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Abstract
Coco peat, a by-product of the extraction of coco fiber from coconut husk, has been proven to
be a viable material for sorption of heavy metals. While still being further developed to
enhance its efficiency as a biosorbent material, its disposal after contamination has not been
given much attention. Thus, this study focuses on the feasibility of using contaminated coco
peat as additive in mortars, as one of the means of disposal of contaminated cocopeat. This
study uses the concept of solidification and stabilization in immobilizing the heavy metals in
a contaminated coco peat that was used as a sorbent material in the treatment of wastewater
from the small-scale gold mining site in Paracale, Camarines Norte. The coco peat was added
to a mortar mix and replaced a portion of the cement (by mass) in the mixture. The
effectiveness of this method could be defined by two parameters: (1) the Unconfined
Compressive Strength of the samples and (2) the ability of this method to immobilize the
heavy metals which was assessed through Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure
(TCLP). The amount of coco peat added in the samples was varied with increments of 10% of
the amount of cement in the mix. Using ASTM C270-12a as the standard, results show that
only mortars with up to 40% coco peat passed the Type N mortar, which is used for general
purpose application and has a minimum average compressive strength of 5.2 MPa. TCLP
examination of the mortars showed that concentrations are below detection limit value for As,
Ba, Cr, Cd, Pb, Hg, and Se, according to DAO 29.
usually made by mixing gravel, sand, cement and water. The amount of each
component used in mixing concrete depends upon the factors considered during the
mix proportioning such as type of construction, strength requirement, and where the
concrete will be used. Chemical additives or admixtures may be added to the mixture
to improve the quality of the concrete, i.e. by modifying the time for the materials to
react, reducing heat produced, accelerating strength development at early age,
increasing the durability of concrete, etc., in order for the concrete to adapt to the
environment where it is mixed and exposed to. Mineral additives are mixed into
concrete and replace a portion of the cement. This is done to reduce the amount of
cement used making the mix more economical. The additives used may be organic or
inorganic, depending on the property of the concrete being improved. In this study,
the spent coco peat will be used as an additive in the concrete.
Small amounts of some organic compounds can delay the Portland cement-based
reactions responsible for solidification which makes it (biosorbents) harder to solidify
than inorganic sorbent materials (Ballesteros, 1991). The strength of the concrete with
contaminated coco-peat would have to be checked as well to determine its possible
structural or construction application.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
Utilization of biosorbent materials such as coco peat offers effective and economic
alternative in removing heavy metal content of wastewater produced by mining
industries, thus providing safe means of wastewater disposal. However, the disposal
of used sorbent materials has not been given too much attention. Due to high heavy
metal content, used coco peat poses a threat to the environment as it leaches
contaminants to the ground.
1.3. Objectives
The goal of the study is to assess the effectiveness of using heavy metal contaminated
coco peat as additive in concrete as a means of disposal. The study aims to
immobilize the heavy metals in the contaminated coco peat using the concept of
solidification and stabilization (s/s); furthermore, to give additional value to the
product of s/s, the immobilization will be done through mortars and concrete. The
study also aims to optimize the concrete mix by determining the maximum amount of
coco peat that could be added to the mix without compromising the strength of the
concrete.