Performance of cocopeat and ash as a biofilter used in treatment of landfill leachate

Abstract

The performance of the bio filter produced from cocopeat and ash as a medium for treating industrial landfill leachate was determined through identifying a criteria necessary for a scale up design of the bio filter by optimization using various concentration of peat-ash in ratio (20:80, 40:60, 50:50, 60:40, and 80:20) to find out the effectiveness of the bio filter in the adsorption study. Adsorption kinetics of the bio filter was determined using Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models and then the bio filter(s), before and after treatment with leachate were characterized using the Scanning Electron Imaging – Electron Dispersive X-ray Imaging (SEM-EDX) technique. The two equilibrium models namely, Langmuir and Freundlich fit well to the isothermic experimental data for this study with the regression coefficient of 0.5261 and the maximum uptake capacity of the bio sorbent was estimated to be 0.2457g/g which indicates a favourable adsorption by the bio filter. The SEM and EDX imaging showed a high reduction in pore sizes on the bio filter with 50:50 coco-peat to ash concentration in ratio having the least pores on its surface after treatment with leachate where an increasing property was first observed in the concentration 40:60 of coco-peat to ash after treatment, and uptake of Elements (Na) was also observed on the peaks of its EDX spectra. This study concludes that the bio filter produced from cocopeat and ash is effective, and since cocopeat is freely abundant, locally available, also a low-cost adsorbent and has a considerable high adsorption capacity, it may be treated as economically viable for removal of metal ions from industrial landfill leachate.