Removal of Nitrates and Phosphates from Water using Pilot-scale Monotubular Module made from Ceramic Clay and Banana Peel Powder Composites

ABSTRACT

Significant volumes of potentially dangerous chemicals are released into receiving streams from aquaculture activities. Excess nitrate and phosphate emissions from aquaculture operations, in particular, contribute to the eutrophication of natural water bodies. In response to increasing concern, the researchers devised this study, which incorporated an experimental design for removing nitrates and phosphates from synthetic pond water by pressurized filtration system, utilizing a pilot-scale monotubular modules composed of ceramic and banana peel powder composites. The researchers combined ceramic clay with different weight percentages of 10%, 20%, and 30% banana peel powder as a natural porogen. Each treatment was replicated thrice, and the findings were analyzed using Two-Way ANOVA and Bonferroni Post-Hoc Analysis. The results indicated that Treatment 4, the monotubular membrane with weight percentage of 30% banana peel powder, performed the best in removing nitrates and phosphates, with steady-state values or capacities of 3.6 and 3.1 mg/L, respectively. The method of statistical analysis revealed that there is a significant difference (P<0.05) in the amount of nitrates and phosphates removed between treatments, with a p-value of 2.37 x 10-12 and 9.6 x 10-5, respectively. While, the statistical analysis also showed that only the removal of nitrates has a significant difference, with a p-value of 0.002195, among the replicates. Upon verification, the post-hoc analysis indicated that the removal of nitrates and phosphates does not have a significant difference in between replicates.