Optimum Dose of Colloidal Silver (Ag) Coated on Activated Carbon Media to Reduce Coliform Bacteria in Clean Water Supply

Abstract

In line with the raise of population, clean water contamination level also has raised so that clean  water treatment is needed to enhance the physical, chemical and biological quality. This research aims to determine the optimum dose of colloidal silver coated on activated carbon media to reduce coliform bacteria in clean water supply. This research is descriptive research in form of quasi experiment using activated carbon media coated by colloidal silver in several dose : 0 mg/g; 2,5 mg/g; 5 mg/g and 10 mg/g. At first, MPN coliform in clean water were examined then it was contacted through the media with constant flow rate of 0,8 l/m then output MPN coliform were examined. The results show the average MPN coliform after column test using colloidal silver coated on activated carbon is smaller than neat activated carbon (0 mg/g) with lowest average MPN coliform is occurred on 10 mg/g media reached 83,4. The highest average percentage of MPN coliform reduction is also occurred on 10 mg/g media reached 81,87%. However, the optimum dose in this research is not determined yet because the results of MPN coliform using three media (2,5 mg/g; 5 mg/g and 10 mg/g) are not appropriate to microbiological clean water standards according to Indonesian Ministry of Health regulation on Permenkes No. 416/Menkes/PER/IX/1990. Further research needs to be conducted using doses above 10 mg/g to determine the optimum dose in reducing coliform bacteria in clean water. Moreover, contact time can be increased to get higher reduction in order to determine the optimum dose.

Keywords: Colloidal Silver, Activated Carbon, Coliform, Water Treatment.