Newsletter

Global Center of Excellence (GCOE)
Kyoto University-University of Malaya

Special Coordination Funds for Promotion Science and Technology
Strategic Program for Fostering Environmental Leaders

Kyoto University Global COE Program

Global Center for Education and Research on

International Center for Human Resource Development in

Human Security Engineering for Asian Megacities

Environmental Management
Kyoto University
Graduate School of Engineering

Issue

2012.4.

JSPS-Asian Core Program (IWM)

The 1st

JSPS-Asian Core Program (IWM) Comprehensive Symposium
held in Katsura Campus, Kyoto University (Feb 28, 2012). 43 Malaysian
and 47 Japanese participants attended the symposium.

Vol. 2

Prof. Masaki Takaoka (third from right) andhis student (end left) visit GCOE KU-UM office at Institute of
Graduate Studies, University of Malaya (Dec 8, 2011).

University of Malaya-Kyoto University programis an international program under:Mohd Redzuan Ramli
Department of Chemical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya
50603 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA
e-mail : rmredzuan@gmail.com

Prof. Dr. Nik Meriam Nik Sulaiman
Department of Chemical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya
50603 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA
e-mail : meriam@um.edu.my

Technology is advancing very rapidly and industries are trying very hard not to be left behind. The demand for better healthcare
products together with advances in new technology have resulted in industrial wastewater that may contain chemicals that areharmful to human health. Some of these chemicals of concern from the pharmaceutical manufacturing industries include endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) and pharmaceutically active compound (PhACs). Since majority of EDCs present in wastewater are low in molecular weight (<1000Da), nanofiltration is suitable to remove EDCs compared to reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration. However, like other membrane processes, nanofiltration is unable to destroy or degrade the concentrated pollutantsby itself. The disposal of those pollutants is still required. Chlorination is an excellent method to destroy EDCs but the formation of disinfection by-product may be dangerous to the environment. This system was proposed in order to study how both
systems interact simultaneously.
In this research, EDC were subjected to simultaneous chlorination and nanofiltration. To understand how both mechanisms worked, EDC were subjected to free active chlorine (FAC) for the chlorination process and nanofiltration separately under different reaction conditions such as pH and operating pressure. Reaction intermediates and by-products formed during theprocess were identified using HPLC, LC-MS and also GC-MS. In the hybrid membrane system, a selected EDC was added to
the feed reservoir and was subjected to nanofiltration. One ml of permeate was taken at fixed interval and samples were analyzed using HPLC. FAC was added to feed reservoir once the EDC concentration in the permeate reach 0.01mg/L. To maintainthe concentration of EDC in the permeate, FAC was added to feed reservoir every time the EDC concentration in permeate exceeded 0.01mg/L. To maintain a constant working volume, constant rate of EDC was fed by using another pump into feed reservoir. The membrane performance was studied by monitoring the permeate flux and also by analysing the membrane morphology and its properties.

Fig. 1 Schematic layout of the Hybrid Membrane System experiment.

GCOE KU-UM| Issue 2 April 20121

Muhammad Salleh bin Haji Abustan
Urban Coast Design Laboratory,
Department of Civil and Earth
Resource Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Kyoto University

Prof. Hitoshi Gotoh
Urban Coast Design Laboratory,
Department of Civil and Earth
Resource Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Kyoto University

