Comparative Efficiency of Natural Adsorbents for Heavy Metal Removal from Contaminated Water: A Statistical Evaluation of Activated Charcoal, Banana Peel Powder

Abstract

Water pollution with heavy metals is a serious environmental and public health issue. In this study, the removal efficiency of four different types of natural adsorbents (activated charcoal, banana peel powder, biochar, and rice husk) were evaluated by eliminating the heavy metal from contaminated water. This study was quantitative in nature, so it wasn’t just observational, and it included about 100 observations of adsorption done under controlled conditions. The main results obtained was the removal efficiency (%) and the pH, temperature, contact time and starting metal concentration were monitored. The descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation were then performed. The overall results indicated that there were significant differences between the adsorbents. Biochar performed best at the removal efficiency and rice husk performed the least. Analysis in the correlation part indicated that there was strong negative correlation between the final concentration of the metal and removal efficiency. Combined, the findings suggest biochar and activated charcoal are potentially useful materials for remediation, particularly in terms of heavy metal removal, at low cost and in an environmentally friendly manner.