Sharir Aizat Kamaruddin, Syazana Suhaime, Nur Adlin Sabrina Abdul Aziz and Zamzila Erdawati Zainol
Keywords: peel, pH, neutralizer, banana, ammonia nitrate
Abstract: The contamination of freshwater by ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), a fertilizer that is commonly used in agriculture is profound. A safe water treatment method is required to remove this pollutant. Absorption is one of the methods, which meet the above objective by neutralizing pH of water. In this research, Musa sp. peels, a discarded agricultural waste was used to produce absorbent and pH neutralizer through simple, low-cost and eco-friendly processes. Varieties of Musa sp. peels; Musa acuminata Triploid AAA (Pisang Berangan), Musa x paradisiaca Triploid ABB (Pisang Awak), Musa acuminata Diploid AA (Pisang Mas) were tested in this research in order to determine which varieties of Musa sp. peels are most effective as an absorbent material. The effects of pH on different parameters like absorbent particle shape, contact time, and absorbent dosage were investigated for Musa sp. peels. Overall, this research has proven that Musa acuminata Diploid AA (Pisang Mas) was the most effective for absorbent material as its peels have achieved the highest improvement of pH on different parameters analysis. The optimal condition of absorbent was achieved when the particle’s shape was in powder as it had a very high specific surface area, potential binding sites and functional groups. In addition, the most effective absorption analysis was found at 30 minutes contact times and a dose for 1 gram for both absorbent material. Thus, the result indicates clearly the effectiveness of Musa acuminata Diploid AA (Pisang Mas) banana peel as a low-cost safe water treatment for neutralizing pH of water contaminated with ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3).