Effect of Plantain Peel Activated Carbon on the Treatment of Greywater

Due to climate change, population increase, and urbanization, freshwater resources are getting depleted. This means that we need to find sustainable ways to conserve water. Greywater, which makes up as much as 75% of household wastewater, can be reused for non-potable purposes if it is treated correctly. This study examines the efficacy of plantain peels activated carbon (PPAC) in the treatment of greywater by adsorption. Plantain peels, an agricultural byproduct, were carbonized and chemically activated with phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄), potassium hydroxide (KOH), and zinc chloride (ZnCl₂) to create PPAC. Batch adsorption tests were used to see how well we could get rid of some contaminants such total dissolved solids (TDS),electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity, and pH. The results showed that the treatment significantly improved the water quality. The pH went from acidic (3.52–4.17) to nearneutral levels (4.79-7.53), the electrical conductivity (EC) went from 5.52–6.15 µS/cm to 4.48–4.97 µS/cm, and the total dissolved solids (TDS) reduced from 20.4–30.3 mg/L to 2.49–3.27 mg/L. An ANOVA comparing the control and PPAC treatment of greywater indicates no significant difference in the treatment means for pH. Furthermore, ANOVA indicated that the Fcalculated value exceeds the Fcritical value, and the P value is less than 0.05 at a 95% confidence level for EC, TDS and salinity, indicating that there was significant difference in treatment means. Even though the salinity increased (from 0.2–0.4 ppt to 0.5–0.9 ppt), it was still within safe levels. The results show that PPAC is a cheap, eco-friendly, and effective adsorbent that can greatly improve the quality of greywater. The report advocates for the implementation of decentralized, sustainable water treatment systems, especially in resourcelimited regions, while encouraging waste-toresource initiatives.