Low-Tech Coconut Shell Activated Charcoal Production

Abstract

Water treatment technologies in the developing world typically focus on removing two types of impurities from water sources: suspended, particulate materials and microbial pathogens. However, as industrialization and high-input agriculture has expanded into the developing world, a third type of impurity has increased in importance. Chemical impurities such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers have found their way into drinking water supplies and have been linked to severe health-related issues. Activated carbon has the capacity to remove these problematic chemicals from water sources. The possibility of producing a low-tech, inexpensive, and effective activated carbon from local agricultural waste by-products was assessed for the community of Bluefields, Nicaragua. Coconut shell charcoal was produced on site, and various chemical activation steps were then investigated. Ultimately, it was discovered that sodium chloride (common table salt) could successfully activate the coconut shell-based charcoal. The adsorption capacity of three separate chemically activated coconut shell charcoals was analyzed, with common table salt being the most inexpensive and feasible option.