Synthesis and characterization of bauxite-derived alum and banana peel composite coagulant for water treatment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15282/cst.v5i1.13621Keywords:
Bauxite, Banana peel, CoagulantAbstract
Aluminium sulphate (alum) is an inorganic coagulant widely used in wastewater treatment due to its good performance and broad availability. However, the use of alum at high dosages can negatively impact human health and aquatic organisms, in addition to generating large quantities of sludge. Therefore, an alternative approach was explored to reduce alum usage by combining it with a natural coagulant derived from banana peel. This study aims to synthesise an inorganic–organic composite coagulant from bauxite-derived alum and banana peel for wastewater treatment, and to evaluate its physicochemical properties and treatment performance under optimum conditions. Alum, banana peel, and alum–banana peel composites at ratios of 10:90, 50:50, and 90:10 (banana peel: alum) were tested using a jar test containing 500 mL of wastewater. Final turbidity and pH values were measured for performance evaluation. Samples were characterised using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and X-ray Diffraction. The results show that the 50:50 banana peel to alum composite achieved the best performance, with a turbidity of 12.20 NTU, a pH of 6.13, and a total turbidity removal efficiency of 82.82%.
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