Abstract
This study investigated the potential of Moringa oleifera (MO) seed biomass as a coagulant for the removal of turbidity, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of municipal wastewater. Triplicated laboratory experiments using MO coagulant added at varying treatment dosages of 50, 100, 150, 200 mg/L, and a control (0 mg/L) treatment were performed for a settling period of 250 min at room temperature. Kinetics and prediction variables of cumulative turbidity, BOD, and COD removal were estimated using simplified first order and modified Gompertz models. Results showed that the maximum removal of turbidity, BOD, and COD were 94.44%, 68.72%, and 57.61%, respectively, using an MO dose of 150 mg/L. Various kinetic parameters, such as rate constant (r), measured (REm) versus predicted (REp) cumulative removal, and specific pollutant removal rate (µm), were also maximum when an MO dose of 150 mg/L was added, the standard error being below 5%. The developed models were successfully validated over multiple observations. This study suggests low cost and sustainable removal of turbidity, BOD, and COD of municipal wastewater using MO seed biomass as a coagulant.
Highlights
An increasing human population and emerging lifestyles, among other factors, have greatly influenced the quality and quantity of municipal wastewater generation
The modified Gompertz model-based variables increased from control treatment to 150 mg/L Moringa oleifera (MO) treatment and further decreased to 200 mg/L
We deduced that Moringa oleifera (MO) seed biomass was an effective coagulant to may be associated with the kinetic factors, i.e., solute (MO biomass) concentration
Summary
An increasing human population and emerging lifestyles, among other factors, have greatly influenced the quality and quantity of municipal wastewater generation. The applicability of these technologies and techniques are limited in the developing world due to the cost and technical know-how constraints in the procurement of the raw materials and treatment processes required for these techniques [4,5,6]. Some of these treatment methods use excessive chemicals, generate secondary wastes which are often difficult to treat, and are found to be inefficient in the treatment of municipal wastewater due to the fact of varying forms of pollutants [7,8,9]
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