Economic Impacts on The Use of Zeolite, Claystone, and Active Charcoal in Reducing Levels of Mercury (Hg) in Waste from Unlicensed Gold Mining Activities (PETI) in Kapuas Sub Watershed, Ulak Jaya Sintang Village

Abstract

Research on the use of zeolite/clay/ activated charcoal composites as Hg heavy metal adsorbents has been carried out. Zeolites and clays were previously activated using NaOH, while activated charcoal was activated using HCl. The adsorbent characterization was carried out by Fourier Transform Infrared Analyzer (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and mercury levels using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Hg metal adsorption experiments were carried out by varying the composition of zeolite/claystone/ activated charcoal. The location of the study was Unlicensed Gold Mining (PETI) in the Kapuas watershed, Ulak Jaya Village, Sintang. The results showed that zeolite/claystone/ activated charcoal succeeded in reducing mercury levels in wastewater. The purpose of this study was to prove that the wastewater from gold mining could be reused to meet the needs of the community and improve environmental sustainability.