Peat Water Purification using Pahae Natural Zeolite and Activated Carbon Derived from Candlenut Shell (Aleurites moluccana)

The escalating demand for freshwater due to the increased global population and intensified industrial activities necessitates innovative approaches to water treatment. This study explores the efficacy of a novel composite adsorbent material consisting of Pahae natural zeolite and activated carbon derived from candlenut shells for purifying peat water. This research synthesizes and evaluates the composite under varying conditions to determine its potential as an effective adsorbent material. Characterization methods included X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and physical properties of adsorbent. The results demonstrated that the 80:20% zeolite to activated carbon ratio exhibited the highest porosity of 56.49% and a significant water absorption capacity of 53.65%. This composition also achieved the most peat water substantial purification lowering the initial turbidity, pH, color, iron and manganese concentration from 175.4 TCU, 31.32 NTU, pH 5, 1.44 mg/L, and 0.76 mg/L to 41.7 TCU, 11.24 NTU, pH 6.8, 0.242 mg/L, and 0.020 mg/L. SEM analyses showed a more porous surface morphology at 80:20% which corroborated with the higher purification of peat water. The adsorption mechanisms involving physical adsorption due to pore size were integral as the adsorbent in capturing contaminants. The findings suggest that such adsorbent can be tailored to improve performance and provide a viable solution to the global freshwater scarcity challenge.