Project Abstract

1. Introduction
Water pollution has become one of the most serious environmental
issues. Among all water pollution, heavy metal pollution have become one of
the most serious environmental problems today due to rapid development of
industries. The amount of heavy metal ions that are discarded into the
wastewater also increases. Heavy metals are non-biodegradable and tend to
accumulate in living organisms and heavy metal ions are known to be toxic
and carcinogenic.

2. Problem Statement
How can we remove heavy metals polluted water that are caused by
industrial activities?

3. Research Objectives
We are enthusiastic to work on our project to reduce the cost of
water treatment and solving heavy metals pollution that are caused by
industrial activities.

4. Materials and Methods

Banana peels are being used as the material for this project. We aim to
introduce the adsorption technique. This is accomplished by cutting the
banana peels into small pieces within 1 to 2 cm per piece. Followed by
washing the pieces with distilled water several times for better cleaning. The
washed material is dried for 48 hours in an oven at 100°C to remove moisture
content from the peels. After the drying process, the peels were kept in
desiccators for 30 minutes, then the dried materials were finely ground and
screened through sieves of cut sized 150-212m.
These dried out banana peels are used as a medium of bio-adsorbent
material to adsorb heavy metal ions. This is due to the compounds in the
banana peels that contain atoms of nitrogen, sulfur and organic compounds
such as carboxylic acids which are good as adsorbent properties. After mixing
the dried out banana peels(grounded) into the polluted water, the solution is
then filtered. The treated electroplating wastewater will go to final control and
backwash water receiver. pH and heavy metal content are checked before
discharge, to meet environmental regulation.

5. Discussions & Suggestions

Originally our project consisted of many processes that occur in every
different tank but we will be focusing on the reaction tank, the filtration tank
and the final control tank.
Firstly, the banana peels are added into the reaction tank containing
the contaminated water. The ratio of banana peels to the contaminated
medium may vary depending on the specific requirements of the experiment
or application. The mixture of banana peels and the contaminated medium is
allowed the adsorption process takes place, where heavy metal ions present
in the water or soil come into contact with the surface of the banana peels.
Throughout the process, various parameters are monitored and optimized to
enhance the efficiency of heavy metal removal. Factors such as pH,
temperature, agitation, and initial metal concentration may be adjusted to
achieve optimal adsorption performance.
After that, the mixture is separated to separate the banana peels
from the treated water. This can be done through filtration techniques. The
separated banana peels can be further processed for regeneration or
disposed of properly.
Lastly, the control tank functions as a way to check the pH level of the
substance to see if it meets the requirements to be discharged , if the pH level
doesn’t meet the requirements the substance will go back to the first tank and
the process will be repeated again until it’s suitable for the environment.

6. Conclusion
In conclusion, adsorption technology could be used to remove heavy
metals from electroplating wastewater. Heavy metal removal from
electroplating wastewater has traditionally been accomplished with a variety
of adsorbent materials, both natural and modified. Banana peel waste can be
converted into biosorbents, which are efficient adsorbents that are cheap,
environmentally friendly, and effective at removing heavy metal ions from
electroplating wastewater. This project provides an overview of the outlook
and future directions for the use of adsorbents in the treatment of
electroplating wastewater. Our suggestion is to seek collaboration with
experts in the field or research institutions to gain additional insights and
support for our project. Additionally, explore funding opportunities to further
enhance our research and expand its scope.