Seasonal evaluation of total organic carbon removal from river samples using scrap metal-based coagulant and local salt modified-biomaterials for point-of-use water treatment

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the potentials of activated carbon prepared from coconut shell (CS) (Cocos nucifera), counter wood (CW) (Afzelia africana) and iron (III) sulphate coagulant (ISC) prepared from scrap iron, in removing total organic carbons (TOCs) from contaminated Ebonyi river (EBRW) and Ezeiyiaku river samples (ERWA) at point – of – use (POU). A 250 ml of the river samples at ambient pH were mechanically (hands) batch – agitated with optimised doses of 0.5, 1.5, and 0.025 g of granulated activated coconut shell carbon (GACSC), granulated activated counter wood carbon (GACWC), and ISC at the two seasons. The results showed a 90 and 100% reduction in the TOCs of the treated ERWA and EBRW samples during the rainy season, while and at dry season, 88% reduction in TOCs was observed in both treated river samples.

KEYWORDS:

• Biomaterial
• activated Carbon
• iron Scrap
• total Organic Carbon
• river Water

Acknowledgments

I am highly indebted to Prof. J. N. Afiukwa, for painstakingly proofreading this report, making necessary corrections and proffering solutions to the challenges related to this study. I also salute Dr. F. I. Nwabue, for always being accessible to me whenever I needed his invaluable guidance to navigate me through some hiccups in this study.

My sincere thanks go to the staff of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan; National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), Zaria; Department of Chemical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Illorin; and Applied Microbiology Department, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki for offering me the opportunity of using their Laboratories for the relevant analyses and assisting in the experimental.

Disclosure statement

The authors hereby disclose that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Supplementary material

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