Running head: SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 1

Suitability of Coconut Fiber as Filter Media for the Treatment of Wastewater

Khines Dwight D. Babate

Sheril Joy C. Galong

Kristel G. Gasadan

Maurice Agaid O. Tay-og

Tabuk City National High School

SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 2

INTRODUCTION

Water pollution had been a major environmental issue in recent years. Toxic

chemicals and biological agents were found in groundwater that exceeded what was

naturally found in the water, posing a threat to human health and/or the environment.

Different types of water pollutants were identified as domestic sewage, solid waste, toxic

waste, sediment, and petroleum pollution (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2022).

The problem of water pollution was due to rapid industrialization, urbanization, and

lack of awareness among people to consider water as a crucial commodity, which had

become a global issue. About 80 percent of the world population had faced water supply and

security threats. In fact, about 2 percent of the planet's fresh water was accessible for use;

1.96 percent was present in polar ice caps and underground wells, while freshwater reserves

were being depleted due to huge amounts of pollution in drinking water sources (Ayaswal et

al., 2018).

More than 20 million people in the Philippines still had no access to proper sanitation

and sewage facilities for treating wastewater. Statistics from the Department of Environment

and Natural Resources (DENR) showed that only 10% of the population was connected to

sewerage systems. The problem refused to stay underground, and the country's crappy

sewerage led to increased water waste and an economic loss of more than P78 billion a

year. The largest chunk of the loss, 71%, went to health impacts due to poor sanitation. 23%

of economic losses were attributable to water resource pollution, with the remaining

expenses coming from various welfare effects, including harm from inadequate sanitation to

the travel and tourism sector (Ressa, 2013).

The majority of Cordillera people's use of advanced technologies for treating

wastewater was limited, especially in developing countries, including the Philippines, due to

their high cost and low feasibility. Coconut fiber was noticeable to be one of the potential
SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 3

filtering media for pollutant reduction. It was available in many parts of the Philippines, and

most of them had grown in coastal regional provinces (Islam et al., 2017).

A study was carried out by Mohan (2019), in which a variety of low-cost activated

carbons were developed from agricultural waste materials such as coconut shell, coconut

shell fibers, and rice husk. The low-cost activated carbons were fully characterized and

utilized for the remediation of various pollutants such as chemical oxygen demand (COD),

heavy metals, anions, etc., from industrial wastewater. Sorption studies were carried out at

different temperatures and particle sizes to study the effect of temperatures and surface

areas. The removal of chloride and fluoride increased with a rise in temperature while COD

and metal ions removal decreased with an increase in temperature, thereby indicating the

processes to be endothermic and exothermic, respectively.

Manoj and Vasudevan (2012) aim to determine the effectiveness of coconut coir fiber

for the biological treatment of aquaculture wastewater. The ideal bacterial support medium

for fixed film denitrification processes/bioreactors must be inexpensive, durable, and

possess a large surface area with sufficient porosity. The study focused on removing nitrate

nitrogen at two different nitrate nitrogen loading rates of Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR

I) and 120 Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR II) mg l (-1) from simulated aquaculture

wastewater. The results observed indicate that the organic support medium is just as

efficient in nitrate nitrogen removal as conventionally used synthetic support medium. The

study is important as it specifically focuses on denitrification of aquaculture wastewater using

cheaper organic support medium in anoxic bioreactors for the removal of nitrate nitrogen,

which is seldom addressed as a significant problem.

According to Selamat et al. (2018), water is the most vigorously tremendous element

required for the existence of all living beings on earth. As the population is increasing, the

discharge of wastewater is being increased rapidly all over the world. Therefore, wastewater

treatment is a feasible alternative to consider for new water demands. The research
SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 4

focuses the investigation of pollutants present in wastewater as well as determination of the

effectiveness of using coconut fibers for the filtration of collected wastewater.

Treatment of wastewater was one of the major challenges in developing countries.

Improper management of wastewater could cause serious health and environmental

problems. There were many wastewater treatment methods in the world, but these

techniques needed expertise knowledge, infrastructure facilities, and high maintenance

costs. In the context of developing countries, having low-cost and environmentally friendly

wastewater treatment methods could be useful for day-to-day uses. Therefore, studying the

plausibility of wastewater treatment using attached growth microbial biofilms on coconut fiber

could provide evidence for the fact that coconut fiber biofilm treatment systems could be

used in the above need as a reliable method (Journal of Agriculture and Value Addition,

2019).

