PRODUCTION AND PURIFICATION OF WATER USING NATURAL BASED ADSORBENT FROM PLANTAIN PEELS

Abstract

Activated charcoal or carbon commonly employed as filter examinant of water, and air with surface area of 300–2,000m²/g, adsorbs a wide range of impurities and contaminants. This study was undertaken to produce adsorbent from plantain peels (Natural based), for the treatment of water samples, subsequently tested. Pyrolysis activation method was adopted using H₃P0₄ and KOH.  Water samples of  wells from Gonigora, boreholes from Ungwan Romi, fishponds from Kawo and Kaduna Polytechnic, river water from river Kaduna, rain, tap from Tudun Wada and Eva water from Coca-Cola were used for the analysis.  Which  include water treatment, pH determination, total suspended, total dissolved, and total volatile solids, colour and odour determination.  The results showed activated carbon effectiveness on pH of water samples well within 7.00, for borehole, Tap, and 7.02, for pond, rain and Eva waters, while 7.10 for river water.  This indicated that the adsorbent is active and compared favorably with the standard adsorbent which  pH of the water samples treated were 7.00 for pond, rain, tap and Eva,  while  7.02 and 7.04 for borehole and  river water respectively. This validated the production of granular natural based adsorbent via pyrolysis of plantain peels at 450⁰C by chemical activation method.  Therefore an economical adsorbent obtained naturally based as cheap, readily available waste material for future commercial purification application.