Wastewater treatment by pyrolyzed agricultural waste seeds

Wastewater from mining activities is a serious problem due to the heavy metal content in mine waters that reaches communities, agricultural and livestock farms below the water basin. This poses a high risk of contamination of surface and groundwater. For this reason, this research project involves obtaining a filter material based on the process of pyrolysis of seeds, which are obtained in large quantities from agro-industrial activities and are considered as organic waste. Seeds from the common guava (Psidium guajava) and soursop (Annona muricata) were used as precursors of the filtration material. Laboratory test results were positive, finding that the filter media retains large amounts of heavy metals and improves water quality parameters such as turbidity, electrical conductivity, and pH. The method presented in this paper shows that filtration material obtained by pyrolysis is an excellent alternative for wastewater treatment in rural areas which suffer from a lack of access to drinking water with minimum quality standards.