The advanced technology for the wastewater treatment process was still limited in

Cambodia, especially for small-medium enterprises (SMEs) that faced their profit margin.

The system, which used coconut fiber as filter media (CFFM), was developed for wastewater

treatment in this study, and the influent wastewater was characterized before treatment. The

aim of this study was overall to estimate the efficiency of CFFM with various media ratios of

coconut fiber and hydraulic retention times (HRTs) for wastewater pollutant reduction. Two

reactor tanks were designed with 14cm3 volumes and complied with low media ratio and

high media ratio (Lai et al.,2021).

In a study conducted by Venkatesan and Palanichamy (2011), the use of coconut

husk as an adsorbent for removing pollutants from wastewater was investigated. They found

that coconut husk had potential as a low-cost and eco-friendly alternative to traditional

adsorbents such as activated carbon. The authors concluded that coconut fiber was a

suitable and cost-effective adsorbent for the treatment of textile wastewater. They suggested

that further research should focus on optimizing the adsorbent's performance and

investigating its potential for large-scale application.

SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 5

Previous studies showed that Low et al. (2015) found that coconut coir was an

effective solution to remove organic matter, phosphate, and ammonia from wastewater. The

maximum growth rate was observed in the column due to the nutrient availability in this

polluted water sample. A simple column model consisting of coconut coir was used to treat

the polluted river water in Malaysia.

Coconut fiber was used as an alternative filter media for the removal of pollutants

as well as fungus, as there were huge numbers of micro-pores with standard surface area

existing in coconut fibers. Previous studies had proven the potential of agricultural by-

products in the effectiveness of using them as a filter media, but no study to date had

inspected the effectiveness of coconut fiber as a filter media. Also, the abundance of the

mentioned resources in Tabuk City inspired the researchers to do this study.

The study created a low-cost filter material for the filtration of wastewater. The

effectiveness of the produced coconut fiber filter was the subject of this study. In addition,

this research sought to examine the challenges associated with filter operation and upkeep,

as well as filter run time and filtering rate, and to offer some suggestions for the created

filter's long-term use. The results of this study could give the community tools of a strategy to

reduce wastewater from the environment by using industrial wastewater treatment. It

guarantees the removal of chemically treated water in a safe, environmentally responsible

manner. The fundamental goal of water treatment.

Theoretical Framework

The process of filtration is an essential step in the production of high-quality water. In

drinking water treatment plants, commonly used granular media filters are designed to

function as depth filtration units. The major objective in filtration is to remove particles in the

influent suspension to produce a filtrate with high clarity. Over the last three decades, depth

filtration has been studied plants. extensively, and a significant understanding of the

mechanisms of particle removal within a filter has been developed. Quantitative descriptions

of the overall process of filtration have evolved from mathematical formulations of the
SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 6

mechanisms of particle removal, and these models have had some important successes and

some notable failures. In the absence of a successful, general and predictive theory for

filtration, it is necessary, at the present time, to com- bine the elements of theoretical and

empirical approaches in order to analyze, design, construct, and operate filters required for

drinking water treatment plants.

This article presents an overview of the current theoretical and conceptual

understanding of granular media filtration and relates it to the major factors influencing the

overall quality of filtered water. Three recent review papers by Ives, Cleasby, and O'Melia,

combined with the article by Tien and Payatakes," provide an excellent background to the

fundamentals of filtration from four different perspectives. This article summarizes the

theoretical and conceptual models of filtration and compares and contrasts them with

experimental and operational data on filtered water quality. In present day theory, the

removal mechanisms of transport, attachment, and detachment are described in two

different modeling approaches; (1) phenomenological theories, and (2) trajectory theories.

These theories are used as background, coupled with empirical evidence, to stress the

importance of chemical destabilization, initial degradation and filter ripening, minimization of

rate changes, and use of polymers for producing high quality water.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Based on the theoretical discussion presented earlier, this study was investigating

the suitability of coconut fiber as a filter media for the treatment of wastewater.

IV DV

Coconut fiber Treatment of wastewater

Figure 1. The hypothesized relationship between variables

SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 7

The figure presented the independent and dependent variables of the study. The first

box labeled IV represented the independent variable, which was the suitability of coconut

fiber as a filter media. The second box labeled DV represented the dependent variable,

which was the treatment of wastewater. An arrow depicted the hypothesized relationship

between the variables.

