Prospects of Low-cost Chitosan as an Eco-friendly and Economic Water Purification Method

Water, an essential resource for the survival of living organisms, is deteriorated by increased anthropogenic interference and a lack of policies to sustain water resources. Consumption of polluted water, especially by the younger population, is a major concern as it leads to mortality rates due to water-borne infections. It is thus indispensable to explore methods for removing impurities, making the water suitable for drinking/domestic usage. The U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has authorised Chitosan for drinking water purification. The present study was conducted to analyse water quality and evaluate the efficacy of a low-cost Chitosan in ameliorating the harmful effects of samples collected from Delhi. Dose (8 mg/L, 20 mg/L) and time (0 h, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, and 24 h) kinetic studies were conducted to purify water with Chitosan. It was found that water is suitable for domestic purposes as there were significant changes in various chemical parameters (TDS, Total Hardness, Chloride, and Sulphate ion) after treatment with the Chitosan. Although the improvement was not up to the acceptable range of drinking water as WHO, desired results can be obtained by further standardising various other doses and duration of treatment to attain drinking water quality. In countries like India, where most of the population belongs to low socioeconomic status, the affordability of a water purifier for everyone is a concern. Therefore, it becomes imperative that a low-cost, affordable, and adequate water purification media is available to the general public. Chitosan used for the current study was used alone and procured at a low price, thus increasing affordability for the low-income class public.