Research location: Kuala Lumpur
Perak and Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Research term: 2009-2011
Message from supervisor:
Mr. Abustan has been engaged in a numerical simulation of crowd evacuation process by using the crowd behavior model basedon the distinct element method. He investigates bottlenecks of evacuation against tsunami event by a microscopic simulation.
The results of the simulation are expected to be useful for a rational evacuation planningResearchIntroduction and objective:
After the Asian Tsunami disasters in December 2004, the affected countries took the precaution to reduce number of deaths byimproving infrastructure near a shoreline. Quick evacuation from a beach by providing an appropriate evacuation route andevacuation place is significant way to reduce the number of casualties. To enhance quick evacuation, exercises should be conducted to categorize the safety level of each area. Nevertheless, the real exercise is impossible to be done since it requires atraffic regulation with significant costs. Hence, the investigation of an evacuation process by using numerical simulator is regarded as efficient tool for measurement. In my research, the evacuation planning has been performed by using the DEM-base
Crowd Behaviour Simulator for Disaster Evacuation (CBS-DE) proposed by Prof. Gotoh et al. to track individual evacuation
behaviour in detail. The goal of my research is to propose a rational design of evacuation planning.
Result and discussion:
The first part of my research is an observation and measurement for collecting the basic information for simulating tsunami
evacuation at Teluk Batik Beach in Malaysia. The information contains the land use and topography, bathymetry and population distribution. From the on-site survey, the land use and topography around Teluk Batik Beach were gathered; approximately
1500 of visitors per day during weekend were observed; the bathymetry around the shallow coastal zone and current were
measured with the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler. The second part is to obtain the walking speed of Malaysian citizen for
implementation of the CBS-DE simulator. The video camera was located at Jalan Raja Laut in Kuala Lumpur and Jalan Penang
in Penang. The walking velocity was analyzed from the videotapes shot at the pedestrian crosswalk. The evacuation planningby using CBS-DE simulator was conducted with the information mentioned above. Simulation results revealed the bottleneckarea blocking a smooth evacuation. The importance of making an appropriate evacuation planning was shown clearly.
Conclusion and future plan:
The information and data, which are necessary for implementation of evacuation simulation using the CBS-DE simulator, wassuccessfully collected through the on-site survey. After collecting basic information, virtual coastal small city was renderedwith using the CG technique. Currently, numerical simulation for evacuation process is under study under some scenarios. The
data of the bathymetry and current around shallow coastal zone will be utilized for simulating the evacuation behaviour in thesea in near future research. With the simulation results, proposing of a suitable evacuation planning is expected as a first step. In
near future, existing behaviour model should be improved by considering the attraction effect to simulate group behaviour suchas family, couple and friend. Simulation considering of the group effect will be performed.
Acknowledgement:
Part of this research was conducted during the internship program. The internship program gives good opportunity and excellent experience for me. Author gratefully thanks the financial support of GCOE-HSE, Kyoto University to the internship program for 1 month at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) from August 2011 to September 2011. Besides, the author also acknowledges the Professor Hitoshi Gotoh, Associate Professor Eiji Harada, Professor Hamidi Abdul Aziz, Professor Ismail
Abustan and the staff of School of Civil Engineering, USM. I am so grateful and thankful for all your help.

GCOE KU-UM| Issue 3 April 2012

2

Prof. Shozo Shibata
Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies / Department of Forest Science / Graduate School of Agriculture / Field Science Education
and Research Centre, Kyoto University

Jason Hon Shung Sun
Laboratory of Landscape Ecology
and Planning, Graduate School of
Global Environmental Studies,
Kyoto University
Research location: Bintulu,
Central Sarawak, Malaysia
Research term: 2010-2012

Message from supervisor:
The study of Mr. Jason, Hon Shung Sun is very important and urgent to consider the co-existence of human beings and wildlife animals. In Malaysia Borneo the quality of natural forest is decreasing by forest cutting andmono-cultural plantation of Acacia species. His research results are important and helpful to understand the
behavior of wildlife animals to the environmental change, and to build a conservation system in future.
ResearchIntroduction and objective:
Production forests are defined as forested areas designated for production and extraction of both wood and non-wood forest products. In Sarawak, a Malaysian state in Borneo with an area of 12 million hectares, 4.4 million hectares are classified as permanent
forests, of which only 11% are gazetted as totally protected. In terms of wildlife conservation, the current extent of protected areas
are small and/or sparsely distributed. Thus, production forests have become increasingly more important in helping our quest toconserve wildlife populations, by connecting these protected areas and by providing alternative habitat. Within these production
forests, sustainable logging practices alongside good wildlife management measures are crucial towards maintaining sustainable
populations of wildlife. Until we find a compromise to reduce logging activities and to increase totally protected areas, long term
wildlife conservation in Sarawak lies with the roles production forests can play.

