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Performance Comparison of Plantain Stem Fibre, Palm Fruit Fibre and Banana Stem Fibre for Remediation

  1. Ekperi Nelson Ibezim
  2. Uku Eruni Philip

Abstract

This thesis goes on to show how each bioadsorbent works in a packed bed unit connected in series to remediate or treat contaminated fresh water medium using petroleum hydrocarbons, or crude oil. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of plantain, banana, and palm bunch fibers with diameters of 50 µm, 150 µm, and 200 µm in treating contaminated water media. In each packed bed unit, the changes in the concentration of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) and the physicochemical characteristics of the pollutants were observed both before and after treatment. As polluted water medium travels through each of the packed bed units, there is a decrease in TPH concentration, and this decline is regulated by temperature variations. According to this thesis, the operating temperature affects how successful bioadsorbents are at reducing the amount of harmful substances that affect the concentration of polluted water media. According to the research, 45°C was shown to be the optimal working temperature for the bioadsorbent used in the 1:1:1 mixture of particle sizes, which includes 50 µm, 150 µm, and 200 µm. In fact, the usefulness of plantain fiber in the bioremediation treatment of pollutants in packed bed units has been demonstrated by this thesis, which highlights the significance of temperature effects on bio-adsorbent performance.

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