Impact of Natural Coagulants on Primary Sedimentation Performance

The waste generated from various human activities promotes environmental degradation. Improper handling of sewage and waste generated through societies pollutes freshwater bodies. Chemical coagulants have limited success in treating wastewater. So, natural coagulants can be the most suitable alternative to chemical ones. Samples of wastewater from Belkas wastewater treatment plant were treated by coagulation, flocculation, and sedimentation to assess the impact of natural coagulants on primary sedimentation performance. Experiments were conducted using various doses of Moringa oleifera seed powder (MOSP) and banana peel powder (BPP) using jar test equipment. Turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and pH were measured before and after treatment to determine the removal efficiency of turbidity, TSS, BOD5, and COD and the effect of dosage on pH. Results showed that the best dose for (MOSP) at 500 mg/l increased the removal efficiency of turbidity, TSS, BOD5, and COD to 94.39%, 98.97%, 92.35%, and 88.28%, respectively. However, the best dose for (BPP) at 140 mg/l increased the removal efficiency of turbidity, TSS, BOD5, and COD to 69.32%, 64.37%, 61.31%, and 44.23%. No major effect was recorded due to using (MOSP) and (BPP) on pH.