PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF ACTIVATED CARBON USING CARBON SOURCES FOR WATER FILTRATION

ABSTRACT Inaccessibility of safe drinking water coupled with poor sanitation and hygiene and its attendance effect is estimated to cost Nigeria about 1.3 billion dollars. The rural communities adopted different methods to filter their water however these methods have proven ineffective in removing certain impurities. The use of fabric cannot remove the microorganisms and chemicals present in water. It is given that activated carbon filters are applied in the removal of these chemicals to test the performance of activated carbon made from coconut shell as a filter medium, activated carbons were used separately, and combined in a model filter. One of the thermal processes is pyrolysis, which in this process, the material is converted to carbon. The results of pyrolysis are in the form of three types of products namely solids (charcoal / carbon), gas (fuel gas) and liquid (bio-oil). Other products are gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and some gases that have small contents. In general, the pyrolysis process takes place at temperatures above 300 ° C within 1-4 hours. Carbonized carbon or pyrolysis does not have a large adsorption capacity because the pore structure does not develop, so it needs activation process. The study involved the preparation of activated carbon, followed by a series of experiments to evaluate its adsorption capacity for various contaminants, including heavy metals, organic compounds, etc. Results indicated that activated carbon from coconut shells achieves significant reductions in turbidity and contaminant levels, the adsorption capacity of activated carbon derived from coconut shells was determined to be 1.15 x 106 CFU/g demonstrating its potential as a low-cost and efficient water treatment solution. Water filtration was carried out in a system consisting of different layers including Gravels, Sand and Activated Carbon and from visual inspection, significant color change was observed with an average flow rate of 0.025L/min. This research not only highlights the effectiveness of coconut shell-based activated carbon in enhancing water quality but also emphasizes the importance of utilizing agricultural waste for sustainable environmental practices.