Utilization of Coconut Copra as Low Cost Biosorbents for Removal of Humic Substances from Peat Swamp Run-Off

M. F. Atan; K.A. Mapi, S. N. F. Ghazali, N. Abdul Rahman; S. F. Salleh

Authors

M. F. Atan Department of Chemical Engineering and Energy Sustainability, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
K.A. Mapi, S. N. F. Ghazali, N. Abdul Rahman Department of Chemical Engineering and Energy Sustainability, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
S. F. Salleh Department of Chemical Engineering and Energy Sustainability, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

Keywords:

Adsorption , Humic Substances , Batch Stirred Tank Reactor , Coconut Copra

Abstract

Nowadays, consumers are concerned about the quality of water supply that is being used. Consumers want to ensure that the supplied water is free from any harmful substances especially humic substances (HS). High concentration of HS in drinking water can cause diseases for human, such as stomach cancer. Thus, it is important to develop a new technology to improve the quality of drinking water. Therefore, the objective of this research is to investigate the potential of using coconut copra treated with citric acid as a low cost biosorbent in adsorbing HS contained in wastewater collected from the Asajaya Treatment Plant situated in the district of Samarahan, Sarawak. In this research, a batch stirred tank reactor was chosen, and the optimum condition of adsorption process was determined accurately. As such, two types of parameters were considered as the constant; temperature and pH of activated carbon, while solid-liquid ratio and residence time were varied. This research has shown that coconut copra possesses the capacity to adsorp 97.5% of HS contained in wastewater by using a batch stirred tank reactor.