A comparative study on the efficiency of Moringa oleifera seed extract and aluminum sulfate applications as coagulants in different water treatment plants in Menoufia Governorate, Egypt

Abstract

The availability of safe drinking water is very vital issue. In this study four different water plants (surface and ground) were chemically, physically and microbially tested before and after treatment. Surface water was better than ground water regard to their physical and chemical parameters. But the quality of river water is not stable due to suspended particles load caused by land development and high storm runoff during the rainy seasons. Two different coagulants were used for water coagulation and purification: Aluminum sulfate (chemical coagulant) and Moringa oleifera seeds extraction (natural coagulant), and the coagulation process was performed with and without chlorination. M. oleifera was more effective on bacteria of raw water without chlorination than aluminum sulfate. The heterotrophic plate count (HPC) was decreased by 83.6% using Moringa oleifera while with Aluminum sulfate, it decreased by 44.3 %. The total coliform bacteria using Moringa oleifera were decreased by 94.2 % while using aluminum sulfate it decreased by 34.6 %. The fecal coliform bacteria using Moringa oleifera were decreased by 98 % while with aluminum sulfate it decreased by 47.8%. The fecal streptococcus bacteria with using M. oleifera were decreased by 98.7% while using aluminum sulfate it was decreased by 60.6 %. Turbidity of raw water was 13.8 NTU and decreased to 2.2 NTU and 2.1 NTU with Moringa oleifera and aluminum sulfate, respectively. Moringa oleifera seeds extraction is non-toxic and has no side effects like aluminum sulfate and can substitute aluminum sulfate in water treatment.