CONFERENCE / REACT-2024

Fruit peel can be a sustainable and useful tool for treating greywater. It can be used as a natural filter to remove pollutants, and contaminants from wastewater before it is used again for non-potable uses like irrigation. This adsorption technology using biodegradable substances is accepted worldwide. Greywater with high phosphate and sulphate content can cause several environmental and health issues. Phosphates are nutrients that encourage the growth of algae and other aquatic plants leading to eutrophication and also it may lead to water pollution. This occurs mainly due to the discharge of high-phosphate greywater into bodies of water like lakes. Sulphates can react with organic matter present in water and form sulphides which are toxic to aquatic life. Usage of a high amount of sulphate-content water for irrigation purposes may lead to an increase in soil salinity which decreases the fertility of soil. The removal of phosphate and sulphate contaminants is crucial. Based on current technology, the adsorption method using fruit peel is an effective approach as it is sustainable and cost-effective. In this study, banana peel after proper cleaning and oven drying was used as a sorbent for removing phosphate and sulphate from grey water. The experimental studies showed that 17.5g/L banana peel can remove 73% of phosphate and 65% of sulphate from synthetic greywater within 1 hour at pH 6. This method is a simple cost-effective method for treating greywater from contaminated wastewater and can be reused. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) analysis was done to study the characteristics of adsorbent. EDX analysis showed the presence of phosphate and sulphate after adsorption. FTIR analysis showed the presence of functional group that caused adsorption.