This research was carried out in Anap Sustainable Development Unit (ASDU), a multiple use landscape consisting of logging, human settlements, agriculture and plantations. Wildlife surveys and their use of important site such as naturally occurring salt licks
were carried out. Camera traps were used to capture images and videos of wildlife. The objectives of the study were to determine
the importance of salt licks for wildlife, and how forest management practices can help in preserving important sites for wildlife
and to prevent these areas from being damaged by logging activities.
GCOE KU-UM| Issue 3 April 20123

Results and discussion:
In this study, over 30 species of large ground dwelling birds and terrestrial mammals were positively identified from camera trapping activities. The most common species recorded were muntjacs, sambar deer, bearded pig and pig-tailed macaque. Forests thathave recovered more than seven years after logging recorded the highest number of species overall, as well as for carnivore species. Hunting activities were found to have an effect on animal behaviours. In sites nearer to human settlements and where hunting
activities were recorded, the detection probabilities of commonly hunted species such as sambar deer dropped. This species also
appeared to be more active over a short window of time after dark. In one site which is located furthest from human settlementswith minimal hunting pressures, and despite being recently logged, animals were detected over a wider time frame during the 24hour period, including coming out during the day time. The results above indicate that habitat features as well as anthropogenic
factors are important considerations for the management of wildlife. Ungulates were encountered the most number of times visiting salt licks. Sambar deer have been observed drinking from salt licks. Analysis is being carried out to determine mineral contents
and whether there are significant differences with non-salt lick sites nearby.

Bornean yellow muntjac

A sambar deer

Preliminary results have also indicated that the probability of occupancy by wildlife for salt lick sites were very high as comparedto other sites with no salt licks. The implementation of reduced impact logging methods have helped maintain riverine vegetations
and reduced volumnes of timber removed to encourage sustainable regeneration. In a site that was logged seven years ago, globally endangered species such as the very rare Borneo baycat was recorded. This result indicated that well managed logged-overforest may support and provide alternative habitat for globally significant species and other wildlife as well. Other globally significant species recorded to date were pangolin, sunbear, binturong, banded palm civet, sunda clouded leopard, marbled cat and Bulwer’s pheasant.
Conclusion and future plan:Long-term monitoring and commitments from stakeholders are crucial towards the conservation of wildlife. Conservation efforts
must not be compromised by over-hunting activities or accessive damage, resulting in non-recovery of timber stocks and habitat
conditions. Government enforced policies play equally important roles in ensuring that criteria for sustainable management of forests are met, and are compulsory for all production forests in operation. Nevertheless, for a system to be effective, informationmust be made available and decisions ought to be forthcoming. These are roles that the scientific communities can perform andaffect influence on the government and related agencies. I envisage to continue working towards this cause.
GCOE KU-UM| Issue 3 April 20124

Research and Education Center for the Risk Based Asian Oriented Integrated Watershed Management
The 1st Steering Committee Meeting was held in One
World Hotel, Petaling Jaya Selangor, Malaysia (January
18, 2012). The agenda of the meeting discussed the present circumstances of fiscal year 2011 (April 2011 toMarch 2012) and procedure to visit Japan.
Visit Date

Deadline

April – May
June
JANUARY

Above: The steering committee delegation from Japan
together with Malaysian Steering Committee members
after the 1st Steering Committee Meeting.

18
WEDNESDAY

July – September
October –DecemberJanuary –February

Remarks
Practically impossible

The beginning ofMay
The end of May
The end of August
The end of
NovemberShould be avoided preferably
Visit after the end of Feb.
should strongly be avoided

Left: Meeting chairedby Prof. Dr. Hamzah
Hj. Abdul Rahman,
the Deputy Vice
Chancellor (Research& Innovation) University of Malaya.

FEBRUARY

28
TUESDAY

Above: Participants of JSPS-ACP (IWM) gathered at the 1st Comprehensive Symposium.
The 1 Comprehensive Symposium was held in Jinyu Hall (Bulding C1-311) Katsura Campus, Kyoto University Japan (February 28,2012). The symposium started with opening remarks by Prof. Komori Satoru (Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering, KU) followed by opening addresses by Prof. Yoshihisa Shimizu and Prof. Dr. Nik Meriam Nik Sulaiman. Objectives of the programs are:
st

a)
b)
c)

To create world-class research hubs in selected fields within the Asian region (the 1st international Asian core hub in Malaysia). The fields: watershed management and environmental risk assessment.
To foster the next generation of leading researchers.
To conduct exchanges based on a principle of equal partnership. These exchanges will take the form of joint research, seminars
and other specific meetings and researcher exchanges.
GCOE KU-UM| Issue 3 April 20125

Research and Education Center for the Risk Based Asian Oriented Integrated Watershed Management
The program benefits:
Capacity building
Exchange of bilateral expertise between Japan and Malaysia.
Expanding current base of young researchers involved in international network.
Generation of knowledge in key areas of research
Development of knowledge base on Malaysian Integrated Watershed Management (IWM).
Development of multidisciplinary approach on IWM which incorporates academic disciplines.

