A Banapure: A Portable Banana Peel Ecofilter for Clean Water Needs in Survival and Emergency Conditions

• Myisha Nabila Ardhana

  Author

• Chelsea Argya Putri Divantie

  Author

• Myiesha Akilah Pambudi

  Author

• Vania Audrey Kusuma Prabowo

  Author

Access to safe drinking water in remote, rural, and emergency settings remains a critical global challenge. Conventional water treatment systems are costly, complex, and inaccessible in resource-limited environments, necessitating the development of low-cost, locally sourced filtration alternatives. This study presents Banapure—a portable, multi-stage ecofilter constructed from biodegradable and locally available natural materials, with banana peel (Musa spp.) as its principal biosorbent component. The Banapure system incorporates sequential filtration layers comprising a sponge pre-filter, coconut shell fiber, activated charcoal, carbonized banana peel, fine sand, gravel, and cloth fabric, housed within a bamboo receptacle to eliminate microplastic contamination associated with conventional plastic-based filters. Performance was evaluated through physical and chemical water quality parameters including color, odor, turbidity, pH, and filtration flow rate, using 250 mL contaminated water samples. Results demonstrated that the Banapure filter effectively transformed turbid, malodorous water (pH 5.6) into clear, odorless water with a near-neutral pH of 7.2, within a filtration time of approximately 7 seconds per 250 mL, with a volumetric recovery of 240–245 mL. The heavy metal adsorption capacity of the banana peel biosorbent is attributed to its carboxyl (–COOH), hydroxyl (–OH), and amine (–NH₂) functional groups, which form coordination bonds with divalent heavy metal cations including Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺. A comparative analysis against commercial portable pump filters confirmed Banapure's superior environmental sustainability, negligible production cost, and practical utility in low-resource field conditions, despite reduced pathogen removal capability relative to advanced synthetic filters. These findings establish Banapure as a viable, eco-friendly solution for emergency and outdoor water purification.

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