Sustainable bamboo and coconut shell activated carbon for purifying river water on Borneo Island

Abstract

This research aims to transform agricultural waste abundantly available in Sarawak into activated carbon as a sustainable water treatment source. Seven river water samples from Sarawak River were collected and treated with 2 g, 4 g, 6 g, 8 g, and 10 g of bamboo activated carbon (BAC) and coconut shell activated carbon (CSAC). Parameters investigated include Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), pH, Temperature. The removal of TSS and NH3-N increases with the increment of the BAC and CSAC dosages from 2 g to 10 g. 10 g of BAC is able to remove 83.35 % of TSS and 82.61 % of NH3-N in 750 ml of river water, while 10 g of CSAC is only able to remove 79.18 % of TSS and 83.73 % of NH3-N for 750 ml of river water. Results revealed that BAC is marginally more effective than CSAC in treating river water. DO levels were lowered undesirably after the treatment process. The temperature slightly increases after treatment due to exothermic chemical reactions and adsorption processes. The treatment brings little impact on pH level. The developed BAC and CSAC have proven sustainable, simple, low cost, and environmentally friendly with their excellent porous structure and large specific surface area for river water treatment.