Effect Of Variation In Coconut Shell Activated Carbon On The Characteristics Of Household-Scale Filtration Water

Abstrak

Water is a fundamental requirement for human liFe; therefore, water intended for consumption must be clean and meet established quality standards. In Indonesia, clean water quality standards are regulated under the Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Number 2 of 2023, which defines the criteria for water to be considered saFe and suitable for drinking. To obtain water that meets these standards, an efFective filtration process is required. In this study, activated carbon derived from coconut shell waste was utilized as the filtration medium. The preparation of activated carbon was conducted in two stages: carbonization through controlled combustion to produce charcoal, followed by chemical activation using a 15% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution for 24 hours at room temperature. This research aimed to characterize the performance of a portable water filtration device using difFerent masses of activated carbon. The experimental design employed three replications for each activated carbon variation. The evaluated parameters included pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), taste, odor, iron (Fe), fluoride, and nitrate concentrations. The results demonstrated that the optimal performance was achieved with 1000 grams of activated carbon, producing a pH value of 7.4, TDS of 297 mg/L, taste score of 4, and odor score of 4, with other measured parameters meeting the applicable quality standards.  Activated carbon addition at varying dosages effectively removed metallic (Fe) and non-metallic (nitrate and fluoride) contaminants, reducing their concentrations to below detectable limits in all treatments and producing filtered water that complied with drinking water quality standards.These findings indicate that the portable water filtration device incorporating 1000 grams of activated carbon provides optimal treatment performance and shows significant potential for community application in supplying drinking water that complies with the Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Number 2 of 2023.