Moringa oleifera L. CAKE AS A POTENTIAL SUBSTITUTE FOR ALUMINUM SULPHATE COAGULANT FOR THE TREATMENT OF SURFACE WATER

Abstract

Chemicals in water treatment are efficient, but they can bring problems to health and the environment, in addition to the possibility of corroding distribution pipes. Moringa oleifera L. grains contain a cationic protein that can be used in water treatment. The objective of the present work was to compare the efficiency of different dosages of the natural coagulant based on Moringa oleifera L. cake with the chemical coagulant based on aluminum sulphate. The preparation of the natural coagulant was done by saline extraction with NaCl, and the chemical coagulant was at a concentration of 5% m/v. The Jar Test was performed with different dosages of natural coagulant and with a single dosage of chemical coagulant to evaluate the efficiency in removing the turbidity and color parameters, in addition to verifying the pH variation. Treatments T1 (chemical coagulant), T4, T5 and T6 (natural coagulant) were statistically similar in terms of turbidity removal efficiency. For color, treatments T1, T5 and T6 were statistically similar. In conclusion, the natural coagulant prepared from Moringa oleifera L. cake can be a great alternative in water treatment, and can be improved.