Statement of the Problem

The study was aimed to determine the filtration properties of wastewater using

coconut fiber as filter media and will seek to answer the following questions.

1. What is the effectiveness of the coconut fiber filter media in filtering pollutants in

wastewater in terms of Total number of Coliforms with the following treatment?

a. Coconut fiber with sand filter media

b. Coconut fiber with sand and stone pebbles filter media

c. Coconut fiber with sand, stone pebbles, and white cotton cloth filter media

2. Is there a significant difference between the filtered and unfiltered wastewater in

terms of Total number of Coliforms among different treatments?

Null Hypothesis

1. There is no significant difference between the filtered and unfiltered wastewater

in terms of Total number of Coliforms different treatments.

Scope and Delimitation

The general intent of the study is to develop a low-cost filter media for wastewater

filtration that help people in case of emergency of disaster, the researchers used coconut

filter to evaluate the filtration properties of coconut fiber such as effectiveness of the

improvised filter media. The study was conduct during the year 2022 to 2023 on the

premised of the CSU in Tuguegarao, Cagayan Region. This used experimental research that

utilized post-test only as a strategy where information is gathered on the outcome result after

the treatment. To see if there is a significant difference among them in terms of compressive

strength. The study was not evaluated or include other aspects of the things that are outside

the scope of this study.

SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 8

Definition of Terms

The following concepts are conceptually and operationally defined in order to provide

more clarity and help in understanding of those used in this study.

Coconut fiber, obtained from unripe coconut is a natural fiber extracted from the

husk of coconut will be developed for wastewater treatment in this study as a filter media

and influent wastewater.

Filtration the process in which solid particles in a liquid or gaseous fluid are removed

using a filter medium that permits the fluid to pass through but retains the solid particles.

Pollutants the release of substances into subsurface groundwater or wastewater

into lakes, streams, rivers, estuaries, and oceans to the point where the substances interfere

with beneficial use of the water or with the natural functioning of ecosystem
SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 9

METHODOLOGY

This section represents the methods and procedures that was followed in the

conduct of the study. It included the materials and equipment used, treatment and general

procedures, experimental design, and the statistical tool used.

I. Research Design

The researchers used an experimental design to gather data for the study, which

aimed to determine the filtration properties of improvised water filtration and to establish the

effect of various factors on the dependent variable. A Randomized Complete Block Design

(RCBD) was used for this quantitative research, as the raw material were randomly assigned

to the treatment, and the experiment was conducted under laboratory conditions with

replication.

II. Gathering of Materials and Equipment

SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 10

Figure 1. Stone pebbles Figure 2. Sand Stones Figure 3. White

Cloth

Figure 4. Coconut Fiber

The researchers made use of coconut fiber, stone pebbles, white cotton cloth, water

bottles and sand with water, in making a water filter media. The following methods were

administered thoroughly to come up with the best result. The procedure for the preparation

of these materials in making the improvised water filtration was washed thoroughly to clean

them so that the filtering part was easy and clean. Coconut fiber was chosen because it had

the quality to filter water, so the researchers cut them into small pieces and washed them

thoroughly. White cotton cloth, water pump, and bottles were also used by the researchers,

and the water pump was used to pump the water.

III. Authentication of Coconut Fiber

The researchers were submitted a sample of coconut fiber to the Department of

Agriculture in Bulanao, Tabuk City to acquire a plant certification. This was to confirm that

the plant species being presented was an actual coconut fiber. This was needed as a

prerequisite for use as a partial replacement for standard filter media.

IV. Collecting of water

SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 11

Figure 5: Collecting a raw water

V. Utilizing Coconut Fiber as a Sustainable Filter Media: Extraction, Separation,

and Characterization"

Figure 6: Separate the coconut fiber from its shell

Figure 7: We put all together the materials to create a improvise filter media
SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 12

Figure 8: Filtration process of the raw water using the improvise filter media

VI. Treatment of the study

The researcher prepared three treatments for the study. Each treatment is replicated

three times to ensure the cleanliness and limpidness of the data gathered.

