Abstract
An integrated bone char and biochar bed treatment system using locally accessible materials was the main goal of this research. It addressed challenges with drinking water purification systems and affordability in rural and peri-urban areas. It can be adapted in Ghana, South Africa, and other developing countries. The study created a retort for pyrolysing bone and biomass materials utilising two-barrel drums and a thermocouple with a digital meter that can read up to 1000 oC. Cattle bone char, coconut husk, palm kernel shell, neem tree and bamboo biochar were produced at 450 oC in two hours. The adsorbents, including river sand, were characterised using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, and point of zero charge. Batch and fixed bed column adsorption techniques were used to remove the contaminants and micro-organisms. The potential of the locally made adsorbents in removing contaminants from synthetic aqueous solution and real groundwater was investigated. Bench-scale integrated bone char and biochar bed treatment of contaminated groundwater were also performed using YOEDAF in-line water filter housing fill, ¼ inch water purifier T33 shell filter tube. Twenty-one water quality parameters including pH, total dissolved solids, conductivity, turbidity, fluoride, chloride, sodium, potassium, manganese, total iron, total coliforms, faecal coliforms, total heterotrophic bacteria, and Escherichia coli were analysed. The quality of the treated and raw water was analysed using standard methods. A three-dimensional chamber composed of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, a Motorola smartphone, and the free color grab app from the Google Play store were used to create a water quality technology tool. A bed depth service time model was used to predict the breakthrough curves. The adsorption processes were further characterised using isotherms and kinetic models. The adsorbent's capacities were examined under various conditions, including contact time, pH, char dose, and fixed flow rate.
The pH range of the treated groundwater was 7.2 to 8.5, but the pH of the untreated water was 7.5-7.7 throughout the studies, and the integrated char is strongly alkaline except for bone char (7.8), coconut husks (9.2), neem tree (8.8), bamboo (8.8), and distilled water (5.8).