Track: Environmental Engineering and Management

Abstract

The banana peel has become a conventional low-cost economic resource that is commonly used in a wide range of chemical and industrial processes. The main purpose of this research was to carry out tests to evaluate the capacity of dry banana peel powder as an adsorbent capable of removing heavy metals from contaminated water samples. Specifically, the effectiveness of the banana peel in removing mercury from water was determined. In order to do this, the banana peel underwent a dehydration process after which it was ground using a 150 micron sieve. Several tests were performed to analyze the chemical composition of the banana peel, including chromatography, atomic absorption, and spectrophotometry, as well as the concentration of heavy metals in the solution, before and after the adsorption. The results indicate that banana peel powder used in conjunction with a porous glass frit is an effective adsorbent that can be used to clean heavy metal-polluted water, which could be used for domestic activities afterwards. Finally, it was found that the banana peel powder can be reused several times without showing a significant loss in the recovery rate of the metals previously mentioned. .