Table 1. Treatment of the Study

Treatment Materials Measurements

T1 Coconut fiber, sand 10 cm coconut fiber

5 cm sand
T2 Coconut fiber, sand, stone 7 cm coconut fiber
3.5 cm sand
5 cm stone
T3 Coconut fiber, sand, stone, white cloth 5 cm coconut fiber, 2 cm
sand, 3 cm stone, 2 cm white
cloth
SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 13

VII. Treatment Application

Treatment Application

Treatment 1 Spread a layer of 10 cm coconut fiber

evenly in the bottom of the filter

container. Add a layer of 5 cm sand on

top of the coconut fiber layer.

Treatment 2 Spread a layer of 7 cm coconut fiber

evenly in the bottom of the filter

container. Add a layer of 3.5 cm sand

on top of the coconut fiber layer. Add a

layer of 5 cm stone on top of the sand

layer.

Treatment 3 Spread a layer of 5 cm coconut fiber

evenly in the bottom of the filter

container. Add a layer of 2 cm sand on

top of the coconut fiber layer. Add a

layer of 3 cm stone on top of the sand

layer. Add a layer of 2 cm white cloth

on top of the stone layer.

SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 14

VIII. Experimental Layout

This experimental layout explores combinations of coconut fiber, sand, stone, and cloth to

create unique compositions. By experimenting with these materials, we aim to understand

their properties and potential applications. The layout includes three distinct compositions

labeled as TR1, TR2, and TR3.

SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 15

TR 1 TR 2 TR 3

COCONUT FIBER COCONUT FIBER

COCONUT FIBER
SAND
SAND

SAND CLOTH
STONE
IX. Stone
sstone Stone

Data Gathering

A. Water Analysis

For this research, the Cagayan State University (CSU) were tested the water for its

confirmation of the analyzing water to estimate the number of bacteria and to allow for the

recovery of microorganisms to identify them and to confirm if the improvised water filtration is

safe to use and if it is effective. The microbiological water analysis was done by a registered

microbiologist. There is a range of standard methods used in a microbiological testing

laboratory. There are the EPA 3 standards that are used for measuring water quality and

ISO TC 34 SC 9, as well as FDA best practices for microbiological methodology. When

testing food and beverage samples, liquid samples are tested for pathogens. When more

samples are used, it can provide a higher degree of accuracy, allowing samples to be

compared to each other. When microbiological testing is required, there may be methods

that are specified to get the desired results. If not, the lab can use Best Available Technology

(BAT) methods that are accepted across the industry (Torrent Laboratory, 2022).

X. Data Analysis

First, the average value of the data is determined using the weighted meaning

calculating the weighted mean, the average value can be determined by giving venous

weights to some of the individual variables. The data is presented in a different way
SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 16

compared to arithmetic mean o sample mean. Different type of means ae used to calculate

the average of data value (Vedante, 2023).

Second, this study was examined the significant difference between the filtered and

unfiltered wastewater in terms of Total number of Coliforms among different treatments. The

F- Test is employed by the researchers to determine whether an observed multiple

correlation coefficient is significant. The researchers use it to examine the significance of

sample correlation ratio that was discovered. The statistical dispersion in the category within

the sample is defined as the sample correlation ratio as a measure of association. The

researcher assesses its importance (Statistic Solution, 2022).

Lastly, in an analysis of variance (ANOVA), the Scheffe’s test is applied to examine

multiple comparisons among a set of means in order to assess how they differ from one

another.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents the results and findings of the study, which are based on the

research questions. The study focuses on the effectiveness of coconut fiber filter media in

removing pollutants from wastewater, specifically in terms of the total number of coliforms.

The analysis compares the filtered wastewater with the unfiltered wastewater across

different treatment groups: T1 – Coconut fiber and sand, T2 – Coconut fiber, sand, and
SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 17

stone, T3 – Coconut fiber, sand, stone, and white cloth. The study also examines the

significant differences between filtered and unfiltered water.

Total Coliform Count

Table 3.1. Total Coliform count of improvised water filter

Treatments Total number of Coli forms Cagayan State University

(unfiltered wastewater) (CSU) for testing the

water (filtered wastewater)

Coconut fiber 8.0 7.8

Sand

Coconut fiber 8.0 7.6

Sand

Stone pebbles

Coconut fiber 8.0 7.1

Sand

Stone pebbles

White cloth

The table shows the results of the treatment (improvised water filter) with one

replication.

