The effectiveness of coconut shell charcoal and activated carbon on deodorization of sludge from ice cream industry WWTP

Abstract

Abstract Coconut shell contains several components of biomass including cellulose, lignin, and pentosan, which can be used in the form of charcoal as a bioabsorbent. Sludge waste is a residue formed as a by-product of wastewater treatment at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). which emits odors that can disturb local residents. This study aimed to deodorize ice cream slurry waste using coconut shell charcoal and activated carbon as the odor adsorbent. The ratio of each adsorbent and ice cream waste was based on the preliminary experiment, namely 1:1, 1:3, 1:5, 1:6, and 1:7. The measurement parameters for the sludge were odor value, pH, temperature, and water content which were measured daily. Ammonia and sulfide levels were measured using the titration method, while protein levels were determined using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Odor reduction in sludge waste mixed with activated carbon as the adsorbent was better than that with coconut shell charcoal; by which the optimum mass ratio was 1:3 with a decrease of 97.13% that was obtained within seven days. The ammonia levels in the sludge waste decreased from 10,276 mg/kg to 308 mg/kg by the use of coconut shell charcoal with a mass ratio of 1:1 and to 252 mg/kg by the use of activated carbon with a mass ratio of 1:1 at the end of the experiment. The sulfide content in the sludge waste decreased from 1.215 mg/L to 0.0483 mg/L in the sample with coconut shell charcoal as an adsorbent with a mass ratio of 1:1 and to 0.0483 mg/L in samples with activated carbon adsorbent ratio of 1:1 at the end of the experiment.