Removal of copper and zinc in metal working fluid using coconut composite filter media

Abstract

Metal working fluid industry is the major contributing sources of heavy metals. Their multiple industrial, domestic, and technological applications have led to their wide distribution in the environment, raising concerns over their potential effects on human health and the environment. Filtration technology is widely used to remove contaminants such as heavy metals because it is a low-cost wastewater treatment device that uses physical methods that are simple and effective. In this study, coconut composite activated carbon (CCAC) filter media has been explored for its adsorption abilities towards copper and zinc solutions from metal working fluids. The characteristic of CCAC was investigated using XRF analyser, SEM and FTIR analysis. This study described the performance of fixed-bed column filtration by using CCAC as the filter media under the effect of various bed heights (10,30,50 cm) and initial concentration of copper and zinc (10 and 20 mg/L) to assess the breakthrough curve. The results show that the CCAC surface is not smooth and porous, with many channels. It is connected to hydrogen linked, O-H and contains the highest value composition in MgCO3 and CaCO3, which enhances metal precipitation removal of heavy metals. From the fixed-bed column study, the column with an initial copper and zinc concentration of 10mg/L and a bed height of 50 cm performed well in removing copper and zinc from synthetic copper and zinc solutions. The breakthrough and exhaustion times were less than 30 minutes and 3660 minutes for copper and zinc were less than 30 minutes and 3420 minutes respectively. The longer the lifespan of filter media, the better the filter media for heavy metal treatment. In conclusion, CCAC filter media was used as an alternative to the existing wastewater treatment process to remove copper and zinc from metal working fluids. It also can be applied in the current filtration system, especially for industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).