary 

landfills which are 

no longer operating; 

(v) Upgrade non-sanitary landfills 

that are still operating; and 

(vi) Build new sanitary landfills 

with Recycling Facilities 

A l t h o u g h t h e t e c h n i c a l 

specifications of sanitary landfill is 

not new, materials used for lining 

of landfill is now undergoing 

va r i o u s ch a n g e s , t h a n k s t o 

research and development to find 

better materials. Traditionally, 

lining material is made of High- 

Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE). But 

new technologies have emerged 

suggesting other materials as 

alternatives. These new materials 

are expected to better prevent 

the leakages of leachate into 

the surrounding environment 

thus preventing pollution, in 

particular, of underground water, 

rivers and soil. 

Waste to Energies 

Facilities 

Waste to energies facilities in 

solid waste management is quite 

new in Malaysia. Although this has 

caught on in the palm oil sector 

where waste from the industries 

are converted to energy, in solid 

waste management it has some 

hurdles to overcome before it can 

be made viable. The characteristics 

of waste which has high moisture 

content and its co-mingling nature 

make it difficult to harness its 

potential. Furthermore, incentives 

to encourage the private sector to 

venture into renewable energy are 

not very lucrative. In Europe, most 

solid waste treatment facilities are 

also power plants. They generate 

electricity and steam for central 

heating facilities. 

Conclusion 

cover feature 

S o l i d wa s t e m a n a g e m e n t 

in Malaysia is undergoing a 

paradigm shift from being a local 

authority concern to a Federal 

Government responsibility. A 

structured approach has been 

established with policy, strategic 

THE INGENIEUR 11

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Sanitary landfill in Malaysia 

plan and legislation in place as well as dedicated 

agencies. The policy will provide the general 

principles and guidance for management of solid 

waste. The law will provide the catalyst for the 

policy and strategic plan to be implemented in 

an integrated manner. However, the much needed 

push to ensure that solid waste being treated 

and disposed in an environment-friendly manner, 

cost effective and feasible depends on technology 

and technical know-how. Without expert and 

professional human resources, all the best policies 

and plans to ensure that solid waste management 

is carried out effectively and efficiently will not 

be successfully implemented. BEM 

REFERENCE 

cover feature 

1. Federalising Solid Waste Management In 

Peninsula Malaysia: Dr. Nadzri Bin Yahaya 1 and 

Ib Larsen 2 

1 Director General, Department of National 

Solid Waste Management, Ministry of 

Housing and Local Government, Level 2 & 

4, Block B North, Pusat Bandar Damansara, 

50644 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

2 Chief Technical Advisor, Danish International 

Development Assistance (DANIDA) Solid 

Waste Management Component (SWMC), 

Level 4, Block B North, Pusat Bandar 

Damansara 50644 Kuala Lumpur 

2. Advance Thermal Treatment of Municipal 

Solid Waste: Defra- Department for Environment, 

Food and Rural Affairs, UK

cover feature 

AQUAPONICS: 

The Future Of Agriculture 

By Lim Keng Tee 

INSAP 

Figure 1: Overview of Aquaponics System 

Arecent report from Farmer’s 

Organisation Authority 

(FOA) Malaysia stating that 

the maximum potential marine 

capture fisheries has probably 

been reached, triggered increased 

attention on aquaculture, which 

will soon account for half of 

fish consumed. Based on world 

population growth projection to 

2030, an extra 27 million tonnes of 

fish will be needed to maintain the 

current consumption rate of 16.7kg 

per person per year. 

Fish farming or aquaculture 

is a system where commercial 

fishes are reared in a contained 

system e.g. ponds or tanks. The 

water quality of the contained 

system will directly affect the 

growth rate as well as the feed 

conversion rate (weight of feed 

needed to convert a kilogramme 

of fish meat). Hence, aquaculture 

is said to be a highly polluting 

system due to the discharge of 

polluted water into the surrounding 

THE INGENIEUR 13

cover feature 

Figure 2: Aquaculture portion 

environment in order to improve 

water quality. However, over 

time many techniques have been 

invented to reduce the pollution, 

one of them is the AQUAPONIC 

system. 

Aquaponics is the combination 

of Aquaculture and Hydroponic 

systems whereby nutrient rich waste 

water from the Aquaculture system 


Figure 3: Filtering system of the Aquaponics System 

is directed into the Hydroponic 

system. Plants will absorb the 

nutrient from the waste water 

and improve or purify the water 

quality for the aquaculture system. 

This provides an eco-friendly as 

well as sustainable system for the 

agriculture sector. 

This fantastic integrated farming 

system was invented by Dr James 

The UVI Aquaponic System 

Tank dimensions 

Rearing tanks: Diameter: 10 ft, height: 4 ft, Water volume: 

2,060 gal each 

Clarifiers: Diameter: 6 ft, Height of cylinder: 4 ft, Depth of cone: 

3.6 ft, Slope: 45 o , Water volume: 1,000 gal 

Filter and degassing tanks: Length: 6 ft, Width: 2.5 ft, Depth: 

2 ft, Water volume: 185 gal 

Hydroponics tanks: Length: 100 ft, Width: 4 ft, Depth: 16 in, 

Water volume: 3,000 gal, Growing area: 2,304 ft 2 

Figure 4: Basic Layout of the Aquaponics System 

Rakocy from the University of Virgin 

Island (UVI). Over time this system 

has been improved from a test 

system to an improved commercial 

system. UVI continuously improves 

its system with the focus on 

effective model design, which 

improves and optimizes water 

turnover rates. Figure 1, 2 and 3 

show the actual site pictures of 

Sump: Diameter: 4 ft, Height: 3 ft, Water volume: 160 gal 

Base addition tank: Diameter: 2 ft, Height: 3 ft, Water 

volume: 50 gal 

Total system water volume: 29,375 gal 

Flow rate: 100 GPM 

Water pump: !s hp 

Blowers: 1 !s hp (fish) and 1 hp (plants) 

Total land area: Qi acre

the UVI Aquaponics System, while 

Figure 4 shows the basic layout 

of the UVI Aquaponics system. 

(Source: Rakocy et al, 2006) 

From the above figures, it can 

be seen that water is recirculating 

within the contained aquaponics 

system. Hence water wastage 

can be minimized, compared to 

the aquaculture system (frequent 

changing of fish water to ensure 

water quality) or plant cultivation 

on soil (roughly 10% of the water 

is absorbed by the plant, while 

90% of the water is wasted). Along 

with saving water, the fertilizer 

and pesticide needed for plants 

can be further reduced, which 

directly contributes to operational 

cost savings. Besides that, labour 

needed is also reduced, as several 

operations such as watering plants, 

spraying fertilizer or pesticides can 

be minimized accordingly. 

In order to prevent solid sludge 

from clotting the system, a filtration 

system is installed between the 

aquaculture portion and the 

hydroponic portion. UVI has even 

improved the effectiveness by 

modifying the clarifier. Sludge will 

slowly sink to the bottom, whereby 

the operator can easily suck out 

A 

Figure 6: Geotexile Technology used in extracting the solid sludge 

cover feature 

Figure 5: Cross-sectional view of modified UVI clarifier. (Source: Rakocy 

et al, 2006) 

the sludge without disturbing the 

system. Figure 5 shows the crosssection 

of a modified clarifier 

which is easy to clean. 

Besides that, the filtrating 

system also plays a crucial role 

to allow the growth of beneficial 

bacteria which converts ammonia 

(waste from the fish) to nitrate 

and nitrite that plants are able 

to utilize for growth, as well 

as control the fruiting period. 

B 

C 

D 

E 

Moreover, the solid sludge filtered 

out can be further processed to 

become bio-fertilizer. Figure 6 

shows the Geotexile Technology/ 

Geotube ® used to extract the 

solid sludge from the system. 

(Source: Danahar J, 2008) 

Land scarcity is a common 

issue for the agricultural sector, 

and cultivatable land is even more 

scarce. However this system does 

not require soil for cultivation. 

THE INGENIEUR 15

cover feature 

Figure 7: Multilayer cultivation of plants under the Aquaponic system. 

Hence, soil fertility is not an 

issue. Furthermore, plants can 

even be cultivated in multilayers 

to maximize the utilization of 

land as shown in Figure 7. The 

critical point of this system is to 

maintain the correct balance, so 

that one does not deviate from the 

optimized ratio. (Source: Ramos, 

2009) 

A n o t h e r b e a u t y i n t h i s 

aquaponics system is scaleability, 

whereby the unit system can be 

scaled up to commercial sizes 

by retaining the same ratios of 


each component. However, it is 

advisable to multiply the model 

units when scaling up as this 

allows flexibility in controlling the 

production rate, and gives constant 

supplies as well as standard 

produce. 

In a nutshell, the benefits of 

the Aquaponics system can be 

summarized below: 

(i) Operational cost will be 

reduced 

(a) Wa s t a g e o f wa t e r i s 

minimized. 

(b) Less pesticide as well as 

fertilizer is needed. 

(c) Less labour needed. 

(ii) Intensive production and 

maximizing space utilization. 

(iii) Scaleable and applicable to 

both ornamental and food fish/ 

plant. 

(iv) Environment-friendly system 

which produces healthy products. 

(v) No wastage of valuable byproducts 

(biomass and fertilizer). 

In view of the need for 

eco-friendly systems, scientist, 

agriculturalist as well as engineers 

should cooperate to invent and 

improve integrated agricultural 

systems. BEM 

REFERENCE 

Danaher, J. (2008). Evaluating 

Geotexile Technology To 

Enhance Sustainability Of 

Agricultural Production 

Systems In The U.S. Virgin 

Island. Aquaponic Journal, 

50, 18-20. 

James E. Rakocy, M. P. 

(2006). Recirculating 

Aquaculture Tank Production 

System: Aquaponics - 

Intergrating Fish and Plant 

Culture. Southern Region 

Aquaculture Centre, 454. 

Ramos, C. L. (2009). 

Aquaponic Development in 

Mexico. Aquaponic Journal, 

52, 32-35.

cover feature 

Building Structures For 

The Future – The Green Way? 

By Ir. Chen Thiam Leong 

The need and urgency of sustainable development for the built industry is beyond the deliberation 

stage (or at least we hope so). Energy Efficiency can be deemed to be the prelude to Sustainability, 

and locally we did not fare too tardily having developed our MS1525 in 2001. It is only unfortunate 

that the incorporation of MS1525 into our Uniform Building By-laws (UBBL) has been delayed 

since 2003. 

However, of more significant concern (and damage) is our local modus operandi where Energy 

Efficiency (and now Sustainability) issues are more than often regarded as the sole responsibility 

of M&E Engineers. The sad reality is that not many Architects in Malaysia are conversant or have 

taken the lead role in sustainable design. Hence, it is not at all surprising that most Structural 

(Civil) Engineers have hardly heard of or have participated in sustainable structural designs. 

This paper will serve to highlight the role Structural (Civil) Engineers can and should play to 

realize the Sustainable (Green) agenda and the need for a holistic design approach by all relevant 

players. An introduction to the proposed Malaysian Green Building Rating tool will be included. 

It is no more a matter of WHY 

we need to build green but 

rather HOW we can build 

green and it should be starting 

NOW. 

Unless we remain closeted 

(somehow), the effects of Global 

Warming (GW) cannot be unknown. 

GW has been attributed to the 

Ozone Hole; given gradual rise in 

the earth’s temperature; and leading 

to the Greenhouse Effect. The 

frightening statistic is temperatures 

in the far north have increased 5- 

7 0 C in the last 50 years, and as 

the temperatures get warmer, the 

sea level rises causing a difference 

in the amount of precipitation. 

This in turn causes extreme 

weather conditions to develop 

resulting in excessive storms with 

heavier rainfall. The ecosystem is 

then affected with difference in 

agricultural growth and harvest, 

leading to extinction of certain 

animal and plant species. 

The main Green House Gases 

(GHG) are CO 2 , methane and water 

vapour. While water vapour and 

methane are not present for very 

long in the earth’s atmosphere, CO 2 

can remain in the atmosphere for 

many years and when combined 

with the water vapour can escalate 

the rate at which GW takes place. 

Therein lies the need to stop GW 

by removing CO 2 present in the 

atmosphere or at least not add 

more to it. The Montreal Protocol 

and Kyoto Protocol are aimed at 

arresting or at least mitigating this 

man-made disaster. 

So what can we do about 

GW? Plenty! We can reduce 

consumption of energy to decrease 

GHG, starting with reducing use 

of electricity. It is amazing to 

know that about 11% of electricity 

is consumed by phantom loads 

alone. We are ready and have the 

capacity to use more efficient light 

bulbs. For instance, in US alone, 

if every household were to apply 

a compact florescent bulb instead 

of a glowing light bulb, we can 

realize a staggering reduction of 90 

billion pounds of CO 2 emission! 

THE INGENIEUR 17

cover feature 

In terms of Climate Change, 

apart from the great financial 

impact, the human impact is 

already being felt. Millions are 

starving throughout the globe, 

and with the World’s population 

increasing steadily, the situation 

will continue to deteriorate if 

temperature and climate changes 

are allowed to continue unimpeded. 

It will take years if not decades 

to put an end to the emission of 

GHG. This can only be achieved 

through a gradual transition to 

cleaner energy. In the meantime, 

mankind will have to live with 

the catastrophic effects that these 

temperature and climate changes 

are bringing upon us. 

Global GHG emissions have 

increased by 70% between 1970 

and 2004 and the largest growth 

of this emission has come from 

the energy supply sector. 

So where do we stand locally? 

Malaysia’s population grew at a 

rate of about 2.8% from 23 million 

in 2000 to 27 million today. 

Rising population and changes 

in life style have accelerated the 

demand for energy. The Malaysian 

energy sector is still heavily 

dependant on non-renewable 

fuels. These non-renewable fuels 

are finite, gradually depleting and 

contributing significantly to the 

emission of GHG. 

What is meant by building 

Green? 

