Synthesis of Bamboo-based Activated Carbon through Physico-chemical Activation for Coal-runoff Wastewater Treatment

Anggi Saputra (Department of Agricultural Technology, Politeknik Negeri Lampung, Indonesia)
Oktaf Rina (Department of Agricultural Technology, Politeknik Negeri Lampung, Indonesia)
Rahmat Hidayat (Department of Agricultural Technology, Politeknik Negeri Lampung, Indonesia)
Murni Fitria (Department of Agricultural Technology, Politeknik Negeri Lampung, Indonesia)
Syahdilla Anggiva Akhni (Graduate Program of Food Security , Politeknik Negeri Lampung, Indonesia)
Ajis Purnomo (PT. Bukit Asam Tbk., Tarahan, Panjang, Bandar Lampung, Indonesia)
Aang Haryadi (PT. Hanan Alam Utama, Bandar Lampung , Indonesia)

Indonesian Journal of Chemical Analysis (IJCA)
Vol. 6 No. 2 (2023): Indonesian Journal of Chemical Analysis

Bamboo-based activated carbon (BAC) has been successfully synthesized through a physico-chemical technique. The characteristics of BAC were investigated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Evaluating BAC performance on coal-runoff wastewater was carried out by varying contact times and adding low-level alum on remediation of pH and Total Suspended Solid (TSS). The results confirm that BAC performs well in stabilizing pH, indicated by the neutral pH, after 10 minutes of interaction. The TSS with BAC treatment and 1% BAC-Alum combination reduced the TSS value from 880 mg/L to levels below the threshold for wastewater quality standards, 387 mg/L and 73 mg/L, respectively. This combination can be an alternative coal-runoff wastewater treatment technique for better environmental quality.