Effectiveness of Activated Carbon Made from Coconut Shell and Bamboo to Reduce Iron Level (Fe) in the Well Water

High concentration of iron in the water can cause technical and health problems. Activated carbon can be used to reduce iron levels in the water by absorption process. A variety of activated carbon can be made from many materials including coconut shells and bamboo. The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of activated carbon made of coconut shell and bamboo, in reducing iron contents of the well water. Experimentation was designed with pre and post-test control. The population of this study was well water with relatively high iron contents, whereas the sample was well water taken from the population. Data were collected by investigating the iron contents of the well water before and after contact with activated carbon. Data were processed and analyzed using independent T- test. The result showed a p 0.001 which means that there are differences in the ability of the activated carbon made of coconut shell and bamboo in reducing the iron contents of the well water,. Bamboo activated carbon could reduce iron contents of well water by 87.77 % while the coconut shell activated carbon 79.62 % . It can be concluded that bamboo activated carbon could reduce iron contents in the well water more effectively than coconut shell activated carbon.