A Green or Sustainable building 

is one which is designed: 

● To save energy and resources, 

recycle materials and minimise 

the emission of toxic substances 

throughout its life cycle, 

● To harmonise with local 

climate, traditions, culture and the 

surrounding environment, and 

● To be able to sustain and 

improve the quality of human life 


Pusat Tenaga Malaysia - Zero Energy Office (ZEO) building 

while maintaining the capacity of 

the ecosystem at local and global 

levels 

Building Green in the future 

is a necessity and not an option 

as the following statistics will 

attest; 

● Buildings consume 40% of our 

planet's materials and 30% of its 

energy 

● Their construction uses up 

to three million tonnes of raw 

materials a year and generates 

20% of the solid waste stream 

Therefore, if we want to survive 

our urban future, there is no option 

but to build in ways which improve 

the health of ecosystems. 

Understanding the concept 

of ecological sustainability and 

translating it into practice as 

sustainable development is a 

key challenge for today's built 

environment professionals 

To quote Peter Graham; 

The skill and vision of those 

w h o s h a p e o u r c i t i e s a n d 

homes is vital to achieving 

sustainable solutions to the many 

environmental, economic and 

social problems we face on a 

local, national and global scale 

How to build Green? 

The term ‘Green building’ 

is a loosely defined collection 

of land-use, building design, 

and construction strategies that 

reduce the environmental impact 

that buildings have on their 

surroundings. Traditional building 

practices often overlook the 

inter-relationships between a 

building, its components, its 

surroundings, and its occupants. 

Typical buildings consume more 

of our resources than necessary 

and generate large amounts of 

waste. Green buildings have 

many benefits, such as better use 

of building resources, significant 

operational savings, and increased 

workplace productivity. Building 

green sends the right message 

about a company or organisation 

- that it’s well run, responsible, 

and committed to the future.

Elements of a Green Building 

There is not any one single 

technique for designing and 

building a green building, but 

green buildings often: 

● Preserve natural vegetation 

● Contain non-toxic or recycledcontent 

building materials 

● Maintain good indoor airquality 

● U s e w a t e r a n d e n e r g y 

efficiently 

● Conserve natural resources 

● Feature natural lighting 

● Include recycling facilities 

throughout 

● Include access to public 

transportation 

● Feature flexible interiors; and 

● Recycle construction and 

demolition waste. 

Who are involved in Green 

Buildings? 

A truly green building can only 

materialize and thereafter sustain 

itself when all parties involved 

with its birth are involved. Notice 

the choice of word – birth and not 

construction. If involvement by all 

commence only at the construction 

stage, then the end result would 

definitely be a tainted green at 

most. 

Obviously the starting point is 

the particular piece of land on 

which the building will stand. 

Hence, it starts with the owner/ 

developer who will probably consult 

the advice of the relevant experts 

which includes the professional 

architect or engineer (as the case 

maybe). It is at this stage that 

issues such as developing on a 

protected green lung, brown field 

and green field are relevant and 

decisive on achieving a green 

building. 

After the initial hurdle (which 

i n c l u d e s t h e s o c i a l i m p a c t 

assessment) is successfully (and 

greenly) navigated, the design team 

will be next to play their full role. 

From there on, the need to strike 

a balance between ‘company’s 

green policy’, value engineering, 

life cycle cost et al will determine 

the success or otherwise of the 

project. 

Nowadays when we talk about 

green buildings, the project team 

(helmed by the owner) will have 

to determine which Green Building 

Rating system to adopt. There is no 

right or wrong tool but rather the 

most appropriate tool to choose 

from. 

A l l g r e e n r a t i n g t o o l s 

incorporate basically similar 

criteria of assessments (albeit with 

differing weightings) and these 

criteria require the entire team’s 

participation. For instance, the 

owner will have to agree to pay to 

save the environment and commit 

that the end users will procure 

energy efficient appliances. The 

cover feature 

designers will need to write into 

the contract conditions for the 

builder to undertake the protection 

of the environment (in terms 

of air and waste pollution) at 

commencement of construction. 

Vendors have to supply products 

that are environmental-friendly 

and so on. The simple chart 

below summarizes this integrated 

approach to achieving green. 

Local Design Consultants/ 

Professionals 

The notorious modus operandi 

of the local consultant team needs 

to be highlighted at this juncture. 

We have to admit that it is an 

exception rather than the rule 

to experience a fully integrated 

design team working together in 

Malaysia (for a green project). 

With the advent of green 

buildings, the design team leader 

(architect for majority of building 

THE INGENIEUR 19

cover feature 

Comparison of Selected Green Rating Tools 

Name 

Country 

Year 

Assessment Criteria 

types and civil engineer for 

industrial type buildings) must 

take the role to lead the whole 

team, failing which they can 

only blame themselves if they 

are subsequently made irrelevant 

in green matters by other allied 

professionals. A simple case in 

point would be architects not 

interested (or not conversant) in 

dictating the design development 

and calculations for Overall 

Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV) of 

building envelopes. 

Local Civil (and Structural) 

engineers are similarly notorious 

in not venturing beyond their 

self-defined field, with many 

not being aware of their role 

in green building designs in the 

fields of construction process, 

material selection, innovation and 

so forth. 

Local Mechanical & Electrical 

engineers are also not spared this 

criticism with more than a handful 

of them contented to merely churn 

out basic fundamental designs and 

not bothering to catch up with 

technological advances. 

It is Author’s fervent hope 

that such a critical comment 

will elicit reaction from the local 

professional fraternity to practice 


BREEAM 

UK 

Bldg Research Establishment 

Environmental Assessmt Method 

1990 

1. Management 

2. Health & Comfort 

3. Energy 

4. Transportation 

5. Water Consumption 

6. Materials 

7. Land Use 

8. Ecology 

9. Pollution 

LEED 

USA 

Leadership in Energy and 

Environmental Design 

1996 

1. Sustainable site 

2. Water Efficiency 

3. Energy & Atmosphere 

4. Materials & Resources 

5. Indoor Environmental 

Quality 

6. Innovation & Design / 

Construction Process 

an integrated design approach to 

achieve beyond green buildings. 

Green Building 

Rating Tools 

● Advent of Green Tools 

In 1990, the Building Research 

Establishment of UK came out 

with the first Green Building 

Rating Tool or Assessment Method 

called BREEAM. This was quickly 

followed by other countries, 

and in the past year or so, this 

awareness has finally come to 

Malaysia’s shore. The following 

table depicts a comparison of 

selected established assessment 

methods. 

● Proposed Malaysia Green 

Building Index 

It is inevitable that some 

p a s s i o n a t e a n d c o n c e r n e d 

individuals will eventually band 

together to initiate our own 

local Green Building Rating 

tool. Hence, after a few years of 

false starts, the Malaysian Green 

Building Council will soon be up 

and running and together with 

a parallel group from PAM and 

ACEM, the target of getting our 

tool ready should hopefully be 

GREEN STAR 

Australia 

2003 

1. Management 

2. Transport 

3. Ecology 

4. Emissions 

5. Water 

6. Energy 

7. Materials 


Quality 

9. Innovation 

GREEN MARK 

Singapore 

2005 

1. Energy Efficiency 


3. Environmental 

Protection 


Quality 

5. Other Green Features 

realized by the second quarter 

of 2009. 

As highlighted at the onset, 

meeting the assessment criteria 

for any green building rating tool 

will involve all members of the 

building team. For the Green 

Building Index, the structural 

engineer’s input likewise will 

cover all the six criteria, but 

probably with more emphasis on; 

Sustainable Site & Management; 

and Materials & Resources; 

Role of Structural Engineers 

in Building Green 

This section is extracted/reproduced 

from various website 

a r t i c l e s b y e m i n e n t g r e e n 

professionals/organisations (See 

Reference). 

● Structural Engineering Best 

‘Green’ Practice 

Structural engineering ‘best 

practices’ incorporates strategies 

that embrace the tenets of 

sustainable design. Sustainable 

design is not a novelty; it is a 

mainstream approach that reflects 

good design. 

The necessity and importance 

of design integration, in general,

Comparison of Malaysia Green Building Index with other selected Tools 

Name 

Country 

Year 

Assessment Criteria 

LEED 

USA 

1996 

1. Sustainable site 


3. Energy & Atmosphere 



Quality 

6. Innovation & Design / 

Construction Process 

LEED, 

USA 

is not a new idea. For decades, 

structural engineers have seen 

how close collaboration with other 

project team members has led to 

the creation of some very unique 

buildings. Unfortunately, design 

integration is often overlooked 

when teams collaborate on more 

typical structures. Structural 

engineers have traditionally been 

limited to providing input only 

after the core building concepts 

have been decided. However, 

structural engineers should not 

limit themselves to the perceived 

boundaries of their expertise. 

Sustainable design integration 

is a call to action for structural 

engineers to become more involved 

with the early conceptualization of 

a building project. 

Structural engineers need to be 

reminded of the significance of 

sustainable design with increased 

awareness of considerations 

GREEN STAR 

Australia 

2003 

1. Management 

2. Transport 

3. Ecology 

4. Emissions 

5. Water 

6. Energy 

7. Materials 


Quality 

9. Innovation 

Green Star, 

Australia 

GREEN MARK 

Singapore 

2005 



3. Environmental Protection 


Quality 

5. Other Green Features 

Green Mark, 

Singapore 

associated with it. The following 

issues are presented in cursory form 

as is appropriate to generate interest: 

materials, resource conservation in 

design and construction, structural 

systems and performance based 

engineering, and collaboration 

opportunities with other design 

professions. 

● Materials 

Structural materials provide 

the structural engineer with 

real opportunities to contribute 

to a project’s sustainability. 

Th e s t r u c t u ral e n g i n e e r, i n 

using the traditional criteria 

for material selection such as 

economy and appropriateness to 

project structural requirements, 

has already been an active 

participant in sustainable design. 

The structural engineer can 

further contribute to the overall 

sustainability of a project by 

cover feature 

GREEN BUILDING INDEX 

Malaysia 

2008 



Quality 

3. Sustainable Site & 

Management 



6. Innovation 

Green Building Index, 


considering and exploiting the 

efficiency, availability, recycled 

content, reuse, and impact a 

material has on the environment. 

Consideration of benefits and 

disadvantages of some of the 

major building materials such 

as concrete, masonry, steel, and 

timber, are briefly outlined. 

Concrete 

Concrete consists primarily 

of cement paste binder and 

aggregate. While concrete is an 

essential and structural material, 

cement production contributes 

approximately 1.5% of annual (US) 

carbon dioxide emissions, and as 

much as 7% of worldwide annual 

emissions. Cement production 

produces approximately one pound 

of CO 2 for each pound of cement. 

Reducing the amount of cement 

used in concrete will reduce 

carbon dioxide emissions. 

THE INGENIEUR 21

cover feature 

The amount of cement in 

concrete can be reduced by 

substituting fly ash or ground 

granulated blast furnace slag, 

or slag for short, for cement. 

Fly ash is a by-product of the 

combustion of coal in electric 

power generating plants, and slag 

is made from iron blast-furnace 

slag. Fly ash has less embodied 

energy than Portland cement. 

Typically, fly ash replaces cement 

at 15% to 25% by weight, and slag 

replaces cement at 15% to 40% 

by weight, with little effect on 

concrete mix design, placement, 

curing, and finishing. However, 

the following considerations are 

applicable: 

- Minimal cost impact 

- Improved workability 

- Less bleeding 

- Improved finishability 

- Improved pumpability 

- No change in plastic 

shrinkage 

- No change in abrasion 

resistance 

High Volume Fly Ash (HVFA) 

concrete mixes replace cement 

binder with fly ash at rates of 

50% to 55% by weight. These 

mixes have been developed 

in recent years and have the 

advantage of reducing cement 

requirements while producing 

concrete with low permeability 

and lower heat of hydration. 

Masonry 

The use of concrete masonry 

has many sustainable benefits 

throughout the life of the structure. 

It is often obtained from local 

suppliers, and its thermal mass can 

be used for night time heat purge. 

Unlike light framed construction, 

masonry remains cool long after 

the air-conditioning has shut 

off, reducing cooling loads. 

Masonry also offers improved 


indoor environmental quality by 

eliminating plaster or paint if an 

architectural finish is desired. The 

use of masonry construction also 

reduces the potential for mold 

growth because masonry does 

not provide a ready food source 

for mould. Additional benefits are 

gained by specifying lightweight 

or aerated concrete masonry 

units whenever feasible. These 

units decrease resource depletion, 

reduce transportation energy 

impact, and increase concrete 

unit masonry wall insulation 

values. 

Masonry construction also 

has benefits of recycled content 

including fly ash, slag cement, 

silica fume and recycled or 

salvaged aggregates, for all the 

same reasons cited for concrete 

[www.greenbuilder.com]. 

In addition to traditional 

concrete and clay masonry units, 

there are many alternative forms 

of masonry available today. Adobe 

is an especially environmentfriendly 

masonry product, using 

less than one-sixth the production 

e n e r g y o f c o n c r e t e b l o c k . 

Interlocking concrete masonry 

units for landscape retaining 

walls do not require mortar and 

are easy to disassemble and 

reuse or recycle. Use of salvaged 

marble reduces demand on nonrenewable 

virgin resources. Other 

salvaged materials such as brick 

and stone are readily available. 

Sound reflecting of the soffit Sound reflecting of the flat soffit 

Sound tansmiiting between 

work-cells 

Absorption control noise 

levels within work-cell 

TRADITIONAL CEILING SOFFIT 

Acoustic screen making privacy 

between work-cells 

Coffers preventing shallow reflection 

propagating over distance 

THERMOCAST COFFERED SOFFIT

Steel structure 

Steel 

Steel is the most recycled 

material used in modern building 

construction. In 2005 alone, 

almost 76 million tons of steel 

were recycled which corresponds 

to a recycling rate of 75.7% 

[www.recycle-steel.org]. Steel 

in all forms including cans, 

automobile parts and structural 

shapes is continually salvaged by 

various mills throughout the globe 

and can be made into new steel 

products of any form through 

one of two new technologies: 

the electric arc furnace (EAF) and 

the basic oxygen furnace (BOF). 

