Evaluation of natural coagulants for direct filtration

In the present study surjana (Moringa oleifera) seed, maize (Zea mays) and chitosan were used in direct filtration of Bilaoli lake water and evaluated for their efficiency in removing turbidity and microorganisms from water. The experiments with these natural coagulants gave filtered water turbidity less than or almost equal to 1NTU and thereby met the turbidity criteria for drinking water as per WHO guidelines. Bilaoli lake water had low ionic strength and low turbidity which represents one of the most difficult raw waters to treat, but natural coagulants in direct filtration achieved good filtrate quality. The head loss development across the filter bed with chitosan was more than that of alum, while with maize it was comparable to that of alum. With M. oleifera seeds the head loss was much less in comparison to alum. The average most probable number (MPN) reductions obtained with M. oleifera seeds, maize and chitosan were 97.35%, 95.4% and 87.1% respectively, whereas, with alum it was only 7.7%.