Use of maize cob-activated charcoal for wastewater treatment in aquaculture for reuse

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Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Journal of Agriculture and Allied Sciences (AJAAS)
Abstract
This study investigated the efficacy of activated charcoal made from maize cobs for processing wastewater obtained from aquaculture. The main objective was to develop a low-cost and efficient way to recycle wastewater for aquaculture, part of efforts to tackle water scarcity in Northeast Nigeria. The research evaluated the efficiency of activated charcoal derived from maize cobs in treating aquaculture wastewater, optimal treatment duration, and its impact on the survival rate of Clarias gariepinus. Carbonizing maize cob charcoal was achieved by burning dry maize cobs in a 5L tin as a makeshift kiln with little or no air and activated using lemon juice. The treatment efficiency of the activated charcoal was tested by assessing water quality parameters before and after treatments. Results of pH and ammonia in this study reduced from 8.60 to 7.68 and 1.50 to 0.31 mg/l respectively while dissolved oxygen increased from 3.06 to 3.51 mg/l after a 24-hour treatment period. Clarias gariepinus cultured for 56 days in the treated water had a growth of 12.11g from 2.00g, a total length of 4.82cm, a specific growth rate of 3.22%/d, and an 86.67% survival rate. This study concludes that the use of maize cob-activated charcoal is a suitable and affordable method for treating aquaculture wastewater for reuse, improving fish survival and growth rates.
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Keywords
Activated caron, Corn cobs, Recycled Aquaculture Wastewater, Treated wastewater
Citation
Sadiq et al (2024)