Industrial Wastewater Purification Using Cow Bone and Saw Dust Filters

Abstract

Poorly treated wastewater can adversely affect the existence of plants and animals. There is a need to look for low-cost filters to address the scarcity of water in rural areas surrounded by industrial wastewater. The present study investigates the use of low-cost filter for purification of industrial wastewater. Filters made from cow bone (CBF) and saw dust (SDF) were used to remove some impurities in wastewater. Wastewater from Ore Industrial Estate, Ondo State, Nigeria, are collected and ran through the filter, the physicochemical parameters were determined using standard method while metal content were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The filter content before and after use were analyzed using Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) Spectrometer. CBF reduces Electrical Conductivity (EC), Chloride and chemical oxygen demand COD of the wastewater appreciably. It removed 74 %, 70 %, 65 %, 68 % and 81 % of Mn, Ni, Cd, Pb, and Zn respectively while SDF removed 8 %, 14 %, 26 %, 17 % and 28 % of the same elements respectively. The C = O stretch was recorded at wavelength of 1646.31cm^-1 before filtration and broad at 1640.19 cm^-1 after filtration in CBF. Broad OH peak was recorded at 3750.84 cm⁻¹ before filtration and 3674.41 cm⁻¹ after filtration for saw dust filter (SDF). It was concluded that the spectral showed that some materials are removed from the water. The cow bone filter is more efficient than the saw dust filter.