The primary method used in the 

production of structural shapes 

and bars is the EAF which uses 

95-100% [www.aisc.org] old steel 

to make new. With this process, 

producers of structural steel are 

able to achieve up to 97.5% 

recycled content for beams and 

plates, 65% [www.recycle-steel. 

org] for reinforcing bars and 

66% [www.aiacolorado.org] for 

steel deck. Total recycled content 

varies from mill to mill. Steel for 

products such as soup cans, pails, 

drums and automotive fenders is 

produced using the BOF process 

which uses 25-35% [www.aisc. 

org] old steel to make new. 

In addition to the recyclability 

and percent recycled content of 

the materials used in building 

construction, the deconstructability 

of a building can be considered 

when evaluating its sustainability. 

For instance, using all-bolted 

connections in the structural 

framing system is one method for 

facilitating ease of deconstruction. 

As another example, the use of 

butted steel deck under concrete 

fill as opposed to lapped and 

welded metal deck also aids in 

deconstruction. 

Wood 

Of the many material choices 

designers have at their disposal, 

timber at first glance may appear 

the least sustainable. Discussions 

Wood roof trust 

cover feature 

of timber harvesting conjure 

images of clear cutting and global 

de-forestation. However, timber 

holds the distinction of being the 

only conventional building material 

that is renewable. Additionally, it 

is biodegradable, non-toxic, energy 

efficient, recyclable, and reusable. 

With more than one quarter of 

the world’s consumption of wood 

used in building products such 

as lumber, plywood, veneer, and 

particleboard, a shift in the way 

structural engineers utilize timber 

could have far reaching ecological 

effects. The three primary areas the 

structural engineer can promote 

the sustainable use of wood 

are: efficient framing, alternative 

products, and sustainable material 

suppliers. Conventional wood 

framing practice can be reexamined 

so that it is more efficient 

and less wasteful. Rethinking the 

way we detail light framed wood 

construction can significantly 

reduce a project’s wood waste. 

● Resource Conservation 

Resource conservation can 

be considered in all stages of 

a project. These considerations 

include, but are not limited to 

material use, material source, 

construction process, and the 

end of a building’s useful life. 

Material, design and construction 

THE INGENIEUR 23

cover feature 

decisions have an enormous 

impact on the sustainability of 

buildings. The structural engineer 

has the opportunity to weigh 

these decisions with respect to 

the beauty, efficiency, function, 

constructability and budget of a 

building project. 

Design 

During the design phase of a 

project, the structural engineer 

can affect the sustainability of a 

project through 

(i) the choice of locally available 

resources, 

(ii) t h e r e c y c l a b i l i t y a n d 

reusability of materials and 

systems, 

(iii) the efficiency of structural 

systems, and 

(iv) informed choices about 

demolition and preservation. 

R e s o u r c e l o c a t i o n i s a 

determining factor in material 

choice. Local resources minimize 

the use of fossil fuels in truck 

transportation and potentially 

increase the efficiency of the 

building process. The structural 

engineer should be aware of 

locally available materials, and 

make effort to design using these 

materials. These materials would 

ideally be both harvested and 

manufactured in the local area. 

During construction, using local 

materials can result in shorter lead 

times, which can simplify logistics 

and speed up the construction 

process. Choices concerning 

labour resources should be made 

similarly, though in fact the 

structural engineer often has little 

influence in contractor selection. 

For many of the same reasons as 

with material selection, a project’s 

overall sustainability will benefit 

when contractors and labour pools 

are in close proximity to the 

project location. 


In order to fully consider 

sustainability in the building 

design process, options other 

than demolition at the end of a 

building’s useful life should be 

considered in design. Though an 

owner or architect would primarily 

make this decision, the engineer 

can facilitate this process by 

providing options for adaptability 

of the structure for other uses 

or reconstruction. The condition 

of the structure is often not the 

determining factor when a building 

is no longer useful. Adapting 

a building for other uses will 

conserve resources associated with 

demolition and reconstruction and 

also eliminate construction waste. 

Examples of adaptability include 

the conversion of warehouses 

to residential lofts and industrial 

buildings to recreational facilities. 

To ensure that a structure can last 

into future building uses, it must 

3-D design 

to be designed for durability in a 

seismic environment or any other 

natural hazards to which it may 

be subjected. 

The structural engineer’s choice 

of structural systems during the 

design phase also affects how 

a building can be adapted for 

future use. Buildings often change 

use over their lifetime, and 

therefore require reconfiguration 

of partition walls, openings, etc. 

For example, designing a building 

with exterior perimeter structure, 

such as a perimeter moment frame, 

and interior partitions allows 

the building to easily change 

configuration. Deliberate placement 

of structure can integrate with the 

mechanical systems, openings for 

light and natural ventilation, all 

which allow for an energy efficient 

building even with changes of 

occupants and uses over time. 

When adaptability is not an

Construction in progress 

option, deconstruction is the next 

best alternative to demolition. 

The goals of deconstruction are 

not only to design for ease of 

disassembling the structure but 

also for the members to be reused 

in other structures. Generally, the 

principles are similar to those for 

constructability of a structure. 

D e s i g n p ractices t h a t l e n d 

themselves to disassembly include 

the use of bolted connections in 

steel structures, pre-cast members 

in concrete construction, and 

prefabricated shear walls and metal 

fasteners in wood construction. 

Some of these principles may not 

be appropriate in high seismic 

areas, but may be appropriate to 

implement in low to moderate 

seismic environments. 

M o d i f y i n g a n d r e u s i n g 

members consumes less energy 

than recycling. Lastly, recycling 

is still an option if the building 

or member cannot be reused. 

Recycled steel only consumes 

one quarter the energy it takes 

to produce virgin steel. 

Construction 

Decisions that the structural 

engineer makes during the design 

phase affect resource conservation 

during the construction process 

and the end of a building’s 

useful life. In order to be better 

informed about the decisions 

a f f e c t i n g s u s t a i n a b i l i t y, t h e 

structural engineer and the 

entire design team can benefit 

from a contractor’s input and 

owner involvement during the 

design process. The contractor is 

often more informed of material 

availability and recyclability than 

the rest of the design team. The 

contractor can inform the design 

team of typical dimensions and 

size of materials that can affect 

design decisions. This may add 

an additional upfront cost, but 

over the duration of the project 

can provide a more streamlined 

process and end result, and 

therefore minimize cost. Another 

factor that affects the construction 

process is the use of prefabricated 

elements, and the efficiency is 

even greater if a single unit type 

can be used repetitively in a 

project. Because prefabrication is 

typically done offsite in a shop 

under controlled conditions, it 

is easier to obtain more precise 

elements and a therefore a more 

efficient use of materials. Cost 

and material efficiencies are often 

found through mass production. 

Also, by producing the elements 

in a shop’s controlled atmosphere, 

material waste can be better and 

more easily controlled. Conditions 

can be established to control 

dust, noise and air pollution, 

and therefore minimize it on the 

construction site. These factors 

likely decrease the overall cost 

as well. 

Structural Systems 

The structural engineer has the 

opportunity to evaluate structural 

systems for their suitability for 

cover feature 

the present and future use of 

a building. The engineer also 

has the unique opportunity to 

communicate the benefits of 

performance-based engineering 

in the selection of a structural 

system and its impact to the life 

cycle cost analysis of sustainable 

design investment. 

● Adaptability for Future Use 

It is not uncommon for existing 

buildings to be partly or completely 

demolished before the lifetime of 

the building is near its end. This 

is mainly the solution owners seek 

when their individual buildings 

no longer serve as a desirable 

space for occupancy, whether the 

owner desires flexibility in the 

tenant space, or the surrounding 

neighborhood redevelops to cater 

to a different set of customer 

altogether. In order to make 

the most of energy, labour, 

and materials used during new 

construction, it is beneficial to 

consider possible changes in use 

or occupancy that may occur 

over the lifetime of the building. 

Future possibilities for use should 

be discussed, established and 

accounted for in the initial layout 

and design process. 

To allow for changes in use, 

consideration of floor vibrations can 

be made to ensure serviceability 

for a wider variety of future 

uses. The design load for floor 

systems can be increased from 

the minimum code level, not 

only to damp out vibrations, but 

also to support potential increases 

in load. For partial overhauls 

of gravity or seismic systems, a 

higher floor-to-floor height can 

allow for either deeper beams or 

a more open tenant space. 

The structural system layout 

can be designed to accommodate 

u n k n o w n f u t u r e t e n a n t 

THE INGENIEUR 25

cover feature 

improvements that will almost 

certainly occur during the life of 

a building. Large open spans in 

an initial structural layout allow 

for more architectural options 

within that layout. The potential 

elimination of a column requires a 

redundant system, and if designing 

in steel, beams could be switched 

out for stronger ones if the 

connections are bolted. 

● Performance-based 

Engineering 

The investment of design 

effort and thoughtfulness in the 

implementation of sustainable 

systems of a building deserves 

a corresponding amount o f 

thoughtful design effort and 

owner investment in the structural 

system of the building. If the 

conscientious intent of sustainable 

d e s i g n i n c l u d e s c o n s e r v i n g 

operating costs and resources 

in the building, maintaining and 

prolonging the useful life of the 

building, then the design approach 

should extend beyond the building 

shell to the building contents as 

well. The building and its contents 

together comprise the sustainable 

design system. The consequences 

of the structural performance on 

the building contents and systems 

should be considered because the 

building performance can protect 

and prolong the benefits of the 

sustainable systems and of the 

other investments that the owner 

has committed to. 

● The Future 

Structural engineering is an 

integral part of sustainable design 

on a number of fronts: judicious 

and selective use of materials, 

resourceful use and application 

o f s t r u c t u r a l s y s t e m s , a n d 

provisions for future adaptability 


of the buildings that are designed 

today. Material selection can be 

optimized, recycled and reclaimed 

or salvaged materials can be used. 

The performance, reliability, and 

reparability of structural elements 

in the seismic force resisting 

system contribute to sustainable 

design. The viability of the 

structural system and building 

shell to accommodate future 

renovation becomes important. 

Structural design that considers 

the eventual deconstruction of a 

building increases the likelihood 

that the building components 

can be reused in another form. 

Collaboration with other design 

professionals is critical to the 

structural engineer’s successful 

role in a project - understanding 

lighting, stacking, thermal mass, 

cooling and heat gain strategies 

enables the structural engineer to 

anticipate and respond to these 

issues in the building structure. 

Structural engineers have 

the opportunity to become an 

instrument of change in the 

industry. By encouraging the 

responsible use of our natural 

resources, and considering total 

building performance over its 

life cycle, we can proactively 

collaborate and participate in 

the ‘best practices’ of structural 

engineering and sustainable 

design. 

Conclusion 

As the world’s population 

continues to grow and the need 

increases for more food, comforts 

and luxuries, we must learn to 

do more with less energy and 

materials. 

We must begin developing 

alternative and renewable energy 

sources that will be available 

when the known supplies of fossil 

fuels are gone. 

We must also learn to turn our 

garbage into a resource. Today’s 

designers have to develop a 

‘cradle to grave’ attitude in their 

designs. By thinking initially about 

the full lifecycle of a product and 

how it might ultimately be reused, 

designers and in particular, 

engineers can make great strides 

in helping to close the energy and 

environmental cycles. 

C l o s i n g t h e e n e r g y a n d 

environment cycles is certainly 

not an easy task. However, it is a 

necessary commitment if the human 

race wants to ensure our very own 

sustainable existence. We simply 

have no choice but to work towards 

this goal of (at least) stretching our 

resources. For the built environment, 

the building industry which has 

served mankind extremely well (in 

terms of comfort convenience and 

the like), now need to be at the 

forefront of this effort since we will 

not likely sacrifice all the comfort 

and luxury that we have grown 

accustomed to. BEM 

REFERENCES 

1. G. S. Kang and A. Kren, 

Structural engineering strategies 

towards sustainable design < 

www.ruthchek.com> 

2. D. Wood, The structural 

engineer and sustainable design 

 

3. P.K. Mehta, Fly ash, silica 

fume, slag & natural Pozzolans 

in concrete 

4. P o r t l a n d C e m e n t 

Association, (PCA), Design and 

Control of Concrete Mixtures, 

2005. 

5. M. Pulaski, C. Hewitt, M. 

Horman and B. Guy, Design for 

deconstruction,

engineering & law 

The JKR/PWD Forms (Rev. 2007): 

An Overview (Part 2) 

By Ir. Harbans Singh K.S. 

P.E., C. Eng., Advocate and Solicitor (Non-Practicing) 

This paper was presented on November 8, 2008 at a talk organised jointly by the Bar Council 

Malaysia, The Society of Construction Law (KL & Selangor) and The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators 

(Malaysia Branch). The first part of the paper was published in the December 2008 - February 2009 

issue of Ingenieur. The final part will appear in June - August 2009 issue of Ingenieur. 

2.20 Completion of Works: Clause 39.0 

The new clause is a welcome revamp of 

the previous Clause 39; retaining the old subclauses 

in essence but expanding upon these 

in the form of 4 new sub-clauses. 

Amongst the principal changes are: 

(a) It obligates the Contractor to initiate the 

practical completion process vide sub-clause 

39.2; and 

(b) Sub-clause 39.3 stipulates a defined 

procedure inclusive of definite time periods 

for the S.O. to take the necessary actions 

inclusive of reaching a considered decision 

a s t o e i t h e r i s s u e o r r e j e c t p r a c t i c a l 

completion; 

(c) It prescribes, pursuant to sub-clause 

3 9 . 4 , t h e f o l l o w - u p p r o c e d u r e s p u r s u a n t 

to the S.O.’s rejection of the Contractor’s 

application; 

(d) It stipulates vide sub-clause 39.5, the 

criteria for establishing whether practical 

completion had been achieved: and 

(e) I t p r e s u m a b l y g i v e s e f f e c t t o t h e 

judicial pronouncement in KC Chan Brothers 

Development Sdn. Bhd. V Tan Kon Seng & Ors 

[2001] 4 CLJ 659. 

