INVESTIGATING THE USE OF HEAVY METAL

CONTAMINATED COCO PEAT AS

AN ADDITIVE IN MORTARS
Alexis Bryan G. Rivera1, Ma. Doreen E. Candelaria, Jessie O. Samaniego,
Maria Antonia N. Tanchuling, Marielle Elaida G. Monteclaro, Ernanie G. Marin
1

Institue of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of the Philippines-Diliman,

agrivera40165@gmail.com
Received Date: October 24, 2014

Abstract
Coco peat, a by-product of the extraction of coco fiber from coconut husk, has been proven to
be a viable material for sorption of heavy metals. While still being further developed to
enhance its efficiency as a biosorbent material, its disposal after contamination has not been
given much attention. Thus, this study focuses on the feasibility of using contaminated coco
peat as additive in mortars, as one of the means of disposal of contaminated cocopeat. This
study uses the concept of solidification and stabilization in immobilizing the heavy metals in
a contaminated coco peat that was used as a sorbent material in the treatment of wastewater
from the small-scale gold mining site in Paracale, Camarines Norte. The coco peat was added
to a mortar mix and replaced a portion of the cement (by mass) in the mixture. The
effectiveness of this method could be defined by two parameters: (1) the Unconfined
Compressive Strength of the samples and (2) the ability of this method to immobilize the
heavy metals which was assessed through Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure
(TCLP). The amount of coco peat added in the samples was varied with increments of 10% of
the amount of cement in the mix. Using ASTM C270-12a as the standard, results show that
only mortars with up to 40% coco peat passed the Type N mortar, which is used for general
purpose application and has a minimum average compressive strength of 5.2 MPa. TCLP
examination of the mortars showed that concentrations are below detection limit value for As,
Ba, Cr, Cd, Pb, Hg, and Se, according to DAO 29.

Keywords: Mortars, Coco Peat, Solidification, Stabilization, Biosorbent, Disposal

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background
Mining is a growing industry in the Philippines. Gold, copper and nickel are some of
the minerals which are richly deposited in the country and are being extracted by
small and large scale miners. Mining helps in utilizing the deposited minerals;
however, the recovery of these minerals also produces wastewater which can harm the

environment. Mining and industrial wastewater is a major source of heavy metal

pollution in the environment. Large scale miners have the means of treating
wastewater before it is discharged to nearby bodies of water. However, small scale
miners cannot afford to install a wastewater treatment plant and therefore they settle
with sedimentation tanks.
Coco-peat is the by-product of the extraction of coco fiber from coconut husk. It is
typically used as a soil additive but it is now being developed as a sorbent material.
Heavy metals are adsorbed by being attached or attracted to the surface of the sorbent
material making the heavy metal content of the wastewater less than when it was
discharged from the mining site. After the heavy metals have been adsorbed, the
quality of the water may now be acceptable to be discharged to the nearest body of
water. However, the heavy metals were just transferred to another medium (i.e. coco
peat) and may still be hazardous to the environment if not disposed of properly. There
is a need to immobilize the heavy metal in the sorbent material to keep it from causing
harm to the environment. Currently, the means of treating contaminated sorbent
materials are by desorption, incineration, and solidification/stabilization.
Solidification/stabilization (s/s) is a process that immobilizes heavy metals by the
chemical bonding between a contaminant and an additive e.g. Portland cement or
pozzolan. Additives are used to transform the waste into a more manageable form, a
less toxic form by physically or chemically immobilizing the waste constituent. When
the additives react, a high strength waste/concrete matrix is produced, therefore, the
waste is contained by entrapment of waste particles (Ballesteros, 1991). Cementbased s/s technology is widely used because it offers assurance of chemical
stabilization of many contaminants and produces a stable form of waste (Singh, Pant,
2005).
Many studies were made regarding the effectiveness of this method on contaminated
inorganic sorbent materials. The present study aims to determine the efficiency of this
method on organic sorbent materials or biosorbent materials by adding contaminated
coco-peat in a concrete mix.
Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials. On average, more
than two tons per year of concrete is produced for a person (Chandler, 2011). It is

usually made by mixing gravel, sand, cement and water. The amount of each
component used in mixing concrete depends upon the factors considered during the
mix proportioning such as type of construction, strength requirement, and where the
concrete will be used. Chemical additives or admixtures may be added to the mixture
to improve the quality of the concrete, i.e. by modifying the time for the materials to
react, reducing heat produced, accelerating strength development at early age,
increasing the durability of concrete, etc., in order for the concrete to adapt to the
environment where it is mixed and exposed to. Mineral additives are mixed into
concrete and replace a portion of the cement. This is done to reduce the amount of
cement used making the mix more economical. The additives used may be organic or
inorganic, depending on the property of the concrete being improved. In this study,
the spent coco peat will be used as an additive in the concrete.
Small amounts of some organic compounds can delay the Portland cement-based
reactions responsible for solidification which makes it (biosorbents) harder to solidify
than inorganic sorbent materials (Ballesteros, 1991). The strength of the concrete with
contaminated coco-peat would have to be checked as well to determine its possible
structural or construction application.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
Utilization of biosorbent materials such as coco peat offers effective and economic
alternative in removing heavy metal content of wastewater produced by mining
industries, thus providing safe means of wastewater disposal. However, the disposal
of used sorbent materials has not been given too much attention. Due to high heavy
metal content, used coco peat poses a threat to the environment as it leaches
contaminants to the ground.
1.3. Objectives
The goal of the study is to assess the effectiveness of using heavy metal contaminated
coco peat as additive in concrete as a means of disposal. The study aims to
immobilize the heavy metals in the contaminated coco peat using the concept of
solidification and stabilization (s/s); furthermore, to give additional value to the
product of s/s, the immobilization will be done through mortars and concrete. The

study also aims to optimize the concrete mix by determining the maximum amount of
coco peat that could be added to the mix without compromising the strength of the
concrete.

1.4. Significance of the Study

Waste disposal has always been a problem in this country. Some wastes contain
harmful elements or compounds which may pose danger to the people and the
environment. It is necessary for some waste to be treated first before it is disposed of
to its designated landfill. Using spent coco peat as an additive in concrete will not
only help make a concrete mix more economical but it will also provide a safe means
of disposal for the heavy metal contaminated organic sorbent.