TABLE 3. 2. Total number of Coliform

TREATMENTS MEAN

T1 8.23

(UNFILTERED WASTEWATER)

T2 7.8

(COCONUT FIBER, SAND)

T3 7.6
SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 18

(COCONUT FIBER, SAND, STONE

PEBBLES)

T4 7.2

(COCONUT FIBER, SAND,

STONEPEBBLES, WHITE CLOTH)

Result indicates that the utilization of improvised water filter has high coliform count

which means that the treatment and value set of CSU is rejected.

The results of the study show the total number of coliforms and Escherichia coli (E.

coli) counts in both the unfiltered wastewater and the filtered wastewater using different

treatments. The treatments examined in the study include T1 (coconut fiber and sand), T2

(coconut fiber, sand, and stone), and T3 (coconut fiber, sand, stone, and white cloth).

The table presents the results of the treatments, indicating the total number of

coliforms in the unfiltered wastewater for each treatment. The values for T1, T2, and T3 are

all 8.0, indicating the initial coliform count in the unfiltered wastewater. The filtered

wastewater results, tested by Cagayan State University (CSU), show coliform counts of 7.8

for T1, 7.6 for T2, and 7.1 for T3.

Based on these results, it can be concluded that the utilization of the improvised

water filter did not effectively reduce the coliform count. The coliform counts in the filtered

wastewater were only slightly lower than the initial counts in the unfiltered wastewater.

Therefore, the treatment and value set by CSU are rejected.

To further support this finding, a reference is cited from a study titled "Microbiological

indices for the total coliform count in estuarine waters" by Niel (2004). This study discusses

the challenges in assessing bacterial counts, particularly for estuarine waters where

freshwater flows and sewage discharge can significantly impact bacterial counts. The study

suggests the development of microbiological criteria and indices to overcome these

difficulties.
SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 19

This corroborates the study of Patel et al. (2020), this study evaluates various

filtration systems for their microbial contaminant removal efficiency in wastewater treatment.

It assesses the reduction in coliform bacteria, E. coli, and other microorganisms using

different filtration technologies. The results can provide corroboration for the findings in your

study, emphasizing the challenges in effectively reducing coliform counts.

This supports the idea of Gomez et al. (2019), this study evaluates the performance

of improvised water filters, including those using coconut fiber, in household water treatment.

It assesses the reduction in microbial contaminants, including coliform bacteria, and

examines the factors that may affect filter efficiency. The findings can support your

discussion on the limitations of improvised water filters in reducing coliform counts in

wastewater.

Also, the finding of the study correlates with the findings of Chen et al. (2020), this

comparative study examines the performance of various methods for coliform bacteria

detection in water samples. It assesses the accuracy and sensitivity of different techniques,

such as membrane filtration, multiple tube fermentation, and chromogenic substrates. The

findings can provide additional context to the challenges associated with accurately

quantifying coliform counts in wastewater samples.

The significant difference of filtered water among the different treatments

Table 3.2.a shows the significant difference in the filtered water among the different

treatments: Treatment 1- 7.8 Coconut fiber and sand, Treatment 2- 7.6 Coconut fiber, sand

and stone pebbles and Treatment 3- 7.2 Coconut fiber, sand, stone pebbles, white cloth.

The research study was intended to determine the effectiveness of improvised water

filtration of combined Coconut fiber as an improvised filtration.

Table 3.2.a display the result of ANOVA two factor with replication for the

effectiveness of different treatments. The researchers reject the null hypothesis there is

sufficient evidence to conclude that not all of the means are equal, it concludes that

population means of each treatment are different. There is a significant difference in

SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 20

difference in the compressive strength among the different treatments the f value is greater

than the f critical.

Table 3. 2.a Significant difference in the filtered among the different treatments in Two Factor with replication.

Anova: Single Factor

SUMMARY
Coun Su
Groups t m Average Variance
16.
8 2 7 8.35 0.045
15.
7.9 2 7 7.85 0.005
15.
7.6 2 3 7.65 0.005
14.
7.2 2 5 7.25 0.045

ANOVA
P-
Source of valu F
Variation SS df MS F e crit
Between 1.25 0.41833 6.59
Groups 5 3 3 16.73333333 0.01 1
Within Groups 0.1 4 0.025

1.35
Total 5 7

Based on the provided summary and ANOVA table, the result that conducted an

ANOVA analysis to compare the means of two groups, labeled T1 and T3. Here's a

breakdown of the information:

The ANOVA results suggest that there is a statistically significant difference between

the means of the groups (T1 and T3). The obtained F-value (16.73333333) is greater than

the critical F-value (6.591382116) at a significant level of 0.05 (or 5%). Additionally, the

associated p-value is 0.009957472, which is below the significance level. Therefore, we can

reject the null hypothesis that the means of the groups are equal.
SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 21

Table 3.2.b presents the significant difference in the filtered water among the

different treatments.

