This study reports the development of bio-based adsorbent by utilizing coffee endocarp (CE) waste as a raw material for lead (Pb) removal from liquid wastewater. The effect of NaOH and HCl as activation precursors on the characteristics and performance of the resulting adsorbents was investigated. The prepared adsorbents were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Surface Area Analyzer (SAA). The characterization results confirm the positive role of the activation by either NaOH or HCl in enhancing the surface properties of the resulting adsorbents. The chemical activations removed most of impurities leading to smoother surface, pore size enlargement and enhanced surface area to pore volume ratio, which result in an enhanced adsorption capacity and Pb removal efficiency. The raw adsorbent shows 57.7% of Pb removal efficiency and sorption capacity of 174.4 mg/g. On the other hand, after the chemical treatment using HCl and NaOH, the Pb removal efficiencies increased up to 63.9% and 89.86%, with adsorption capacity of 193 and 271.58 mg/g, respectively. Though both activated sorbents demonstrate better adsorption performance compared to the non-activated CE, overall results reveal that the NaOH-activated sorbent offers better characteristic and performance than the HCl-activated sorbent.

The chayote (Sechium edule) plant is believed to have significant nutritional importance due to its medicinal functions. It has been widely cultivated in Kundasang, Sabah for vegetable consumption. This study was carried out to determine the health benefits of this vegetable, especially the upper 3-foot of the shoot portion, in terms of antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and nutrient composition. It was divided equally into three parts, each a foot long and classified as: upper tier, middle tier and lower tier and amongst them, which tier gives rise to the best health benefits or will the traditional consumption of the whole 3-foot shoot be better for overall health well-being. DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) and Folin Ciocalteu test were used to determine antioxidant activity and Total Phenolic Content (TPC), respectively. The results showed that the upper tier of shoot parts had the highest value for antioxidant activity, with the lowest of IC50 value (245.12 ± 9.24 μg/ml). The lower part of the plant also shows the highest value for TPC with a value of 355.66 ± 5.84 mg/g GAE. Minerals, Ca, Mg, P, Mo, Fe and Al were the highest value in the middle tier portion. The proximate analyses showed that the upper tier of the shoot has the highest fat, crude protein, and carbohydrate contents. Crude ash has the highest value in the middle tier part. On the other hand, the moisture content and the crude fiber were high at the lower tier of the shoot portion. The upper tier of the shoot is recommended to be consumed for health benefits because it is high in antioxidant activity and proximate content and also rich in minerals. However, the traditional practice is to consume the whole 3-foot long of this vegetable is very welcome