Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Treatment of Greywater by using Banana Peel Biochar and Sand Filtration

Abstract

Moges Tariku* and Biruktawit G. Meskel

Greywater treatment and reuse is becoming a significant field of research in a worldwide context of increasing water shortage. In this study the banana peel biochar was used as an alternative to treat greywater. The purpose was to evaluate and compare the performances of biochar and sand in reducing turbidity, COD, N, and P. The biochar and sand were packed to a depth of 27 cm into vertical columns with a diameter of 7 cm. The columns were fed with synthetic and real greywater. Synthetic greywater was used for optimization of biochar particle size (Fine, Medium and Coarse) and pH. Real greywater was fed to the column by taking the optimum biochar particle size and pH and its performances were compared with sand. Fine particle size (FBC) of biochar showed more removal efficiency than medium and coarse sized particles. The results of the pH optimization showed that the highest treatment was achieved at pH value of 7. FBC showed better removal efficiency than sand, with the value of 96%, 71%, 85%, and 99% for turbidity, COD, N, and P respectively. The findings of this paper indicate that transformation of banana peel into biochar have a double advantage of treating greywater and minimizing the amount of waste that is disposed into the environment.