Abstract—This study investigated the removal of the heavy
metals copper (Cu²⁺) and iron (Fe²⁺) from simulated textile
wastewater using untreated coco peat adsorbent and Malachite
Green (MG) dye. The effects of contact time and adsorbent
dosage on adsorption capacity were examined in batch
adsorption studies. Within 30 min, iron and copper reached
their optimum adsorption capacities, and 10 g/L was determined
to be the ideal dosage. MG showed a slower adsorption rate,
reaching peak uptake at 180 min; however, Tukey HSD post-hoc
analysis showed no significant difference in adsorption values
between 30 and 180 min, allowing 30 min to be considered a
practical contact time for all three pollutants. Physical forces
and electrostatic interactions between the cationic species in
solution and the functional groups on the coco peat were
perceived to be contributing to the observed behavior. These
results show that coco peat can be used as an economical, locally
sourced material to treat wastewater. By promoting sustainable
water treatment methods, the study helps achieve the UN
Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goals 6, 12, and 13.
Keywords—Coco peat adsorbent, Malachite Green removal,
Heavy metal adsorption, Simulated textile wastewater, Batch
adsorption experiment, Sustainable water treatment
Cite: Chester Kenneth Andra, Everline Manriquez, Vikki Marie Quilo, Keziah Villena, and Tristan Roy Panaligan, "Agricultural Waste Valorization for Industrial Effluent Treatment: Simultaneous Adsorption of Cu(II), Fe(II), and MG Dye Using Coco Peat," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 243-249, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).