Abstract:
Agricultural waste holds promise as an adsorbent in wastewater treatment; however, its potential remains
understudied, particularly regarding biofunctionalized grape pomace, coffee husks, and corn cobs for carwash
wastewater treatment, along with their integration with solar-powered UV-LED disinfection. This study explores
the effectiveness of these bio-functionalized adsorbents in wastewater treatment, revealing grape pomace’s high
efficacy in removing lead (95.2%), fluorides (94.4%), and nitrates (94.8%), while corn cobs and coffee husks
showed significant removal efficiencies for zinc (88.5% and 95.5%, respectively) and cyanides (84.8% and
89.6%, respectively). Grape pomace exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) of 162.6 mg/g for lead
ions, while coffee husks had the highest qmax of 182.82 mg/g. Kinetic analysis indicated corn cobs’ slower initial
adsorption capacity and moderate adsorption rate, contrasting with grape pomace and coffee husks. Furthermore, treatment with these adsorbents, followed by UV-LED disinfection, substantially reduced microbial counts
in treated water, underscoring their potential in ensuring water safety. The integration of biofunctionalized
adsorbents with UV-LED disinfection presents a promising approach for sustainable and efficient wastewater
treatment, with implications for water quality improvement and public health protection.