2.21 Damages for Non-Completion: 

Clause 40.0 

The new provision is a reformulation and 

amplification of the previous Clause 40 bearing 

the same labels. 

It appears to incorporate the effect of Section 

56(3) of the Contracts Act 1950 and a line of 

legal authorities governing the procedural aspects 

pertaining to the topic of LAD; 

However, in the light of recent local legal 

pronouncements, in particular of Selvakumar v 

Thiagarajah, in its present form and content, the 

new provision may be readily and most likely, 

successfully challenged; and 

Nevertheless, it spells out a clear and definite 

procedure for the imposition and in the process 

outlaws the current practice of deducting such 

damages merely on a “provisional” basis pending 

the final deduction. 

THE INGENIEUR 27


2.22 Delay and Extension of Time: 

Clause 43.0 

This clause is essentially similar to the previous 

provision bearing the same number and label, except 

for the following principal differences: 

(a) Some of the previous events entitling the 

Contractor for extension of time (EOT) e.g.: 

(i) Sub-clause 43(d): Insurance contingencies, 

etc.; and 

(ii) Sub-clause 43(h): Strikes, riots, etc. 

have been omitted; 

(b) Two new delaying events have been included, 

these being: 

(i) Sub-clause 43.1(c): Suspension of Works 

under Clause 50; and 

(ii) Sub-clause 43.1(g): Work Progress being 

adversely affected by delay in payment by the 

Government. 

(c) Three new provisos have been added to the 

granting of EOT; these being: 

(i) Delays not to be caused by Nominated Sub- 

Contractors, Nominated Suppliers, etc.; 

(ii) Contractor to mitigate the effect of the delay; 

and 

(iii) There is no default/breach of contract by the 

Contractor. 

Most of the changes are procedural in nature 

and are meant to give effect to a number of 

judicial decisions, in particular, the High Court’s 

pronouncement in Gasing Height’s Sdn. Bhd. v 

Pilecon Building Construction Sdn. Bhd. (2001) 1 

MLJ 621. 

The new clause is still deficient, in that: 

(a) It places the onus on the Contractor to apply 

for, and justify all applications for EOT, be these 

caused by the Employer’s Acts of Prevention, or 

Neutral Events; 


(b) The prescribed EOT application procedure is 

a single step or unitary one combining notification 

with substantiation which is impractical and 

difficult to implement in practice; 

(c) It does not give any guidelines to the 

Contractor and the S.O. for the EOT application 

and assessment process; 

(d) It does not stipulate adequately and with 

clarity, the required contents of a typical EOT 

application; 

(e) It does not prescribe a definite period for 

the S.O. to make its assessment and decision; 

leaving it open-ended; 

(f) It does not deal with issues such as 

culpable delays, concurrent delays and delays 

of a continuing nature; and 

(g) I t d o e s n o t r e f l e c t c o n t e m p o r a r y 

international practice as prescribed, for example, 

in the SCL Delay and Disruption Protocol. 

2.23 Claims for Loss and Expense: 

Clause 44.0 

In essence, this clause expands upon the 

previous Clause 44.0: Loss and Expense Caused 

by Delays, by spelling out in the new subclauses 

44.2 & 44.3 additional procedures 

for the claim process and in the event of 

defaults. 

Despite these revisions, the said provision 

is still deficient in the following principal 

areas: 

(a) Nowhere is the term “direct loss and/or 

expense” defined and, neither are the claimable 

heads of entitlements suitably identified; 

(b) There are no express stipulations prescribed 

for the keeping of contemporary records by 

the Contractor; an item which is critical to 

substantiation of such claims;

(c) It falls rather short of the corresponding 

prescriptions contained in the SCL Delay and 

Disruption Protocol; and 

(d) Sub-clause 44.3 is vague in its effect as to 

whether the Contractor’s common law rights are 

extinguished, or otherwise. 

2.24 Access For Works, etc.: Clause 46.0 

This provision is a reformulation and expansion 

of the previous Clause 23.0: Access for S.O. to 

the Works, etc. 

It obligates the Contractor vide sub-Clause 

46.1(b) to step-down a similar provision in all 

its sub-contracts. Sub-Clause 46.1(c) spells out 

the procedure and consequences of the removal 

and replacement of any person(s) under sub-clause 

46.1(c) and (b) whereas sub-clause 46.2 covers 

the situation vis-à-vis access for other Contractors 

and Workmen. 

2.25 Sub-Contract or Assignment: 

Clause 47.0 

Clause 47.0 is a reformatting and revision of the 

previous Clause 27.0: Sub-letting and Assignment. 

The principal changes introduced are: 

(a) The previous sub-clause 27(c): Employment of 

Sub-Contractors from within the district where the 

Works are situated has been deleted; and 

(b) A new sub-clause 47.5 governing the Employer’s 

rights/remedies in the event of the Contractor’s 

breach in sub-contracting without the S.O.’s prior 

written consent has been introduced. It is unclear 

in its reading whether the said rights/remedies are 

in addition to, or as an alternative to the Employer’s 

rights under sub-clause 51.1. 

2.26 Defects after Completion: Clause 48.0 

Save for some cosmetic changes, the new Clause 

48.0 is essentially similar to the previous Clause 4.05 

bearing the same title. 

Principal deficiencies are: 


(a) Nowhere is the term “defect” defined; 

(b) There is no express guidance on the amount 

of time that should be prescribed by the S.O. in the 

written instruction for the Contractor to undertake 

the instructed rectification Works; 

(c) The stipulated remedies for the Contractor’s 

failure to rectify are not exhaustive e.g. can the 

defects liability period be extended unilaterally by 

the S.O.?, or can separate LAD be imposed on 

failure to rectify?, etc.; 

(d) There is no requirement for the Contractor to 

investigate the cause(s) of any reported defect; 

(e) Procedurally, the clause is inadequate in that 

there is no mention of the keeping of records, 

or maintaining a register of defects, signing-off 

of records/register upon completion of defect 

rectification, possible extension of equipment 

warranties/guarantees, etc.; 

(f) Procedures involved in the replacement of 

defective parts, rebuilding of defective work, removal of 

defective items for “off-site” rectification/replacement, 

etc. have not been expressly spelt out; and 

(g) Important post-defect rectification activities 

e.g. retesting, readjustment, updating of O&M 

manuals and ‘as-built’ drawings, etc. have not 

been stipulated at all but left merely for, perhaps, 

necessary implication. 

2.27 Suspension and Resumption of Works: 

Clause 50 

This is a wholly new provision governing the 

exercise by the S.O. of the power to suspend, either 

part or the whole of the Works. 

It prescribes the procedures and obligations of the 

Contractor and some of the consequential redress 

available to the Contractor should such suspension 

be initiated not due any default/neglect of the 

Contractor. 

THE INGENIEUR 29


Apparent deficiencies/omissions of this clause 

include, inter alia, the following: 

(a) It is very wide in its ambit. No grounds are 

prescribed and neither is the S.O. obliged to give 

a reason/reasons for invoking the said suspension 

clause; 

(b) No time period(s) and/or manner of the 

suspension is stipulated but is left solely to the 

discretion of the S.O.; and 

(c) It appears to be one-sided as it entitles only 

the Employer to suspend and completely glosses 

over/avoids practical situations where the Contractor 

may be compelled to exercise a similar move. 

Many reasons have been proferred for the inclusion 

of this new clause, in particular, the Employer’s attempt 

to comply with the ruling in Pernas Construction Sdn. 

Bhd. v Syarikat Pasabina Sdn. Bhd. (2004) 2 CLJ 

707 has been cited by the drafters. 

2.28 Events and Consequences of Default 

by the Contractor: Clause 51.0 

This Clause appears to be the repackaging and 

relabelling of sub-clauses 51(a), (b) and (c)(i) to (iv) 

of the previous Clause 51.0 entitled “Determination 

of the Contractor’s Employment”. 

The principal differences noted are: 

(a) The addition of two new performance defaults 

i.e. 

(i) Sub-clause 51.1(a)(i): failure to commence 

Work at Site within 2 weeks of the date of site 

possession; and 

(ii) Sub-clause 51.1(a)(viii): failure to comply with 

any terms and conditions of the contract 

(b) The reformatting of the financial defaults in 

sub-clause 51.1(a); 

(c) Alteration of the mode of notification of the 

default and termination; 


(d) Replacement of the label “Determination of the 

Contractor’s Employment” with “Termination of this 

Contract”; and 

(e) An expansion and amplification of the 

consequences of the termination. 

Although some of the revisions are positive and are 

therefore most welcome, the new clause is however 

“pock-marked” with a number of omissions/deficiencies 

which include, the following major ones: 

(a) The most commonly invoked performance default 

i.e. “regularly and diligently” is still not defined; 

(b) The inclusion of the new performance default 

entitled “fails to comply with any terms and conditions 

of this Contract” is, prima facie, very wide in its ambit 

and can be subject to possible abuse; 

(c) There is inconsistency in the terminology used 

e.g. termination of this Contract, termination of this 

Agreement, etc.; and 

(d) It fails to address pertinent issues pertaining 

to matters such as equipment warranties/ guarantees, 

retention of title, liens, etc. of sub-contractors/ 

suppliers, etc. which frequently are contentious items 

following the termination/determination. 

2.29 Termination on National Interest: 

Clause 52.0 

A wholly new and very controversial provision 

that will predictably generate much contention in the 

foreseeable future. 

It blankets the Employer with unilateral and 

unfettered power to terminate any contract by following 

a prescribed procedure on grounds such as “national 

interest”, “national policy” and “national security” 

though providing a compensation formula. The final 

arbiter as to whether a matter claimed falls within 

the purview of such a classification is the Employer 

whose decision is to be “final and conclusive and shall 

not be open to any challenge whatsoever” apparently 

inclusive of any judicial review.

Reliance has been placed on decisions such as 

PDC v Teoh Eng Huat & Ors (1992) 1 MLJ 749 

and B.A. Rao & Ors v Sapuran Kaur & Anor (1978) 

2 MLJ 148. Perhaps, instead of its current form, 

the said clause should have been simply formulated 

and labeled along the typical “Termination by 

Convenience” or “Termination Without Default” 

provisions found in other contemporary Forms of 

Conditions of Contract used locally. 

2.30 Termination on Corruption: 

Clause 53.0 

Another new provision which apparently has been 

drafted pursuant to the recent policy of transparency 

and accountability, or as a feeble attempt at good 

governance. 

It appears to be very wide and vague in its ambit; 

the decision in Chow Chee Sun v PP (1975) 1 LNS 

10 being cited as being part of its inspiration. How 

it is to be translated into practice and implementation 

is a moot point and left to be seen. Perhaps, it is 

a mere “window dressing” or even a mechanism for 

possible abuse or selective victimization depending 

on the professionalism and/or political will of the 

ultimate enforcers. But for the moment it is on paper 

and will have to be given due effect to. 

2.31 Effect of Force Majeure: Clause 57.0 

A new provision, expanding upon and replacing the 

previous Clause 52: Effect of War or Earthquake. 

Comprising a total of seven sub-clauses, it defines 

the term “Event of Force Majeure”, stipulates its 

effect and consequences on the parties’ performance 

of the Contract, etc. The inclusion of this new 

clause is a positive development as it brings the 

JKR Forms to be in tandem with other contemporary 

Forms of Conditions of Contract both locally and 

internationally. 

2.32 Site Agent and Assistants: Clause 58.0 

Clause 58 is the revision and relabelling of the 

previous Clause 19.0: Foreman and Assistants. 

The principal revisions include: 

(a) The anachronistic term “Foreman” has been 

replaced with the contemporary label “Site Agent”; 

(b) The previous word “competent” has been 

expanded to also include “…………. efficient, 

suitably qualified, experienced and good character”; 

and 

(c) The responsibility for the default in providing 

such personnel by the Contractor has been 

shifted to the Contractor instead of the previous 

alternative for the Government to provide a suitable 

replacement. 

Despite these seemingly cosmetic changes, 

this very important clause is still deficient in the 

following aspects: 

(a) It is not in tandem with contemporary 

practice which expressly, and in no uncertain terms, 

proscribes the Contractor from either commencing 

work, or proceeding with any work started should 

there be no suitable Site Agent on Site; 

(b) The usual remedy for the Contractor’s default 

in providing a Site Agent full time on Site i.e. the 

Employer’s right to order Suspension of Work at the 

Contractor’s cost with a commensurate deduction 

so long as the Site Agent is absent from Site, has 

not been expressly prescribed; and 

(c) The S.O. is nowhere given the express power 

and authority, as is the contemporary practice 

in other Forms, to decide on the suitability and 

competency of the Site Agent for the purposes of 

the Contract in question. 

2.32 Arbitration: Clause 65.0 

This Clause is a revision of the previous Clause 

54 bearing the same label. 

The principal changes include: 


(a) An increase in the number of sub-clauses from 

9 to 11; 

(b) Redefinition of the term “dispute or difference” 

in respect of the invocation of this Clause; 

(c) The Employer can also now make a reference 

to Arbitration; 

(d) Parties are also expressly permitted to make 

any counter-claims; and 

THE INGENIEUR 31


(e) The previous Arbitration Act 1952 (Rev. 

1972) has been replaced with the recently enacted 

Arbitration Act 2005. 

Despite the said revisions, the new provision is 

still deficient, in that: 

(a) It is very narrow in its ambit i.e. merely 

involving arbitration. It should have been formulated 

for a wider scope encompassing “Dispute Resolution” 

and should have been labeled as such; and 

(b) It does not include and reflect contemporary 

(both local and international) dispute resolution 

methods such as amicable settlement, mediation/ 

conciliation or adjudication, as a prelude or 

precondition to eventual resorting to Arbitration. 

2.33 Notice, etc.: Clause 66.0 

A redrafting of the previous Clause 6 spanning 

4 sub-clauses and covering all the important 

facets of issues such as notices/communications 

between the parties inclusive of the form, mode of 

communication and the effects of such matters. 

