Investigation of time impact on electrocoagulation process to treat ablution wastewater

Abstract

The ablution ritual performed by Muslims before praying requires large amounts of clean water (3.9 L - 4.42 L/person). This is a challenge that needs to be addressed, as in some places, water is a scarce commodity. This study aims to treat ablution wastewater at Masjid Al-Bukhari UIN Raden Mas Said Surakarta using electrocoagulation. The treated water is expected to be reused for ablution rituals in the mosque. Laboratory-scale research methods were performed to treat ablution wastewater. The effect of electrolysis time was evaluated to determine efficiency of the method on the parameters of pH, temperature, total dissolved solid (TDS), conductivity, and ammonia level. Interestingly, ablution wastewater treated using electrocoagulation meets clean water quality standards. This means that the water is safe to reuse for ablution activities in mosques. The electrolysis time has a significant effect on the increase of pH value and the decrease of ammonia level. TDS levels decreased to 65.3% when treated for 40 min. Meanwhile, the conductivity value decreased to 526 µS/cm from the initial value of 1108 µS/cm when the water was treated for 60 min. Statistically, electrolysis time has a significant effect on the decrease of TDS, conductivity, and ammonia levels (α<0.05).