Lingkar: Journal of Environmental Engineering

OPTIMISATION OF SULFURIC ACID CONCENTRATION FOR ENHANCED FE2+ ION REMOVAL USING ACTIVATED CHARCOAL FROM BOILED PEANUT SHELLS: CHARACTERISATION AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Anjar Asmara — 2024-11-05

Groundwater containing iron(II) (Fe²⁺) ions causes yellowish-brown discolouration and sediment formation. Since bioadsorbents can remove Fe²⁺ ions, this study investigated the effect of varying H₂SO₄ activator concentrations (5%, 7%, 9%, 11%, and 13%) on adsorption efficiency and identifies the optimal concentration for activated charcoal derived from boiled peanut shells (Arachis hypogaea L.) to remove the metal ions from well groundwater in Punge Jurong Village in Aceh Province of Indonesia. The process included carbonising the peanut shell waste, activating the charcoal, and testing the adsorbent on well groundwater. The results were analysed using SSA, SEM, and FTIR instruments, along with statistical analysis via SPSS 15 for one-way of analysis of variance (ANOVA). The adsorption efficiencies were 60.43%, 55.53%, 59.01%, 61.81%, 61.94%, and 59.10% corresponding to the activated carbons by H₂SO₄ (5%, 7%, 9%, 11%, and 13%) and commercial activated carbon, respectively. The IR-assisted characterisation on the boiled peanut shell waste bioadsorbent suggested that wave number shifting on O–H, C=C and C–O typical regions might be due to protonation affect by the acid activator. Conclusively, the study indicates that 13% H₂SO₄ is the most effective activator concentration for Fe²⁺ ion removal using activated carbon derived from boiled peanut shells.

THE USE OF CHITOSAN AS A WATER CLEARANT FOR DUG WELLS IN GAMPONG JAVA BANDA ACEH

Reni Silvia Nasution — 2024-08-14

Pollution of dug well water in Gampong Jawa Banda Aceh is caused by an imbalance in the ecosystem of organic and inorganic pollutants. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of chitosan biocoagulant as a dug-well water purifier. The stages of this research were making chitosan from shrimp shells, making chitosan biocoagulant with the addition of 1% CH₃COOH, and coagulation and flocculation with various biocoagulants (0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.5%) using the jar test method with fast stirring at 150 rpm and slow stirring at 50 rpm. The results of FTIR research on chitosan were characterized by the loss of the C=O group in the deacetylation process to change the acetyl amino group in chitin to amino, with a degree of deacetylation of 93.27%. The optimum performance of biocoagulants at a concentration of 0.5% can reduce pH from 7.1 to 6.9, the turbidity level to 99.99% (NTU), and E. coli to 0 jml/mL. The conclusion from this study is that chitosan biocoagulants are able to reduce turbidity levels (NTU), pH, and Escherichia coli bacteria.

STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ACTIVATED CARBON FOR REDUCING HARDNESS AND IRON (FE) CONTENT IN WELL WATER

Mutiara Fajar — 2023-06-30

One source of clean water for communities is well water, which originates from groundwater. Groundwater typically has higher hardness levels compared to surface water and contains iron, as it percolates through rocks and subsurface soil. To address the issue of hardness and iron content in well water, one effective method is the adsorption process using activated carbon. This study investigates the effectiveness of activated carbon in reducing both hardness and iron (Fe) concentrations in water. The research tested different carbon thicknesses (60 cm, 70 cm, and 80 cm) to assess their impact on reducing hardness and iron (Fe) levels. The initial hardness level was 580 mg/l, and the iron (Fe) content was 2.08 mg/l. After treatment with activated carbon, the reduction in hardness at thicknesses of 60 cm, 70 cm, and 80 cm was 69.31%, 77.13%, and 82.87%, respectively. The reduction in iron (Fe) content at these thicknesses was 92%, 96%, and 97%, respectively. The results indicate that increased thickness of the activated carbon improves its effectiveness in reducing both hardness and iron (Fe) levels. As the thickness of the activated carbon increases, its efficiency in treating water also increases, showing that thicker layers of activated carbon enhance processing effectiveness.