Interestingly and unfortunately it has side-stepped 

such contemporary modes of communication such 

as facsimile transmission, electronic mail, etc.; 

which modes form the essential component of 

prevailing practice in the industry. 

2.34 Amendment: Clause 67.0 

Another new provision encompassing the question 

of, and effect of any modification, amendment or 

waiver of any parts of the contract. It mandates 

the necessity of mutual consent and formalisation 

through a supplementary agreement of such matters. 

2.35 Stamp Duty: Clause 68.0 

This Clause is a reformulation and revision of 

the previous Clause 55.0 bearing the same label. 

The principal changes include: 

(a) In addition to the Stamp Duty under the 

Stamp Act 1949, other costs such as legal costs 

and fees in the preparation and execution of 

the contract and other incidental costs are now 

included expressly; 


(b) Instead of the Employer bearing the Stamp 

Duty as was the case previously, the obligation is 

now transferred to the Contractor; and 

(c) It purportedly reflects the decision in the 

case of Koperasi Setiaguna Kebangsaan Bhd. v 

Pemungut Duti Setem, Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala 

Lumpur (2003) 8 CLJ 223. 

2.36 Severability: Clause 70.0 

A new provision has been introduced as a 

“saving provision” in the event of any clause/ 

clauses of the Contract been held to be illegal or 

invalid. 

2.37 Waiver: Clause 71.0 

Another new inclusion governing the issue 

of both express and, especially, implied waiver 

consequent to the act or omission to act by either 

party to the contract. 

2.38 Laws Applicable: Clause 72.0 

A new Clause reinforcing the previously implied 

position on the application of Malaysian Laws and 

resort to Malaysian Courts by the parties to the 

Contract. 

2.39 Successors Bound: Clause 73.0 

Another new provision governing the liabilities 

of the various parties, in particular, the successorsin-title. 

2.40 Epidemics and Medical Attendance: 

Clause 74.0 

A new clause dealing with important facets of 

health and safety issues. 

2.41 Technology Transfer: Clause 75.0 

Another new inclusion applicable in situations 

where foreign professionals (presumably also 

specialist sub-contractors) are engaged for the 

Works and the necessity for them to transfer the 

particular expertise or technology within their remit 

to the locals.

2.42 General Duties and Performance 

Standard: Clause 76.0 

A wholly new provision, which perhaps is an 

afterthought but should have been part and parcel 

of Clause 10.0: Obligations of the Contractor. 

Encompassing a total of three sub-clauses, this 

clause mandates the Contractor to perform the 

Works under the Contract competently along good 

industry practice and with a primordial purpose of 

safeguarding the Employer’s interest. Essentially, it is 

a very nebulous and general provision whose actual 

effectiveness is left to be seen in practice. 

2.43 Restriction and Procedures on 

Use of Imported Materials and 

Goods: Clause 77.0 

Another new provision that was previously more 

often than not, included in the “Preliminaries” 

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section of the Contract Documents. As aptly labeled, 

it mandates the use of local goods/materials, the 

exceptions to this requirement and the attendant 

procedural requirement as to testing, approval, mode 

of importation, etc. 

2.44 Time: Clause 78.0 

A new clause stipulating that time whenever 

mentioned shall be of essence to the Agreement; 

which clause whose usefulness is dubious and whose 

legal ramifications is a moot point. 

2.45 Appendix to the Conditions of 

Contract 

In line with the revision, reformulation and 

redrafting of the previous Conditions of Contract, 

the Appendix has been accordingly updated and 

amended. 

BEM 

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feature 


Incorporating Electro-Magnetic 

Compatibility Design Into 

Mission Critical Facilities 

Case Example: Aljazeera English TV Studio & Broadcast Facility on 

Level 60, Tower 2, Petronas Twin Towers, Malaysia 

By Ir. Satha A. Maniam 

The mission critical facilities of today, contain large 

numbers of high speed computers and communication 

equipment which place significant demands on 

supporting infrastructure. 

An engineering facet that is often overlooked is that 

of Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC). With today’s 

mission critical facilities, the incorporation of EMC 

design is no longer a choice, rather, it’s a MUST. 

EMC covers a broad spectrum of electrical engineering 

and includes Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), 

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), Lightning & Surge 

Protection, Grounding & Bonding, Power Quality (PQ), 

and Electro-Static-Discharge (ESD). 

This paper is intended to provide a broad outline of 

some of these EMC considerations, and it discusses in 

depth the issues related to ‘Electrical Ground Noise’ 

management and ‘Clean Earths’. ‘Clean Earths’ are 

sometimes referred to as ‘technical earths’ or ‘system 

earths’ or ‘functional earths’. 

The paper will take an actual case example, that of 

Aljazeera English, a TV Studio & Broadcast facility built 

on Level 60 of Tower-2 of the Petronas Twin Towers 

(PTT), where the EMC measures were incorporated 

at the design stage. The term ‘equipment’ referred to 

in this paper, applies to that of the TV Studio and 

Broadcast equipment, and not that of the electrical 

infrastructure.

Electro-Magnetic Compatibility 

(EMC) is the ability of 

an equipment or system 

to function satisfactorily in its 

electromagnetic environment 

without introducing intolerable 

electromagnetic disturbances to 

anything in that environment. 

A product and its associated 

equipment often carry their 

individual ‘CE’ mark. It is 

essential that one realizes that 

the ‘CE’ mark is a statement of 

conformance by the manufacturer. 

The ‘CE’ mark does not carry the 

endorsement of any certifying 

body or authority that it actually 

is compliant. This mark is a self 

declaration by the manufacturer, 

where the manufacturer states 

that it has been designed and 

tested to meet the necessary EMC 

requirements in terms of immunity 

and emissions. 

Besides the product, it is 

essential that the system, and 

the installation too be compliant 

from an EMC stand-point. This 

would, besides the specific ‘CE’ 

equipment themselves, include 

the power supply distribution 

system, the grounding systems, the 

data and signal sub-systems, and 

even the topology of the cabling. 

Furthermore it is essential that 

the complete facility or system be 

electo-magnetic (EM) compliant 

in respect of the expected EM 

environment in which it is 

installed. For eg., the isokeraunic 

and corresponding lightning flash 

density levels in Malaysia are 

amongst the highest in the world, 

and due consideration should 

be given for this aspect of EM 

Interference. 

Equipment Ports 

A device or equipment may 

be affected by impinging EM 

disturbances through one or more 

‘entry’ paths called ports. These 

are the AC Power Port, DC Power 

Port, Control Port, Signal Port, Earth 

Port, and the Enclosure Port. 

EM Coupling Mechanisms 

EM Interference generally 

occurs through one or more 

of the following mechanisms: 

Conductive or Resistive coupling, 

Inductive coupling (near effect), 

Capacitive coupling (near effect), 

and Electromagnetic or Radiated 

coupling (far effect). The acronym 

RICE sums it up nicely! 

Typical Mission 

Critical Facility 

Quite often, an electrical designer’s 

perspective for a mission critical 

facility, would be in respect of 

redundancy in power supply ie. 

dual power intakes, dual standby 

gen-sets, dual UPS; a well Graded 

Protection System; ‘Star-Point 

Grounding’; ‘Clean Earths’; ‘1 Ohm 

Grounding’, etc. 

Interestingly how does one 

implement a ‘clean earth’ at Level 

60 of the PTT? 

Challenges Faced In 

This Project 

The two sources of electrical 

power had to be brought in from 

different floors, of which one 

source comprised a cable run of 

many floors. 

A facility such as this, would 

use a lot of single phase equipment, 

resulting in the generation of 

significant harmonics, including 

triplen harmonics. 

Triplen harmonics, a power 

quality issue, can cause excessive 

neutral current flow (up to 1.7 

times that of the phase current), 

which would in turn effect cable 

voltage drops over the long run, 

feature 

along with the associated elevated 

temperature. 

As a consequence of the 

increased voltage drop, the 

equipment would also experience 

a higher common mode (Neutral- 

Earth) voltage which could affect 

the correct operation of the 

equipment. 

A s t h e e q u i p m e n t 

communications are based on a 

mix of balanced and unbalanced 

signalling, it was imperative that 

resistive or conducted coupling, 

and inductive and capacitive (near 

field) coupling to the cables be 

reduced, especially so in the case 

of data or video feed cables using 

unbalanced signalling. 

Besides the harmonics generated 

by the equipment, the dimmers 

too (which were being used for 

controlling the lights of studios), 

were yet again, another source of 

harmonics. Harmonics as we all 

know can be a potential source 

of EMI. 

The next challenge was the 

‘clean’ or functional grounding 

system. A facility of this nature, 

would have significant electrical 

ground noise which could cause 

further EMI to equipment. 

Hence, when one looks at the 

design, from an EMC perspective, 

one can clearly see that there 

other challenges that need to be 

addressed. Some of the issues 

which were implemented in this 

project, are listed here. 

‘Electrical Ground Noise’ 

There are many sources of 

‘electrical ground noise’, eg: 

currents shunted to ground through 

the line-ground capacitances 

present in power supply modules 

and filters; currents shunted 

to ground through the stray 

capacitances between the insulated 

windings of a motor and the frame 

THE INGENIEUR 35

feature 

of the motor which is grounded; 

currents shunted to ground through 

stray capacitances between cables 

and the ground itself. 

The lower frequency spectrum 

of noise ranges from that of the 

power supply frequency of 50Hz, 

up through the range of expected 

harmonics. The higher frequency 

noise is generally due to the 

higher clocking and signaling 

rates present in today’s electronic 

equipment, especially the abrupt 

change from one signal logic level 

to the next. 

All these ‘noise’ must eventually 

return to the driving source of the 

energy. 

In the case of power related 

‘electrical ground noise currents’, 

or leakage currents, it must 

return to the source, ie. the star 

point of the upstream delta/wye 

transformer. If this star point 

were located some distance away, 

these ‘noise’ currents would flow 

‘all over’ the multitude of ground 

paths via the network of grounding 

conductors to return to the neutral 

star point. 

However, as the electrical 

ground noise currents proceed 

through these numerous paths, 

they create potential differences 

between the equipment at different 

portions of the grounding network. 

It is these resulting potential 

differences that cause problems 

for equipment, especially for those 

that use low level common mode 

signaling. Hence the concept of 

‘no-ground-loops’! 

Star Point Grounding 

The concept of star point 

grounding was introduced to avoid 

the issues and problems caused by 

common mode currents in ground 

loops. 

However it must be appreciated 

that star point grounding is more 


suited for low frequency analogue 

systems, and that too for small 

facilities such as rooms. 

With today’s facilities housing 

large numbers of high speed 

digital electronics, this concept 

is not suitable. For one, there 

is the issue of impedance of 

the grounding conductors. Next 

there is also the issue of parasitic 

capacitance between cables and 

the ground, and together with 

the self-inductance of cables, can 

result in resonance conditions. 

It should also be noted that 

implementing ‘ground-with-noloops’ 

is impractical in facilities 

with a multitude of interconnected 

equipment dispersed over a large 

area. 

Impedance Vs. Resistance 

Resistance and impedance: the 

former is independent of frequency, 

and the latter is dependent on 

frequency. 

From a fault current carrying 

viewpoint, and considering the 

TV studio 

relatively low power frequency, the 

typical ‘green’ electrical cables (ie. 

the circuit protective conductors or 

CPC) used are sufficient. Hence 

we normally associate these cables 

with resistance. 

However when we look at 

‘electrical noise’ management, the 

impedance offered by these CPC, 

especially at the higher frequencies, 

is too high. Furthermore with just 

one CPC, resonance conditions 

may result in this grounding 

conductor going into open circuit 

– resulting in an open circuit for 

the noise currents in that range of 

frequencies. 

This brings about the need for 

functional conductors (in addition 

to the green CPC). Normally these 

are in the form of short flat straps 

or copper tapes which offer lower 

impedance. Quite often these 

functional conductors are bonded 

to mesh earth systems and the 

Common Bonded Network (CBN) 

offering a multitude of parallel 

low impedance ground paths 

(seemingly in direct contradiction 

Source: www.lifepr.de

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feature 

to the long held concept of ‘noground-loops’ 

!!!). 

‘Clean Earth’ 

The term ‘clean earth’ needs to 

be clarified. 

For many, ‘clean earth’ is a 

network of grounding conductors 

different from that of the CPC, 

normally in star point configuration, 

and in some cases these grounding 

conductors use external ground 

rods that are not bonded into the 

common earth network. Even if 

they are bonded into the common 

earth network, the long runs of the 

earth cables (especially for those 

with higher currents) behave like 

antennae emitting radiated noise. 

First and foremost, in most 

situations, Common Earth Network 

is the way to go. 

Next, ‘clean earth’ is NOT a 

separate magic earth. 

A ‘clean earth’ is a network of 

grounding conductors of sufficiently 

low impedance such that even 

with noise currents flowing within 

the grounding conductors, the 

equipment connected at different 

portions of the grounding network 

do not see any potential difference 

between themselves. The grounding 

network should also minimize the 

risk of concentrated current flow 

which might result in radiated 

emissions from the grounding 

conductors themselves. 

Hence the direction, is towards 

multi-point grounding, rather than 

the star (single point) grounding. 

There are different ways 

of implementing a multi-point 

grounded system, and one of the 

more established ones is the Signal 

Reference Grid. 

Signal Reference Grids 

Signal Reference Grids (SRG) 

are a marvelous engineering 


answer to the issues described 

above. 

SRGs offer very low impedance 

(across a broad frequency spectrum) 

and hence result in very low 

potential difference. 

SRGs offer a multitude of 

alternate ground paths and hence 

allow for good low impedance 

connectivity even while one or 

more paths may be facing open 

circuit resonance conditions. 

SRGs also keep the current 

density very low resulting in 

minimal radiated noise from the 

grounding conductors. 

SRGs can also serve as a 

Parallel Earth Conductor (PEC) for 

cables laid on it, reducing the 

loop area of signal cables, and 

reducing the transfer impedance 

of cabling systems. 

In short, SRGs are an excellent 

solution for electrical noise 

management and ‘clean earths’. 

Does the SRG need an earth pit 

to make it ‘clean’. The answer in 

short, is ‘NO’. 

