Improvement of water treatment pilot plant with Moringa oleifera extract as flocculant agent.
Moringa oleifera extract is a high-capacity flocculant agent for turbidity removal in surface water treatment. A complete study of a pilot-plant installation has been carried out. Because of flocculent sedimentability of treated water, a residual turbidity occured in the pilot plant (around 30 NTU), which could not be reduced just by a coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation process. Because of this limitation, the pilot plant (excluded filtration) achieved a turbidity removal up to 70%. A slow sand filter was put in as a complement to installation. A clogging process was characterized, according to Carman-Kozeny's hydraulic hypothesis. Kozeny's k parameter was found to be 4.18. Through fouling stages, this k parameter was found to be up to 6.36. The obtained data are relevant for the design of a real filter in a continuous-feeding pilot plant. Slow sand filtration is highly recommended owing to its low cost, easy-handling and low maintenance, so it is a very good complement to Moringa water treatment in developing countries.
Beltrán-Heredia
J
J
Universidad de Extremadura, Department of Chemical Engineering and Physical Chemistry, Avda. de Elvas, s/n. 06071 Badajoz, Spain.
Sánchez-Martín
J
J
D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005427:Flocculation; D029588:Moringa oleifera / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards
D010936:Plant Extracts