Available online www.jocpr.com Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research, 2014, 6(12):619-624 Research Article ISSN : 0975-7384 CODEN(USA) : JCPRC5 619 Ammonia and organic compound removal from dairy milk simulation wastewater by coconut shell (Cocos nucifera) Hery Purnobasuki, Nur Indradewi Oktavitri*, Eko Prasetyo Kuncoro, Adelia Anju Asmara and Santini Ika Rafsanjani Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT One of organic compound which inhibits anaerobic waste water treatment is ammonia. Ammonia concentration can decrease with coconut shell as media in anaerobic wastewater treatment. This research using dairy milk simulated waste water. This research is studying ammonia concentration, COD, alkalinity, VFA, ammonia removal and COD removal after incubation 7 days. This research use square shaped reactor made of HDPE. The total Volume of the reactor is 12 L. The reactor mainly consists an influents port, effluent port and manometer. This research using anaerobic batch system. The reactor contained coconut shell activated carbon and dairy milk simulated wastewater after 7 days, the reactor is capable of ammonia and COD allowance for a maximum of 60.55% and 44.54% is the reactor with the addition of coconut shell activated carbon with an ammonia concentration of 1000 mg/L In this research also analyses the Scanning Electron Microscopy of coconut shell activated carbon after contact with dairy milk simulated wastewater. Key words: Ammonia, biogas, Chemical Oxygen Demand _____________________________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Anaerobic digestion produced biogas Biogas consist some gas such as methane, carbon dioxide, and also other gas. The problems of low methane yield and process instability are often encountered in anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion offers numerous significant advantages, such as low sludge production, low energy requirement, and possible energy recovery [1]. Biogas production can be decreased if the reactor conditions are not supported. Inhibitory substance are often found to be the leading cause of anaerobic reactor failure since they are present in substantial concentrations in wastewaters and sludge. Several factors that affect the stability of the anaerobic process can be derived from organic and inorganic compounds, such as ammonia, sulphides, metal ions, heavy metals, organic materials, and so on. But of some of these factors, ammonia is an organic compound that is often inhibits anaerobic processes mainly in the production of biogas. Biogas production will be reduced by the presence of inhibitors of ammonia in the anaerobic digestion. HRT may also have an impact on the increase in the amount of ammonia. In addition, the pH and temperature also affect the reactive of ammonia. Highest ammonia concentration is the range of 5-200 mg N/L is used micro organisms as nutrients. Ammonia concentration of 200-1500 mg N/L did not significantly affect the micro organisms. The other side, the concentration of ammonia that can be inhibitors are currently on the value of 1500-3000 mg N/L. ammonia concentrations would be toxic to the anaerobic process if the concentration is more than 3000 mg N/ L [2]. One of the efforts to reduce the inhibitor properties of anaerobic ammonia and make the system more stable is to use the media. Ammonia can be removed by using a filter media, a media that is used to reduce the inhibitor properties