The results for table 3.2 showed that out of all treatments, treatment 1 and treatment

4 has the highest critical value. Therefore, difference lies in treatment 1 and 4 since it is

greater than the Scheffe’s critical value.

Result of the study determined that the improvised water filter utilizing coconut fiber

as the filter media did not effectively reduce coliform counts in wastewater. However, the

statistical analysis using ANOVA supported the conclusion, showing a significant difference

between the means of the T1 vs T4. This result further strengthens the finding that the

improvised water filter using coconut fiber was ineffective in reducing coliform counts.

Table 3.2.b significant difference in the filtered water among the different treatments

in Sheffe’s Test.

Table 3. 4.b Significant difference of filtered water among the different treatments in Sheffe’s Test

Treatment 1 vs 0.2 0.02 10 19.77415

Treatment 2 5 5
Treatment 1 vs 0.0 0.02 1.6
Treatment 3 4 5
Treatment 1 vs 1.2 0.02 48.4
Treatment 4 1 5
Treatment 2 vs 0.0 0.02 1.6
Treatment 3 4 5
Treatment 2 vs 0.1 0.02 6.4
Treatment 4 6 5

Conclusion

The study found that the improvised water filter using coconut fiber did not effectively

reduce coliform counts in wastewater. The filtered wastewater showed only a slight decrease

in coliform counts compared to the unfiltered wastewater, which was not statistically

significant. This aligns with previous research highlighting the challenges in reducing

coliform counts in wastewater and suggests the need for improved filtration methods in

wastewater treatment.
SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 22

The study's results reject the treatment and value set by Cagayan State University

(CSU) for testing the water, supporting the idea that further research and development are

necessary to address the difficulties in reducing coliform counts effectively.

This study had some limitations, including a single replication and a focus solely on

coliform counts. Future research should address these limitations and explore alternative

filtration methods to improve wastewater treatment effectiveness.

The study's findings emphasize the need for continued research and development in

filtration technologies to enhance the effectiveness of wastewater treatment in reducing

coliform counts.

Recommendations

Improve the improvised water filter design: Further research and development should

focus on enhancing the design of the improvised water filter using coconut fiber. This may

involve exploring modifications such as incorporating additional filtration media or optimizing

the filter structure to enhance its ability to reduce coliform counts in wastewater.

Conduct further studies with larger sample sizes: To increase the reliability and

generalizability of the results, future studies should include larger sample sizes and multiple

replications. This will help to validate the findings and provide more robust evidence

regarding the effectiveness of the improvised water filter in reducing coliform counts.

Evaluate alternative filtration methods: It is advisable to explore alternative filtration

methods beyond coconut fiber. Other filtration media or technologies may exhibit better

performance in reducing coliform counts in wastewater. Considering the limitations observed

in this study, evaluating a range of filtration options can provide valuable insights for

improving wastewater treatment efficiency.

Assess multiple microbial contaminants and water quality parameters: While this

study focused on coliform counts, it is essential to expand the scope of future research to

include the assessment of other microbial contaminants and water quality parameters. This

comprehensive approach will provide a more holistic understanding of the filter's

effectiveness in improving overall water quality.

SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 23

Collaborate with experts and institutions: Collaborating with experts in the field of

wastewater treatment and partnering with reputable institutions can help leverage their

expertise and resources. This collaboration can facilitate access to advanced filtration

technologies, methodologies, and testing facilities, enabling more comprehensive research

and development in the field.

Promote public awareness and education: It is crucial to raise public awareness

about the limitations of improvised water filters and the importance of proper wastewater

treatment. Educating communities about the potential risks associated with untreated

wastewater and the benefits of using reliable filtration systems can encourage responsible

practices and support the adoption of more effective filtration technologies.

By implementing these recommendations, future studies and developments can

contribute to the advancement of wastewater treatment techniques and help address the

challenges associated with reducing coliform counts effectively.

SUITABILITY OF COCONUT FIBER AS WATER FILTERMEDIA 24

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