Use of Moringa oleifera Seed as a Natural Adsorbent for Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Moringa oleifera (MO) is a multipurpose, medium- or small-sized tree, from regions of north-west India and indigenous to many parts of Asia, Africa, and South America. Its pods have been employed as an inexpensive and effective sorbent for the removal of organics, and coagulant for water treatment. It is a non-toxic natural organic polymer. The main objective of this work was to use the MO seeds as a natural adsorbent for the treatment of dairy industry wastewater (DIW). The effects of agitation time, pH, MO biomass dose, and DIW concentration were evaluated. Removal efficiencies of up to 98%, for both color and turbidity, were reached using 0.2 g MO and 0.2 L of 1.0 g/L sorbate solution (DIW). The obtained results showed that MO seed keeps its adsorption power under a pH range between 5 and 8. The adsorption data was fitted to Langmuir isotherm. There was a significant uptake capacity of MO biomass, qmax, which suggested a good affinity between DIW components and sorbent. We conclude that the MO biomass has the potential to be used in the dairy industry wastewater treatment in an efficient way and with low cost.