Comparative study on coagulation-flocculation performance of banana peel and alum as coagulants in dye treatment application

Abstract This study investigates the efficacy of natural coagulants, specifically banana peel, as an alternative to chemical coagulants like alum in wastewater treatment. Characterization of banana peel reveals the presence of hydroxyl, carbonyl and amine groups that play a role in coagulation-flocculation process. The optimum dosage and pH of alum and banana peel in dye wastewater was examined through the Jar Test experiment with rapid mixing speed of 200 rpm for 4 minutes, slow mixing speed of 30 rpm for 30 minutes and settling time for 30 minutes. Alum achieves 64.79% dye removal at pH 10 and a dosage of 3000 mg/L, while banana peel achieves 58.18% removal at pH 8 with a dosage of 4000 mg/L. Additionally, banana peel exhibits a lower SVI (100 mL/g) compared to alum (13000 mL/g), indicating its potential as an effective coagulant for methyl orange wastewater treatment, comparable to alum.