The use of Carica papaya seeds as bio coagulant for laundry wastewater treatment

Abstract

The study aims to analyze the effectiveness of wastewater treatment by using Carica papaya seeds as bio coagulants to diminish total suspended solids (TSS) and excess phosphate. This method has some advantages because it does not use chemical materials, is simple to apply, and is safe for the environment and human health. The wastewater samples were taken from an active laundry site in Palembang City, South Sumatra Province of Indonesia. The study found that the best dosage of coagulant was 3 g for the wastewater samples. The pH and BOD parameters showed slight changes after treatment, with pH 7.63–7.19 and 33–27 mg/L values, respectively. The TSS removal efficiency ranged from 9.3 to 15.6%, while the COD and phosphate removals were obtained from 11.7 to 39.3% and 56.3 to 68.4%, respectively. The treated TSS, COD, and phosphate concentrations have met the Indonesian domestic wastewater quality standard and environmental protection organization (EPO) guidelines. In addition, the statistical analysis and t-test showed significant differences (p < 0.05) for before and after treatment data of all parameters. The ANOVA test showed significant differences (p < 0.05) for all parameters among the three treatments. Overall, the study indicated that C. papaya seeds are promising materials that are eco-friendly and useful to treat laundry wastewater.