Does the SRG need to be 

bonded into building steel/earthing 

system? It really depends on the 

design purpose of the SRG. An 

SRG can serve many functions. 

As such, it is important that one 

understands the design purpose of 

the SRG, based upon which, the 

‘earth-grounding’ schema for the 

SRG could be defined. 

Isolation Transformers 

Isolation transformers are often 

used to establish a separately 

derived source (with a new 

neutral), for say, a computer room 

of a facility. 

The type of isolation transformer 

selected is often governed by the 

need for power quality. For eg. 

K-rated delta/wye transformers are 

used to handle harmonic currents 

and trapping of triplen harmonics; 

zig-zag configurations are used to 

offer lower impedance to harmonic 

currents. 

An isolation transformer with 

effective shielding between the 

input and output windings also 

offers reduction in the coupling of 

common-mode transients between 

t h e p r i m a r y a n d s e c o n d a r y 

windings. 

Common-mode noise, ie. 

Neutral-Earth voltage is an 

important criteria for IT equipment. 

Quite often the neutral of an 

isolation transformer is ‘hauled’ all 

the way back and bonded to the 

main transformer neutral or to an 

external pit in the ground. This 

defeats the purpose of introducing 

a separately derived source to 

minimize Neutral-Earth voltage. 

Furthermore it should also 

be appreciated that the isolation 

transformer serves as a ‘current 

collector’ or ‘sweeper’ to ‘pick-up’ 

any electrical ground noise from 

downstream equipment powered 

by this isolation transformer. By 

the noise returning directly to 

this isolation transformer, we 

minimize the impact of stray noise 

currents (from these downstream 

equipment) travelling in the 

grounding conductors of upstream 

grounding systems. 

For an isolation transformer to 

be effective in both these respects, 

ie. low common-mode voltage, and 

to also localize the travel of ‘noise 

currents’, it is essential that the 

Neutral-Ground of the transformer 

be grounded within the vicinity of 

the computer room. 

A Delta/Star isolation transformer 

also serves to ‘trap’ triplen 

harmonics generated by the loads 

from propagating upstream of the 

transformer. 

An isolation transformer selected 

properly, installed at the right 

location, and connected correctly, 

can result in improved power quality

management, improved isolation 

from upstream noise, reduced 

neutral-earth or common mode 

voltage/noise, reduced commonmode 

transients, localization of 

downstream electrical ‘ground 

noise’, and removal of triplen 

harmonic currents. 

Isolation Transformers + 

SRG + CBN 

Isolation transformers are best 

used with SRGs, where the Neutral- 

Ground of the isolation transformer 

is bonded to the SRG within the 

vicinity of the computer room. 

For safety (as in the case of 

a fault within the transformer) 

t h e N e u t ral-Ground o f t h e 

isolation transformer should also 

be connected via a CPC to the 

upstream Main-Earthing-Terminal, 

or the building Common Bonded 

Network (CBN). 

Cable Layout Or Topology 

Cable layout or topology is 

another very important element 

that is often overlooked. 

To minimize the near and far 

effects of electromagnetic coupling, 

the phase, neutral and CPC should 

be bundled together. 

In the case of a single phase 

supply this will involve the 

live, neutral, and CPC. In the 

case of a three phase system, it 

would include all the three phase 

conductors, the neutral conductor 

(if present), and the CPC. 

To f u r t h e r r e d u c e t h e 

susceptibility of cables to the EMI 

as mentioned above, the cables 

should be laid as close as possible 

to the Parallel Earth Conductor 

(PEC). The PEC will reduce the 

transfer impedance of the cables, 

as well as reduce the loop area 

of cable systems. The PEC could 

be implemented in the form of a 

continuous cable tray grounded 

at both ends, or in the case of a 

SRG, the SRG itself. 

The above applies to power 

cables. In the case of signaling 

cables, similar principles apply. 

Segregation Of Classes 

Of Cables 

It is essential that the different 

categories or classes of cables be 

adequately segregated such that 

they do not affect each other 

unduly. 

For eg. low level I/O cables 

should never be mixed together 

with power cables. Another 

example is in the case of very 

noisy cables such as those feeding 

the power of Variable Frequency 

Drives – these cables should be 

kept well away from less ‘noisy’ 

cables. 

In cases of cables with filters, 

the unfiltered portion of the cable 

and the downstream filtered 

portion of the cable should not be 

bundled together nor run adjacent 

to each other. 

Bonding 

Bonds between painted or epoxy 

surfaces should not be accepted. 

It is essential that all bonds 

and joints provide electrically 

conductive low impedance paths 

across the bond. 

Quality Of Racks & Typical 

Grounding Techniques 

If you take a rack from the 70’s 

or 80’s, you will observe the build 

quality in respect of the intent of 

grounding. Today’s equipment racks 

fall far short in this respect. 

It is essential that racks serve 

as a PEC, and that there is proper 

continuity between the elements 

of a rack. The epoxy-based racks 

feature 

of today do not provide proper 

leakage paths for the leakage 

currents of equipment mounted 

on the racks. Racks with metallic 

conductive surfaces, such as 

galvanized or chromed surfaces, 

are more suited for this. 

Bonding of equipment within 

a rack by looping is a very 

poor approach to grounding and 

should be avoided. Ideally the 

equipment should be bonded to 

the rack by direct mating of the 

metallic conductive surface of the 

equipment against the metallic 

conductive surface of the rack. 

This constitutes a low impedance 

bond. 

Bonding of racks to racks (ie. 

looping) before returning to the 

main grounding point within the 

room is another poor approach 

which should never be used. 

This causes potential differences 

between interconnected equipment 

on different racks of the same row, 

as well as potential differences 

between interconnected equipment 

mounted on different rows. 

Grounding Of Racks Via 

The SRG 

The CPC which are terminated 

on rack equipment, should be 

bonded to the rack as well. The 

equipment should have good 

electrically conductive bonding to 

the rack in which it is mounted. 

It is also essential that a low 

impedance functional grounding 

network be provided to bond the 

racks to the separately derived 

source. This purpose of the 

functional grounding network is 

to handle the ‘noise’ currents that 

may not flow through the CPC (as 

for example when the CPC offers 

high impedance). This is best 

done by implementing an SRG, 

and bonding the rack to the SRG 

through short wide flat bonding 

THE INGENIEUR 39

Source: www3.ntu.edu.sg 

feature 

Lightning surge protector 

straps. It is recommended that at 

least two such straps be used (of 

different lengths) for each rack. 

Cable Shielding 

Shielding of cables is very 

dependent on the quality of 

the shield used, the manner of 

termination (for eg. pig-tails is not 

good), and the grounding of one 

or both ends. 

The choice of one or both 

ends should be done carefully as 

there is the risk of current flow 

through shields if both ends are 

grounded. 

Ideally both ends should 

be grounded at the respective 

grounded enclosures for maximum 

effectiveness, with the cable laid 

on a grounded PEC along its 

length. 

In the case where an SRG 

is implemented, the preferred 

approach is laying the cable 

on the SRG (SRG as PEC), and 

bonding both ends of the cable 

shield to the respective equipment, 

which are in turn grounded to 

the SRG. The SRG in this case 

offers a multitude of very low 


impedance paths to noise currents 

which might otherwise flow on 

the cable shield. 

It should also be noted that 

shielding of cables is harder to 

achieve at low frequencies (as 

compared to higher frequencies), 

and the cheaper and more effective 

alternative in this case is by 

utilising spatial segregation. 

Enclosure Shielding 

This is used to protect an 

equipment from the effects of 

external EMI. Shielding works on 

the principle of absorption and 

reflection of energy. Enclosure 

shields are normally used together 

with filters and waveguides 

as cables enter and leave the 

enclosure, as well as for ventilation 

purposes. 

Lightning & Surge Protection 

This is another large facet 

of engineering that needs to be 

integrated into the overall design 

of a facility. 

This is a major element that 

causes lots of problems in Malaysia 

as we have very high lightning 

activity. It can manifest itself in 

terms of equipment mal-operation, 

equipment failure, as well as 

nuisance tripping. 

The mitigation of this EMI is 

yet again another element that 

appears to be like a ‘Black Art’ 

when really it is not! 

It must also be stressed that 

the Common Earth Network should 

include that of the lightning 

protection system. 

Power Quality 

Poor quality too, is another 

critical aspect of engineering, 

which should be incorporated at 

the design stage of mission critical 

facilities. 

Th i s w o u l d i n c l u d e t h e 

topological approach to cabling; 

segregation of feeders for sensitive 

and heavy loads; choice/type/ 

location of isolation transformers; 

effective use of the separately 

derived source including that of the 

UPS; utilization of Surge Protective 

Devices to limit Switching Surges 

and Transients; active and passive 

filters to name a few. 

Tripping Issues 

Tripping normally occurs as 

result of an actual fault condition, 

or a voltage dip. 

However, another problem that 

tends to occur is the inadvertent 

tripping of one or more protective 

devices be it RCCBs, or ELRs, or 

MCBs, or even cascading trips of 

MCCBs. 

These occur for a variety of 

reasons: poor discrimination; 

s t a n d i n g l e a k a g e c u r r e n t s ; 

cascading MCCB trips during an 

earth-fault (with 3-pole MCCBs for 

3-phase, and 1-pole MCBs for 1phase 

systems); tripping of MCCBs 

with Neutral pole due to excessive

Source: www.made-in-china.com 

Moulded case circuit breaker 

harmonic neutral current; tripping 

of multiple MCBs on recovery of 

DB bus voltage on clearing of a 

fault, etc. 

A mission critical facility is 

dependent on the continuous 

availability of power, and because 

of this, there is so much redundancy 

built-into the system, to make it 

extremely resilient. 

Yet, simple and common issues 

cause inadvertent tripping. Many 

of these issues may be addressed 

at the design stage. 

The protection system employed 

or implemented needs to be 

immune to the common issues 

that cause these unnecessary 

trips. 

Electro-Static Discharge 

Electro-static Discharge (ESD) 

is another element that ought to 

be considered and implemented 

at the design stage. 

This will involve humidity 

control, types of flooring especially 

the conductivity of carpets and 

tiles, grounding of raised floors, 

and provision of grounding points 

at equipment areas, amongst 

others. 

Incorporation Of EMC 

Design 

The implementation of EMC 

does not just happen by chance. 

It needs to be engineered into 

place. Quite often it is not 

implemented at all! The practices 

of ‘yester-year’ are no longer 

applicable for the demands of 

today’s mission critical facilities. 

There are numerous documented 

cases of EMC related problems. 

Unfortunately, the mitigation 

measures are put into place only 

after the facility is built and 

problems are encountered. These 

subsequent measures are often 

limited in their effectiveness and 

are often implemented at much 

higher costs. 

EMC design requirements 

should be incorporated at the 

design stage of a facility. 

System Engineering & 

Integration 

All of the EMC concepts 

mentioned earlier, need to be 

system engineered and integrated 

on a system-wide basis for all the 

relevant elements of the facility. 

This will not only include 

the electrical sub-system, and 

the facility ‘equipment’ (such 

a s T V S t u d i o & B r o a d c a s t 

equipment), but also the lightning 

protection system, and the support 

infrastructure such as the BMS, the 

Security, Voice & Data, etc. 

It is no longer a situation 

of independent systems, but 

rather inter-dependent systems, 

feature 

that must co-exist in harmony 

in an increasingly challenging 

electromagnetic environment! 

Supervision Of Facility 

During Construction 

The proper implementation of 

these requirements needs very 

stringent and experienced levels 

of supervision. It is essential that 

the supervision be done by one 

who is familiar with the subtle 

nuances of EMC. 

Post Construction 

Change Control 

Once a facility is built and 

handed over, it undergoes changes 

during its lifecycle. This may be 

an interior design fit-out, or an 

expansion. It is essential that a 

facility built to these standards 

implement strict change-control 

measures to ensure that any future 

changes do not compromise the 

EMC integrity of the facility. BEM 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

I wish to thank Mr Keith Pierce 

of Aljazeera English, for his 

kind permission to use their 

facility at the Petronas Twin 

Towers as a case study. 

BIODATA 

S atha A. Maniam, the Managing 

Director of Acuity System Consultants 

Sdn Bhd, has a B.Tech in Electrical Engg. 

from IIT Madras, and an M.Sc. in Comp. 

Sc. from UCL London. 

H e h a s p rovided t h e s e s e r v i c e s 

for the following sec tors: Aviation, 

Building, Water, Electrical, Oil & Gas, 

Rail, Telecommunications, Broadcast, and 

Satellite Earth Stations. 

He is contactable at: satha@acuity. 

com.my 

THE INGENIEUR 41

feature 

Riding The Economic Tsunami: 

Investing In Local Workforce And 

IBS Construction Technology 

By Ir. Shahrul Nizar Shaari 

Technology Director, Innovacia Sdn Bhd 

The current global economic 

tsunami that was started by 

the subprime borrowers’ 

crisis in the United States has 

finally hit our shores. According to 

the Ministry of Human Resource 1 , 

almost 18,000 factory workers 

have been retrenched in the 

period between October 2008- 

February 2009. The latest figures 

released by Bank Negara stated 

that the economy grew 4.6% 

in 2008 compared with 6.3% 

in 2007 2 . The Gross Domestic 

Product (GDP) growth in the Final 

Quarter of 2008 registered 0.1% 

growth compared with 4.7% in 

Q3. The poor results were led 

by the massive decline in the 

manufacturing sector; especially 

in the electronics sector as orders 

from overseas were cancelled. The 

construction sector has always 

provided ‘early warning signals’ on 

the economic state; and for Q4 

of 2008, it registered a negative 

growth of 1.6% (1.2% growth in 

Q3). It brings grave concern to 

industry players as the results were 

for 2008; right in the middle of the 

Ninth Malaysian Plan (9MP) 2006- 

2010. It was when the industry 

was supposed to be at its peak; as 

most of the projects should have 

been mid-way in implementation. 


Construction workers 

Are we ready enough 

to survive the economic 

tsunami? 

