Preparation, Characterization and Utilization of Coconut Adsorbents as a Filter Media for Wastewater Treatment
S. Kaviya *
Deptartment of Environmental Sciences, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India.
R. M. Jayabalakrishnan
Deptartment of Environmental Sciences, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India.
M. Maheswari
Deptartment of Environmental Sciences, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India.
S. Selvakumar
Deptartment of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The present study investigates the characterization of different coconut based low cost adsorbents like coconut shell biochar, zinc chloride impregnated coconut shell activated carbon, coir fibre and coir geotextile and their suitability characteristics as a filter bed in different wastewater treatment process. The characterization study helps to investigate their physical, chemical and morphological properties like proximate and ultimate analysis, iodine number, decolorizing power, SEM, Surface area using BET, Particle size and Zeta potential. The experiment results showed that among the different adsorbents activated carbon has high fixed carbon content (82.99 percent), more surface area (590.8 m2 g-1), low ash content (1.31 percent) with a decolorizing power of 240-300 mg g-1. The coir fibre and coir geotextile having neutral pH with negative surface charge easily adsorbs the positive cations from aqueous solutions at highest apparent density. The experimental findings suggest that the activated adsorbent which shows better results as an effective filter media for adsorption of organic compounds and pollutants from wastewater.
Keywords: Cocos nucifera, biochar, activated carbon, coir geotextile, characterization.