A study in Desalination and Water Treatment by Shinta Amelia, Liya Yustrina Sabila, Siti Jamilatun, and Ilham Mufandi introduces a new, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled system that uses eco-friendly catalysts to treat wastewater from the batik industry. This innovative approach combines real-time monitoring with a heterogeneous Fenton process, offering a scalable and cost-effective solution for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to manage their liquid waste. The system addresses the environmental problems caused by batik wastewater, which contains harmful substances like dyes, heavy metals, and other hazardous chemicals. The core of the treatment process uses a heterogeneous Fenton method, which generates highly reactive hydroxyl radicals to break down complex organic compounds. The catalysts in this system are a mixture of biocharBiochar is a carbon-rich material created from biomass decomposition in low-oxygen conditions. It has important applications in environmental remediation, soil improvement, agriculture, carbon sequestration, energy storage, and sustainable materials, promoting efficiency and reducing waste in various contexts while addressing climate change challenges. More, made from sugarcane bagasse, and natural zeolite, both of which are modified with iron (Fe) to enhance their catalytic activity.

The biochar provides a large surface area for adsorption, while the zeolite offers exceptional ion-exchange capacity and thermal stability, making them a complementary pair. The system is integrated with IoT technology, allowing for real-time monitoring of key parameters like pHpH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is. A pH of 7 is neutral, while lower pH values indicate acidity and higher values indicate alkalinity. Biochars are normally alkaline and can influence soil pH, often increasing it, which can be beneficial More, temperature, and contaminant levels. This is achieved using sensors, microcontrollers, and a cloud-based platform, giving users the flexibility to monitor and control the system remotely.

The research successfully demonstrated the system’s effectiveness. It achieved up to 95% dye removal, with the highest efficiency seen in red (98%) and orange (96%) dyes. The high performance on red and orange dyes is likely due to their chemical structures being more easily oxidized by the hydroxyl radicals. The system’s effectiveness is comparable to or even better than other adsorbents on the market. The study also evaluated the reusability of the catalysts over four cycles. Zeolite demonstrated excellent stability, maintaining a high dye removal efficiency of approximately 95-98% across all cycles. This is because of its rigid crystalline structure. In contrast, biochar showed a significant decline in performance, dropping from ~73% in the first cycle to ~26% by the fourth. The decline is attributed to pore saturation and the temporary nature of its catalytic activity

This project provides a promising solution for sustainable wastewater management in the batik industry. The system’s design, which uses low-cost, locally available materials, makes it particularly suitable for small and medium-sized businesses. However, the authors recommend further research to address challenges such as long-term catalyst stability, operational sensitivity, and the need for regular sensor calibration. Future work should focus on pilot-scale demonstrations, incorporating renewable energy sources, and using adaptive control systems to improve performance and reliability for broader industrial adoption.

Source: Amelia, S., Sabila, L. Y., Jamilatun, S., & Mufandi, I. (2025). Integration of IoT and Heterogeneous Fenton Process Using Biochar-Zeolite Catalysts for Batik Wastewater Treatment. Desalination and Water Treatment.