H i s t o r i c a l l y, d u r i n g t h e 

past downturns, the Malaysian 

Government has always been 

successful to quickly bring the 

country out of recession through 

its stimulus packages. At the time 

this article was written, we were 

all anticipating the announcement 

of the second stimulus package or 

mini-budget that was formulated 

to complement the earlier RM7 

billion (US$ 1.93 billion) package; 

1 Penyata Rasmi Dewan Rakyat 2 Mac 2009, Parlimen Malaysia 

2 Economic and Financial Developments in the Malaysian Economy in the Fourth Quarter of 2008, 

BNM Press Statement, Bank Negara Malaysia, 27 February 2009

which was considered quite 

low compared to the packages 

announced by other countries. As 

highlighted in Table 1, the figures 

for Malaysia are the lowest among 

the four ASEAN countries quoted in 

the comparison. Nonetheless, it is 

expected that the second package 

will be more comprehensive and 

able to stimulate the Malaysian 

economy and support its entire 

population. 

Table 1: Comparison of Stimulus 

Packages (Total) 3 (Before March 

10, 2009) 

Country Total (US$) 

Malaysia* 1.93 

Indonesia 6.15 

Singapore 13.7 

Thailand 3.28 

India 4.0 

China 586.0 

Japan 51.0 

USA 937.0 

UK 29.0 

Germany 103.0 

* Before 2 nd stimulus package 

Issues on Workforce 

Economic downturns generate 

negative effects on the social wellbeing 

of affected communities. The 

risk for Malaysia is even higher due 

to higher dependency on foreign 

workforce. As at the Third Quarter 

of 2008 4 , the total Malaysian 

workforce is 11.1 million; out 

of which 343,700 Malaysian are 

without jobs, contributing to the 

3.1% unemployment rate. While 

the country is depending on 10.78 

million Malaysian workers, there 

are also a total of 2.06 million 5 

registered foreign workers in 

the country. As such, the total 

combined workforce in Malaysia 

stands at 12.84 million and 16% 

of the workers are foreigners. The 

total figure is even more alarming 

should the number of foreign 

workers include the illegal ones. 

Using estimated figures of 

600,000 Pekerja Asing Tanpa Izin 

(PATI) released by the Immigration 

Department, the foreign-to-local 

workers ratio stands at 1:4; leading 

to an astonishing figure of RM15.5 

billion 6 outflow of money through 

local banks. Imagine what would 

happen should the Malaysia 

economy plunge really deep 

into recession and jobs were cut 

massively. What would happen to 

the millions of foreign workers? 

Would they immediately leave the 

country or decide to stay? Would 

they find a decent alternative 

job? Issues affecting the local 

construction industry are even 

worse as it has among the highest 

percentage of foreign workers. The 

Malaysian construction has long 

been dependent on foreign labour. 

In fact, as presented in Table 

2, the number of legal foreign 

workers increased from 49,080 

in 1999 to 306,873 in 2008 7 ; 

which was more than a six-fold 

increase. These figures are very 

disappointing; considering that 

343,700 Malaysians are without 

jobs. 

It is even more frustrating 

should the figure of foreign 

workers include those who are 

here working without going 

through the proper channels. 

It is an undisputed fact that 

in any construction worksite, 

feature 

Table 2: Number of Legal Foreign 

Workers in Construction Industry 

(1999-2008) 

Year Foreign Workers (No.) 

1999 49,080 

2000 68,226 

2001 63,342 

2002 149,342 

2003 252,516 

2004 231,184 

2005 281,780 

2006 267,809 

2007 293,509 

2008 306,873 

almost all of the wet trades 

are being executed by foreign 

workers. Even more worrying 

is the fact that more are being 

given larger responsibilities at 

sites by becoming site supervisors. 

The locals are generally working 

at the management level or as 

workers for the dry trades such 

as wiremen and crane operators. 

Now where do the local workers 

go? Did they opt for better 

workplace environment in other 

industries? The author beg to differ 

as currently we can see more and 

more businesses opting for foreign 

workers - from the concierge 

of established six-star shopping 

arcades to waiters at Mamak 

restaurants; and from attendants of 

public toilets in Pertama Complex 

to security guards attending to 

million Ringgit worth of properties 

in Mont Kiara. 

3 J.S. Sidhu, Budgeting for Crisis, Starbizweek, The Star, 28 February 2009 

4 Laporan Suku Tahunan Penyiasatan Tenaga Buruh Malaysia- Suku Tahun Ketiga 2008, Jabatan Perangkaan 


5 Jumlah Pekerja Asing di Malaysia Mengikut Negara Asal, 1999-2008, Kementerian Dalam Negeri Malaysia 

6 65,000 Pekerja Asing Dihantar Pulang, Berita Harian, 12 Januari 2009 

7 Jumlah Pekerja Asing di Malaysia Mengikut Sektor, 1999-2008, Kementerian Dalam Negeri Malaysia 

THE INGENIEUR 43

feature 

IBS Masterpiece - the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre 

Go IBS. Go Local. 

The issue is very serious as 

we would be losing a generation 

of local construction tradesmen. 

The number of foreign workers 

dwindled during the recession in 

mid-1980s and end 1990s but 

once the economy started to boom, 

there was a manic rush to get 

workers to complete construction 

projects; many of the workforce 

were obtained illegally. The new 

group of workers, unfortunately 

inexperienced and untrained, were 

recruited to complete the projects. 

Are we going to experience another 

cycle here? Yes, without a doubt. 

As a result, it would bring very 

negative repercussion to Malaysia 

economically and socially in the 

long run. 

Contractors need to spend more 

time and money training their 

workers; officially or in most cases, 

by experience. Low productivity 

and quality is still rampant in 

the industry. Rectification works 

delay handing over of projects; 

and repair works during defect 

liability period create disruption 

to businesses and generate greater 

problems for many parties. As 

such, it is very difficult for the 

Malaysian construction sector to be 

globally competitive. What actually 

encourages the high number of 

foreign workers in the Malaysian 

construction industry? Industry 


stakeholders argue that the main 

reasons include poor enforcement 

by authorities, reluctance of locals 

to work in difficult environments 

and the relatively low salary that 

the foreigners are willing to receive 

compared to locals. 

What can we, the engineers, 

contribute in helping the nation 

to reduce dependency on foreign 

workers? Quite a lot. It is true that 

we are not able to directly eliminate 

the three main reasons stated 

above. However, indirectly, we 

can start by revisiting construction 

technology that affects the way we 

think, plan, design and construct. 

The Malaysian construction sector 

is still currently very much 

reliant on conventional or in-situ 

construction. Unfortunately, the 

traditional methods use a lot of 

manpower; thus leading us to 

dependency on foreign manpower 

and its negative consequences. As 

such, the industry must change 

by reducing wet trades in the 

process. This can be achieved by a 

construction method known as the 

Industrialised Building System (IBS). 

IBS is a construction technology 

that involves manufacturing of 

prefabricated components in a 

controlled environment that are 

“ What can we, 

the engineers, 

contribute in 

helping the 

nation to reduce 

dependency on 

foreign workers? 

Quite a lot ” 

later brought to construction sites 

for assembly. According to CIDB 

Malaysia, there are five main IBS 

Groups identified as popularly 

being used in Malaysia: precast 

concrete, formwork, steel frames, 

prefabricated timber frames and 

blockwork systems 8 . 

Better Quality & 

Productivity with IBS 

The co-ordinated initiative by 

the Malaysian Government in 

promoting IBS started six years 

ago with the formulation of 

IBS Roadmap 2003-2010. The 

Government has pledged a total 

of RM9.2 billion 9 worth of projects 

to be executed using IBS. It is 

expected that IBS will again be 

given priority in the new projects 

that are to be announced in 

the upcoming second stimulus 

package. CIDB Malaysia has 

also established a dedicated 

reference centre for Government 

agencies and industry players, the 

IBS Centre, in Kuala Lumpur 10 . 

Subsidised IBS trainings are being 

offered to professionals, contractors 

8 Part of Second Stimulus Plan Will Focus on Construction, New Straits Times, 24 January 2009 

9 IBS Centre, IBS Digest@MIIE’09, CIDB Malaysia, 2009 

10 Abby Lu, To IBS…or not, New Straits Times, 13 February 2009

“ Subsidised 

IBS trainings are 

being offered to 

professionals, 

contractors 

and installers 

(workers). Besides 

that, tax and levy 

incentives are 

also being offered 

to industry 

players ” 

and installers (workers). Besides 

that, tax and levy incentives are 

also being offered to industry 

players. 

With IBS, wet trades can 

be greatly reduced, and with 

requirement of less labour due 

to the prefabricated components, 

it also promotes better quality, 

p r o d u c t i v i t y a n d s a f e t y a t 

construction sites. It also reduces 

the hidden costs associated with 

the high number of manual labour 

such as rectification, healthcare, 

security and accommodation 

costs. As construction processes 

are being simplified through 

IBS, it will reduce the 3-D 

(Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous) 

syndrome often associated with 

the construction sector. The 

structural building portions will 

join M&E works as ‘dry trades’. 

As a result, it will attract more 

locals to join the construction 

workforce. 

Th e G overnment i s very 

committed in eliminating the 3-D 

The IBS Centre, Kuala Lumpur 

syndrome that has been plaguing 

the construction sector. 

As experienced by Dubai’s 

Dynamic Tower construction team, 

using IBS instead of conventional 

method, reduced the number of 

workers to only 30%. In order to 

highlight the potential savings, let 

us assume that a local IBS skill 

worker demands RM120 per day 

and a foreign worker gets RM40 

per day. With 30 local workers, 

the cost per day is only RM3,600 

while the cost of constructing an 

in-situ structure with 100 foreign 

workers sums up to RM4,000 per 

day. This is not even counting the 

hidden costs mentioned earlier. 

While one may argue that the 

cost of IBS components is higher 

than conventional items, the total 

construction costs will always be 

lower by using IBS. This is proven 

by successful implementation 

of development projects by big 

names such as SP Setia, PJD 

and MTD-ACPI using their own 

IBS systems. The total costs can 

feature 

be lowered further by having 

the components produced in a 

controlled environment at sites 

instead of factories. Site-casting 

of precast concrete components 

using steel, aluminium and 

fibreglass moulds provide a 

cheaper alternative by reducing 

transportation costs. 

Conclusion 

In essence, IBS is the key 

in simplifying construction and 

attracting more locals to join 

the construction workforce. As a 

result, it provides more jobs to 

Malaysians; instead of relying on 

foreign workers. Economically, 

billions of Ringgit can be kept 

locally for domestic consumption. 

Socially, with improved standard 

and sustainable quality of life, the 

positive effects are priceless. 

We are ‘Nation Builders’. Do 

your part - Choose IBS and invest 

in local workforce for sustainable 

national development. BEM 

THE INGENIEUR 45

feature 

Utilisation Of Rice Husk Waste 

And Its Ash (Part 1) 

By M. Rozainee, S. P. Ngo, A. Johari, A. A. Salema and, K. G. Tan 

Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering & Natural Resources Engineering, 

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia 

Rice husk is available abundantly in Malaysia in the form of waste from rice milling industries, 

with an annual generation rate of approximately 0.5 million tonnes. The current disposal 

methods of field dumping and open burning are not environment-friendly as these practices 

create serious environmental pollution and health problems. Rice husk has high calorific value 

(at 13–16 MJ/kg), which upon thermal degradation, releases a substantial amount of heat 

that is economically-viable when recovered. The recovered heat could be used for drying of 

paddy or to increase steam for electricity generation. It was estimated that the potential energy 

generation from rice husk is 263 GWh per annum in 2000. In addition, thermal treatment of 

rice husk also produces materials with commercial value in the form of siliceous rice husk 

ash (RHA) and activated carbon (AC). Depending on the type of thermal treatment applied, 

activated carbon could be generated in quantities ranging from 3–40 wt% in RHA. This paper 

presents research work that was undertaken in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) to recover 

energy from rice husk and utilisation of its ash. The work involved controlled burning of rice 

husk in a fluidised bed to produce amorphous RHA which contains highly reactive silica and 

production of sodium silicate using RHA as raw material. Furthermore, the capability of RHA 

as an adsorbent and the effect of caustic digestion to produce sodium silicate on adsorption 

capacity of RHA were also conducted. Part 2 of this article will appear in the June - August 

2009 issue of Ingenieur. 

The annual paddy output in 

Malaysia in 2004 was 2.27 

million tonnes (Department 

of Statistics Malaysia) and since 

rice husk accounted for 22% of 

this value, the amount of rice husk 

generated was approximately 0.5 

million tonnes per annum. Rice 

husk is considered a form of 

waste from rice milling processes 

and are often left to rot slowly 

in the field or burnt in the open. 

These practices clearly pose 


serious environmental problems 

as the slow-rotting process 

generates methane (a greenhouse 

gas which contributes to global 

warming) while open burning 

generates various pollutants 

(smoke, dust, acid gases and 

volatile organic compounds) 

that can have adverse impact 

on human health. Hence, the 

utilisation of rice husk and its 

ash is important to eliminate the 

aforementioned problems. 

In this paper, the potential uses 

of rice husk and the available 

technologies for such purposes are 

presented. In addition, research 

work that have been conducted 

in UTM such as production of 

amorphous RHA through controlled 

burning of rice husk in fluidised 

bed, production of sodium silicate 

using RHA as a raw material and 

investigation on the capability 

of RHA as an adsorbent are 

also presented. Also included is

the effect of caustic digestion 

to produce sodium silicate on 

adsorption capacity of RHA. 

Potential Use Of Rice Husk 

Rice husk is a good source 

of renewable energy due to its 

relatively high calorific value. 

Upon thermal treatment, its ash 

contains amorphous silica in 

excess of 95 wt%. Due to the high 

content of amorphous silica, RHA 

can be utilised to produce sodium 

silicate. Alternatively, the rice husk 

could be converted into carbon, 

which is also a good source of raw 

material for powdered activated 

carbon. 

