PENANG, 21 March 2014 - The discovery of a group of researchers from the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (SEEE) is believed to be able to solve the problem of rust leading to corrosion caused by bacteria.

The principal researcher who is also a senior lecturer of the USM SEEE, Dr. Zaini Abdul Halim, said that the invention would greatly benefit industries associated with shipping, oil and gas and others that are dependent on piping as a means of conveyance.

She said the Sulphate Reducing Bacteria Electronics Detector Kit or EZ SRB Kit is a unique innovation that has not been produced in this country and it is able to detect the bacteria within an hour.

“If sulphate reducing bacteria are present in large numbers, they will cause massive destruction including serious rust problems on the piping systems, as well losses in the form of having to undergo repair and maintenance of the system.

“With this kit, the problem can be resolved most effectively thus enable early prevention and schedule maintenance from time to time,” she said.

She said this at a special press conference to introduce the product here today, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Dr. Omar Osman.

Also present were the researchers, Tan Earn Tzeh, Umadevi Chandaran, and Vincent Kok Chin Keong. EZ SRB Kit also won a gold medal in the Malaysia Technology Expo 2014 held in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Zaini added that the kit has the advantage of detecting bacteria consistently as they record and store data continuously, enabling monitoring easier.

“Until now most industries are adopting the conventional method which is not only time-consuming to detect bacteria – needing up to 18 hours to know the results – but also only being observed with the naked eye without any electronic data recording system,” he said.

In the meantime, Omar said corrosion is a serious problem and it may result in losses of up to billions of dollars to the relevant industry if seen from the economic aspect.

“As such this research has the potential to be commercialised because it gives a new solution that could be applied by the industry,” he added.

This kit is also an example of a strong interdisciplinary research that combines the expertise of cross-disciplines including engineering and biological sciences that is capable of producing an innovation that could help solve problems in a particular industry. - Translation: Sharifah Darweena Syed Ahmad Amir Feisal/Text: Marziana Mohamed Alias​​/Photo: Mohamad Danial Shahri