USING COAGULANT SUBSTANCES FROM SOME PLANT SOURCES TO TREAT DOMESTIC WASTEWATER

Abstract

Domestic wastewater treatment is currently receiving special attention due to its serious impact on the living environment. The use of natural, readily available and low-cost plant-based coagulants such as jute (Corchorus olitorius), Malabar spinach (Basella alba), aloe vera (Aloe vera), and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) offers a promising and environmentally friendly solution to this problem. Experiment 1 aimed to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of coagulant aids (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 mg/L) combined with 30 mg/L PAC on treatment efficiency. The results showed that a mixture containing 60 mg/L of okra extract achieved superior removal efficiencies of COD (64.18%), turbidity (72.7%), total nitrogen (78.81%) and total phosphorus (82.5%) compared to other plant-based coagulants. Experiment 2 investigated the effect of pH values (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) and experiment 3 examined the impact of settling times (15, 30, 45 minutes) on wastewater treatment performance. The results indicated that at pH 7 and a settling time of 45 minutes, okra extract achieved a COD removal efficiency of 64.18% and turbidity removal above 89%, without altering the pH of the treated water. These findings suggest that using okra-derived coagulants for domestic wastewater treatment is a promising and eco-friendly solution.