Green Filtration of Total Solids from Various Water Sources Using Coconut Coir and Loofah

Abstract

In this study, environmentally benign and readily available organic waste materials (coconut coir and loofah) were used as biofilters to remove total solids (TS) in water samples from various sources in Araromi Coastal Region of Ilaje Local Government, Nigeria. The TS levels observed in the river, pond, well, borehole, and seawater samples were 4,000, 1,610, 3,980, 2,600, and 34,800 mg/L, respectively. Generally, the organic filters reduced the TS in the water samples. Also, the sorption efficiency increased with the filter mass-to-water volume ratio. The overall performance of coconut coir was better than loofah, probably because the former has a more closely packed fibrous mesh. The optimum sorption efficiency of 60 g of the coconut coir filter for river, pond, well, borehole, and sea water was 50%, 78%, 80%, 92.3%, and 48.8%, while those for loofah were 42.5%, 56.3%, 70%, 84.6%, and 40.2%, respectively. This work showed that pretreated coconut coir is an efficient green filter for TS in water sources, especially boreholes, wells, and ponds.