Preparation and Evaluation of Alkali-Activated Coconut Coir as a Low-Cost Adsorbent for Turbidity Removal from Synthetic Wastewater
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajiri.v5i2.6684Keywords:
Alkali Activation, Coconut Coir, Natural Adsorbent, Turbidity Removal, Wastewater TreatmentAbstract
Turbidity is a critical water quality parameter that reflects the presence of suspended particles in wastewater and can adversely affect aquatic environments and treatment efficiency. This study investigates the potential of alkali-activated coconut coir as a low-cost and sustainable adsorbent for turbidity removal from synthetic wastewater. Coconut coir was chemically activated with a sodium hydroxide solution, then dried and size-reduced prior to application. The turbidity removal performance was evaluated using synthetic wastewater with different initial turbidity levels, and removal efficiency was calculated based on the reduction in turbidity before and after adsorption. The results demonstrated significant turbidity reduction, with removal efficiencies ranging from 76.92% to 95.24%, depending on the initial turbidity concentration. Higher removal efficiency was observed at lower initial turbidity levels, whereas efficiency gradually decreased as turbidity increased, indicating that particle loading influences adsorption performance. The findings confirm that alkali activation effectively enhances the adsorption capability of coconut coir through improved surface characteristics, enabling efficient physical removal of suspended particles. Overall, the study highlights the feasibility of utilizing alkali-activated coconut coir as an environmentally friendly and economical alternative to conventional adsorbents for turbidity reduction in wastewater treatment applications, particularly in low-resource and small-scale treatment systems.
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