● Heat and Electricity 

Generation 

Rice husk has an average lower 

heating value (LHV) of 13–16 

MJ/kg, which in comparison is 

about one-third that of furnace oil, 

one-half of good quality coal and 

comparable with sawdust, lignite 

and peat. According the National 

Energy Balance Malaysia Report 

(2000) published by the Ministry 

of Energy, Telecommunications and 

Multimedia, Malaysia, the potential 

energy generation from rice husk 

is 263 GWh per annum. This 

translates into a potential capacity 

of 30MW. Power generation from 

renewable energy sources has been 

included in the Eighth Malaysia 

Plan (2001 – 2005) through the 

Five-Fuel Diversification Policy. 

The renewable energy focus 

is on biomass and the target 

contribution towards the total 

electricity generation mix is 5% 

by 2005 and 10% by 2010. 

Due to its relatively high 

calorific value, the combustion 

of rice husk is autogenous (selfsustaining) 

and this minimises 

the requirements for auxiliary 

fuel. Apart from offering the 

benefits of energy recovery, the 

combustion of rice husk in thermal 

treatment units will also solve its 

disposal problem. It is also more 

environmental-friendly as the 

combustion process reduces the 

greenhouse effect by converting 

emissions that would have been 

methane due to its slow-rotting 

into the less potent greenhouse 

gas carbon dioxide. 

● Amorphous silica 

Rice husk contains silica in 

the range of 20%–25%, which 

upon thermal degradation, results 

in ash that contains more than 

95 wt% of silica (Kaupp, 1984; 

Kapur, 1985; James and Rao, 

1986). Thus, the ash content of 

approximately 15%–20% in rice 

husk makes silica recovery from 

it very economically-attractive. 

When rice husk is burnt under 

controlled conditions, the resulting 

ash is easily the cheapest bulk 

source of highly reactive silica in 

comparison with silica produced 

from conventional methods. 

Amorphous silica in rice 

husk ash (RHA) has commercial 

applications in cement and 

chemical industries. In the cement 

industry, it has been widely 

researched as mineral cement 

replacement material (MCRM). 

It has the potential to replace 

silica fume in the production of 

high quality concrete. The current 

price of silica fume is reported to 

be US$1,200 per tonne in India. 

Various studies have proved that 

RHA is more superior to silica 

fume in terms of increasing the 

compressive strength of concrete, 

reducing the rapid chloride 

penetrability, resisting surface 

scaling due to deicing salts and 

improving resistance to acid attack. 

The market for RHA in the cement 

feature 

industry is not as well-developed 

compared to the steel industry, but 

there is a great potential due to 

the pozzolanic properties of RHA 

that are comparable to cement. 

In the US, RHA has already been 

used commercially by Pittsburg 

Mineral & Environmental Tech. Inc. 

(PMET), which is part of Alchemix 

Corporation in Arizona, as a 

substitute for silica fume in the 

production of specialist concrete. 

• Sodium Silicate Production 

In the chemical industry, 

a m o r p h o u s R H A h a s b e e n 

used widely due to its silica 

quality comparatively with other 

expensive sources of silica. The 

silica obtained from RHA is a 

good material for synthesis of 

fine chemicals (i.e. highly pure 

silicon useful for manufacturing 

solar cells for photovoltaic power 

generation and semiconductors, 

silicon nitride, silicon carbide, 

magnesium silicide and sodium 

silicate for manufacturing aerogel). 

The amorphous nature of silica 

makes it viable for extraction 

using sodium hydroxide to produce 

sodium silicate, which can replace 

the conventional process that is 

high energy-intensive. The current 

market price for sodium silicate or 

water glass is lucrative, retailing 

at approximately US$550-780 per 

tonne. Sodium silicate has diverse 

application in the industry due 

to its varying silicon dioxide to 

sodium oxide (SiO 2 : Na 2 O) ratio. 

Upon losing small amount of water, 

sodium silicate becomes tacky and 

can be used as a strong adhesive 

for fibre box and in making various 

paints and coatings. In addition, 

it is also used in making different 

kinds of cement including for 

acid-proof construction, refractory 

uses and binding thermal insulating 

material. 

THE INGENIEUR 47

feature 

● Carbon Source 

Rice husk is also a good 

source of carbon, containing 

approximately 10 wt% of fixed 

carbon (char). Depending on the 

type of thermal treatment applied, 

activated carbon (AC) could be 

generated in quantities ranging 

from 3–40 wt% in RHA, with 

conventional combustion process 

being able to produce 3–13 wt% 

of activated carbon. Activated 

carbon is an adsorbent derived 

from carbonaceous raw materials 

that is widely used in industries 

for separation, purification and 

recovery processes due to their 

highly porous texture and large 

adsorbent capacity. It is also used 

as catalyst support, chromatography 

columns and electrode materials 

for batteries and capacitors. Its 

major application is for absorbing 

impurities in wastewater or waste 

gas streams, whereby it could be 

regenerated by heating and used 

repeatedly. To date, the most widelyused 

materials in the commercial 

manufacture of activated carbon 

include wood, coconut shells, peat, 

lignite/bituminous/anthracite coals, 

petroleum cokes and synthetic 

polymers. 

Available Technology For 

Recovery Of Energy And 

Silica From Rice Husk 

Rice husk has high calorific 

value, thus energy in the form of 

heat can be recovered during its 

combustion. The recovered heat 

can be used for drying of paddy 

or to raise steam for electricity. 

Apart from energy recovery, the 

resulting ash from combustion 

of rice husk contains valuable 

amorphous silica. The quality of 

the produced amorphous silica 

depends on the technique of 

rice husk combustion. Existing 


technologies for the preparation of 

amorphous silica with low carbon 

content include alkaline extraction 

and thermal treatment of rice 

husk in various types of furnaces 

(inclined step-grate furnace, 

cyclonic furnace, muffle furnace, 

fixed bed furnace, fluidised bed, 

rotary kiln, tubular reactor etc.). 

The alkaline extraction method is 

capable of producing high purity 

silica but involves a significant 

amount of time (one to two days) 

and many steps with the use of 

various types of chemicals, thus 

resulting in an extremely expensive 

production cost. Meanwhile, 

various drawbacks are associated 

with the preparation of silica via 

thermal treatment of rice husk 

in existing thermal treatment 

technologies. This includes the 

occasional crystallisation of the 

ash due to lack of mixing and 

hot-spots formation, lack of freeflowing 

air for complete oxidation 

of carbon and long reaction time. 

The residual carbon in the RHA 

from thermal treatment of rice husk 

from various thermal treatment 

technologies are significant and 

can be as high as 30 wt%. 

The fluidised bed technology, 

on the other hand, is capable 

of producing amorphous RHA 

with very low carbon content 

(consistently less than 2 wt %) at 

a very rapid reaction time (less 

than two minutes). Further, it 

offers continuous combustion of 

rice husk with good temperature 

control, has a very high throughput 

rate due to its rapid reaction 

time, high combustion efficiency, 

is self-sustaining (thus reducing 

the cost of auxiliary fuel) and the 

ash could be easily collected via 

entrainment by the fluidising air 

into a cyclone. It also offers the 

flexibility of producing ash with 

higher carbon content, as and 

when desired, by manipulating the 

amount of fluidising air and rice 

husk feed. Thus, the same fluidised 

bed system used for producing 

low carbon content, amorphous 

RHA could be used for producing 

char meant for preparation of 

activated carbon through a simple 

change in the operating conditions, 

thereby resulting in lower capital 

investment. 

Research Works In Universiti 

Teknologi Malaysia 

● Production of amorphous rice 

husk ash 

A m o r p h o u s R H A c a n b e 

produced through controlled 

burning of rice husk at temperatures 

below the crystallisation point of 

silica in the ash (i.e. below 700 o C) 

in combustors such as the fluidised 

bed combustor. Such research has 

been carried out successfully in 

UTM (High Temperature Processing 

Research Laboratory), whereby 

100% amorphous RHA with low 

residual carbon content (less than 

2wt %) could be produced from 

the combustion of rice husk in 

fluidised bed combustors (Figure 

1). The research group has been 

involved in research related to the 

production of energy and silica 

from rice husk since 1999. The 

amorphous nature of the produced 

RHA was proven by the x-ray 

diffraction (XRD) analysis, which 

showed a background hump at 

20 degree of 22 o and absence of 

any crystal peaks in the resulting 

diffractogram (Figure 2). 

Through careful manipulation of 

the ratio of air and rice husk feed 

in the fluidised bed combustor, 

different grades of RHA with 

different levels of carbon contents 

could be produced (Figure 3), 

ranging from black chars suitable 

for the manufacture of activated 

carbon to essentially carbon-

Figure 1: The pilot-scale fluidised bed system developed by Universiti Teknologi 

Malaysia to produce energy and valuable materials (amorphous silica and 

carbon) from rice husk 

free white ash. This is one of 

the main advantages of fluidised 

bed, which consequently leads 

to the enhanced flexibility of the 

system to produce different grades 

of RHA depending on market 

demand. Research was conducted 

to develop and operate the fluidised 

bed combustor for combustion of 

rice husk to produce RHA for 

Figure 2: X-Ray 

Diffraction (XRD) 

diagram showing the 

amorphous structure 

of the rice husk ash 

produced by the 

High Temperature 

Processing Research 

Laboratory in 

Universiti Teknologi 


feature 

commercial utilisation. In addition, 

work has been done to develop 

optimum design of fluidised bed 

combustors by taking advantage of 

the highly reliable computational 

fluid dynamics (CFD) programme 

code of FLUENT (Figure 4). The 

application of CFD to combustor 

design is widespread in all the 

new research and development 

t e c h n i q u e s i n c o m b u s t i o n 

technology. Additionally, studies 

were also carried out to optimise 

the design of fluidised bed (i.e, 

distributor plate, freeboard) as 

well as to study the combustion 

characteristics of rice husk in 

fluidised bed. 

● Production of sodium silicate 

from RHA 

The combustion of rice husk 

in fluidised bed also produced 

amorphous RHA of varying colours 

- black, grey and white. The 

residual carbon content varies 

according to the colour with 

black RHA containing the highest 

amount of carbon at 24%, followed 

by grey RHA, 3% and white RHA 

with the least carbon content of 

0.2%. These amorphous RHA were 

used to produce sodium silicate 

and the quality of the product 

was compared to the commercial 

grade. 

Silica in RHA was dissolved 

using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in 

an autoclave. The process is known 

as caustic digestion. It was found 

that grey RHA produced clear 

and colourless sodium silicate 

solution (Figure 5). It is believed 

that during the digestion process 

carbon residue in grey RHA helped 

to clean impurities in the solution. 

On the other hand, white RHA 

produced amber solution, while 

black RHA produced dark brown 

solution which was undesirable 

in the sodium silicate industry. 

THE INGENIEUR 49

feature 

(a) (b) (c) (d) 

Figure 3: (a) Black chars suitable for the manufacture of activated carbon obtained from the combustion of rice husk 

in fluidised bed combustor, (b) Amorphous rice husk ash with 6 wt % residual carbon suitable for the manufacture of 

sodium silicate (water glass), (c) Amorphous rice husk with 2.0 wt % residual carbon content, (d) The final siliceous rice 

husk ash product (pure, amorphous and residual carbon content of 0.2 wt %) suitable for the synthesis of aerogel 

Figure 4: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling of the freeboard design of the fluidised bed combustor to 

increase residence time of gas by overcoming the buoyancy effect due to difference in temperatures 

The results showed that certain 

amount of carbon was beneficial 

to produce clear and colourless 

sodium silicate solution. It was 

found that sodium silicate could 

be produced at temperatures as 

low as 115°C and concentration 

of 15% w/w (15 gram RHA in 100 

ml NaOH solution). The silicon 

dioxide to sodium oxide (SiO 2 : 

Na 2 O) ratio of sodium silicate 

obtained was 2.48 whereby the 

optimum ratio in industry is 

3.22. 

A study was also carried out to 

produce sodium silicate using RHA 

obtained from rice mills (Table 1). 


Figure 5: Effects of carbon content 

in RHA to the quality of sodium 

silicate solution. From left: Sodium 

silicate solution of white, grey and 

black RHA 

Note: (i) & (ii) single-stage standard cyclone 

Out of the four samples tested 

under similar conditions, only 

sample RHA 3 could be digested 

with NaOH to produce sodium 

silicate with SiO :Na O ratio of 

2 2 

3.00 at temperature of 120°C and 

concentration of 15% w/w. the 

solution was clear and colourless. 

It was found that not all RHA 

could produce sodium silicate 

because the ability to turn RHA 

into sodium silicate was largely 

depended on the properties of ash. 

Crystallisation of ash was another 

factor that hindered the formation 

of sodium silicate due to low 

activity and solubility. BEM

lighter moments 

By Lim Teck Guan 

C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 

R1 6 1 8 R1 6 9 5 1 2 8 3 4 7 

R2 3 7 8 R2 1 4 3 6 7 9 8 5 2 

R3 9 6 R3 2 8 7 5 4 3 9 1 6 

R4 9 1 R4 9 6 4 3 8 7 5 2 1 

R5 3 2 4 1 5 6 8 R5 3 7 2 4 1 5 6 9 8 

R6 5 3 R6 5 1 8 2 9 6 4 7 3 

R7 7 6 R7 7 2 6 8 5 4 1 3 9 

R8 9 6 2 R8 4 3 9 7 6 1 2 8 5 

R9 9 2 4 R9 8 5 1 9 3 2 7 6 4 

Fig 1 An Ultimate Puzzle Fig 2 The Solution 

THE INGENIEUR 51


Source: www.flickr.com 

Playing Sudoku 


Source: www.rutledgecapital.com 

Playing Golf


THE INGENIEUR 53

engineering nostalgia 


Bertam Valley New Village, 

Now 

During Emergency 

1951 

1951

Cameron Highlands 

1953 

1951 

During Emergency 

Contributed by 

Old photos: Wong Fook Chai 

Present photos: Ng Kong Leong 

Now 

THE INGENIEUR 55

BEM Mar09-May09 - Board of Engineers Malaysia

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