Dissemination of research output to society for implementation and future advancement through policy formulationand dialogues.
On the same day four research workshops were held concurrently:a) Disaster prediction and hydrological evaluation in watershed caused by climate change (Hydrology Group).
b) Quantitative prediction and evaluation of watershed environment with policy scenarios (Water Quality Group).
c) Fate prediction of toxic chemicals in watershed and formulation of their screening methodologies (Environmental Risk
Group).
d) Knowledge data collection for integrated watershed management and analysis of governance structure (GovernanceGroup).

MARCH
The 2nd Steering Committee Meeting was held in
Yoshida Campus, Kyoto University, Japan (March
16, 2012). The Malaysian steering committee delegates attended the meeting were: Prof. Dr. Nik
Meriam Nik Sulaiman (UM), Prof. Dr. Mazlin MokFRIDAY
htar (UKM), Prof. Dr. Zulkifli Yusop (UTM), Dr.
Noor Zalina Mahmood (UM), Dr. Goh Choo Ta (UKM),
Mr. Abdul Hamid Murad (MOHE), Ms. Nor Zaherah Yusof(UM) & Mr. Azizi Abu Bakar (UM). The Japanese steeringcommittee members welcoming us during the meeting are:Prof. Yoshihisa Shimizu (KU), Prof. Minoru Yoneda (KU),
Prof. Shinji Ide (Shiga Univ), Assoc. Prof. Tomonari Matsuda (KU), Dr. Keisuke Sato (Ritsumeikan Univ.), Dr. Kazunobu Kojima (KU), Dr. Sunmin Kim (KU), Dr. Ayako
Fujieda (KU), Dr. Nobumitsu Sakai (KU), Mr. Koichi Masuchi (KU), Mr. Kyoichi Tamura (KU), Mr. Satoru Hikita(KU), Ms. Kimiko Toma (KU), Ms. Shoko Tabata (KU),
Ms. Ikuko Moro (KU) & Mr. Daichi Uchibori (KU).

16

Above: JSPS-ACP (IWM) Steering Committee members, 24 of themmeet up for deliberating the plans for succeeding the program till theyear 2016.
The meeting discussed research activities planning in terms of paper/journal publications, educational activities (lectures/short courses and textbooks for the next generation), and selecting theLeft: Members weresuggested watershed nominated from the 1st Comentertained to an exprehensive Symposium. The procedure to visit
clusive traditional
Malaysia and planning for the next ComprehenJapanese “maiko”
sive Symposium and Steering Committee Meeting
performance
was updated during this meeting.

GCOE KU-UM| Issue 3 April 2012

6

PROGRAM TIMELINE

Note:
A.R. = Action Research

Programs and its duration under international collaboration between Kyoto University and University of Malaya

Programs Contact Information —————————————————————————————————————————
HSE program:
Urban Human Security Engineering Education and Research CenterC Cluster, Kyotodaigaku Katsura, Nishiyoku, Kyoto 615-8540, Japan

E-mail: contact@hse.gcoe.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Phone: +81-75-383-3412/3413
Fax: +81-75-383-3418
Web: http://hse.gcoe.kyoto-u.ac.jp
EML program:
Kyoto University EML Office

Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
E-mail: eml-core@ges.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Phone: +81-75-753-5925
Fax: +81-75-753-5923
Web: http://www.ges.kyoto-u.ac.jp/cyp/modules/jst/english
Asian Core program:Research Center for Environmental Quality Management
Kyoto University

1-2 Yumihama, Otsu 520-0811, Japan

E-mail: shimizu@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Phone: +81-77-527-6221
Fax: +81-77-524-9869
University of Malaya-Kyoto University Office Contact Information —————————————————————————
University of Malaya-Kyoto University Program: GCOE and JSPS-Asian Core
Level 6,
Research Management and Innovation Complex (RMIC),
University of Malaya
50603, Kuala Lumpur MALAYSIA.
E-mail: meriam@um.edu.my / azizi.bkr@um.edu.my
Phone: +603-7967 4635 Fax: +603-7967 7813

GCOE KU-UM| Issue 3 April 20127