Use of Moringa oleifera Seeds as a Primary Coagulant in Textile Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Recently, development of organic coagulants derived from microorganisms, animal, and plant tissues has been an area of interest of researchers. The present study conducts the performance of natural (M. oleifera seeds) coagulant for turbidity and organic constituent removal from textile wastewater. Impact of dose and pH on efficiency of M. oleifera in textile wastewater was also studied. M. oleifera seeds were extracted and used in powdered form, 2 g of M. oleifera powder mixed with 100 mL water. 95% degradation of textile wastewater sample was achieved when M. oleifera seeds (dose=16 mg/L, pH = 8) were used. Mechanism of M. oleifera coagulation consists of neutralization and adsorption of colloidal positive charge that attract negative charge impurities. Moringa seeds consist of proteins (cationic and dimeric) which help in neutralizing and absorbing colloidal charges in water containing suspended solids. These suspended impurities combine and form heavy clumps which results in easy settling of suspended particles. Natural coagulant produced less voluminous sludge and readily biodegradable that accounts for only 21–31% that of alum-treated counterpart. Seeds of M. oleifera (M. oleifera) yielded proteins which can act as effective coagulants in water and wastewater treatment. M. oleifera seeds have great turbidity and color removal potential. Use of M. oleifera seeds as a primary coagulant would decrease the cost of existing water treatment plants. It is eco-friendly method of purification of water, and consequently, it can be recommended for large-scale water treatment.