Natural Coagulants for the Treatment of Water and Wastewater: A Futuristic Option for Sustainable Water Clarification

Abstract

Many studies reported the application of natural coagulants in removing pollutants with the help of the coagulation process, and coagulants showed their efficiency in comparison to the literature available. Yet, the utilization or acceptance of these coagulants in treating industrial wastewater is very low. Thus, there is a need for a strategy for enhancing the potential usage of coagulants for water treatment, presenting prevailing options and efforts for the development of coagulants. The utilization of coagulants can be improved by showing their efficiency in comparison to the advanced treatment technologies available in the present scenario. The coagulation efficiency with natural coagulants can be enhanced by mongrelizing the coagulants with other coagulants, enhancingthe purity during extraction procedures, and coalescence of coagulants. However, the research on natural coagulants isquite encouraging. The perception of sustainable assessment studies revealed that commercialization/acceptance of coagulants for treatment options are hindered by their applicability and feasibility in real-time applications, and utilization of coagulants ignores the socio-economic, ecological, and technical aspects. The present review mainly focuses on the issues related to natural coagulants for clarifying the uncertainties and simultaneously making the water industries to be more sustainable.