Direct filtration system composed of coconut fiber as a filtering medium in water treatment

The use of inorganic coagulants has sparked discussions regarding the potential consequences on human health. In contrast, polymeric coagulants derived from tannin compounds show promise in water treatment. An important issue is the use of alternative materials in the construction of filters used in water treatment, such as those made with coconut fiber. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of sand filters (F1) with coconut fiber filters (F2), as well as the use of the inorganic coagulant aluminum sulfate (C1) compared to the organic tannin (C2). The tests were performed in duplicate, and the parameters pH, electrical conductivity, apparent color, and turbidity were evaluated using R software. The results showed that the pH was not altered and that the electrical conductivity decreased after the application of both coagulants, with F2 achieving a reduction of up to 73.4% using tannin. For turbidity, F2 achieved removals of 95.44% and 81.35% for C2 and C1, respectively. When analyzing the apparent color, F2 removed 85.38% using C2 and 55.38% with C1, demonstrating the efficiency of the coconut fiber filtering material. However, the use of a large amount of water for cleaning this filter becomes a problem and an issue to be addressed.