{
  "abstract": "This study evaluated the effectiveness of a decentralized, on-farm wastewater treatment system using locally generated rice husk biochar for safe agricultural irrigation reuse in Diewuoso-Obuasi, Ghana. The system, a two-stage downflow filtration system, treated raw municipal wastewater over 10 days. Results showed significant removal of turbidity (66.92%), total dissolved solids (38.19%), and salinity (22.03%), meeting FAO irrigation limits. However, electrical conductivity increased (26.58%) due to ash-mineral leaching. Microbial analysis indicated substantial log-scale removal efficiencies for E. coli (90.42%), fecal coliforms (98.39%), and total coliforms (99.99%), but final effluent concentrations exceeded WHO and Ghana EPA thresholds for unrestricted irrigation. The study concludes that while the rice husk biochar filter is an efficient pre-treatment component, it requires secondary post-treatment disinfection to eliminate public health risks, offering a scalable model for circular resource recovery in rural farming communities.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana",
    "School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences (MEWES), Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Lydia Otoo Amponsah"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "David Nartey Obemah"
    },
    {
      "name": "Belinda Lee Quayson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Albert Banunle"
    },
    {
      "name": "Daniel Kwame Oware Asamoah"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mwema Felix Mwema"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e419wjcdzswb9.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pwat.0000612",
  "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000612",
  "id": "e419wjcdzswb9",
  "issns": [
    "2767-3219"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000612",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2311|Wastewater Treatment and Reuse"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Agriculture/Agricultural methods/Agricultural irrigation"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Agriculture/Crop science/Crops"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Microbiology/Medical microbiology/Microbial pathogens/Bacterial pathogens/Escherichia coli"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Bacteria/Enterobacteriaceae/Escherichia/Escherichia coli"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Bacteria/Gut bacteria/Escherichia/Escherichia coli"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Pollution/Water pollution"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Health care/Sanitization/Disinfection"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Infectious disease control/Sanitization/Disinfection"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Pathology and laboratory medicine/Pathogens/Microbial pathogens/Bacterial pathogens/Escherichia coli"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Public and occupational health/Preventive medicine/Sanitization/Disinfection"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Chemical properties/Salinity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Physical chemistry/Chemical properties/Salinity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials physics/Turbidity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Electricity/Electric conductivity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Materials physics/Turbidity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Animal studies/Experimental organism systems/Model organisms/Escherichia coli"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Animal studies/Experimental organism systems/Prokaryotic models/Escherichia coli"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Model organisms/Escherichia coli"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7212170281",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/water/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000612&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-10",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e419wjcdzswb9.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:56Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pwat.0000612",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000612"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:microbiology",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    },
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "plos:pollution",
      "subfield": "environmental-science"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:infectious diseases",
      "subfield": "infectious-disease"
    }
  ],
  "title": "On-farm wastewater treatment for irrigation using biochar from local agro-residues in Obuasi, Ghana",
  "title_text": "On-farm wastewater treatment for irrigation using biochar from local agro-residues in Obuasi, Ghana",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:56Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e419wjcdzswb9",
  "venue": "PLOS Water",
  "versions": []
}