ABSTRACT

Coagulation plays a primary and important role in water and wastewater treatment. Turbidity
removal is prime objective in coagulation process. The process involves addition of chemical
that produces positive charges to neutralize the negative charge on colloidal particles. The
commonly used coagulants are alum, ferric chloride, copperas etc. Even though their usage is
simple, they have various disadvantages such as voluminous sludge production, reduced
disinfection efficiency etc. In contrast, plant-based coagulants are safe, toxic free and eco-
friendly. The study involves the comparison of the performance of alum and banana pith as a
coagulant. Parameters investigated were turbidity, total solids (TS) and chemical oxygen
demand (COD). Effect of pH and dosage of coagulant was also investigated. Results showed
that banana pith showed maximum turbidity removal efficiency at pH 7 using a dosage of
80mg/L. Also, the results showed that banana pith can be used as a coagulant in the primary
treatment process of wastewater treatment.
 INTRODUCTION

Coagulation is a common process in the treatment of both surface and waste water.
Coagulation and flocculation are one of the most widely adopted techniques to restore the
palatability and improve the aesthetic appearance of turbid water. Coagulation is a chemical
process that involves neutralization of charge whereas flocculation is a physical process and
does not involve neutralization of charge. The coagulation - flocculation can be used as a
preliminary or intermediate step between other water or waste water treatment processes like
filtration and sedimentation. This technique results in the destabilization of colloidal particles
and subsequently, the increment in particle size for ease of sedimentation. These processes
facilitate the removal of suspended and colloidal particles. It is used in the first stage of
solids-liquids separation.

Aluminium sulphate (alum) is the most widely used coagulant. It is proven to reduce
turbidity, inexpensive and is widely available. But recent studies have shown that alum has
got many disadvantages. Residual aluminium in alum treated water is linked to serious health
issues such as the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The results from a number of
epidemiological studies and clinical observations have suggested at least 70% of positive
correlations between the presence of aluminium in drinking water and AD. Other concern
over the presence of residual aluminium in drinking water is reduced water disinfection
efficiency. The main problem in using alum is that it is difficult to dewater the sludge formed
and is not easy to dispose it off, as it is found unsuitable for filling low lying lands. In
contrast to chemical coagulants, plant-based natural coagulants are safe, ecofriendly and
generally toxic free. These have been found to generate not only a much smaller sludge
volume of upto five times lower but also with a higher nutritional sludge value. Natural
coagulants are also non-corrosive which eliminate the concerns of pipe erosions. The
advantages of using natural coagulants over alum is (1) smaller increase in the ionic load of
the treated water, (2) reduced level of aluminium in treated water, (3) cost savings. Organic
coagulants, in most cases, act through adsorption-polymer bridging and charge neutralization.
 DESCRIPTION

1.Wastewater

The waste water has to be collected from the drainage . The sample is collected in containers
and then closed and sealed tight to avoid any oxidation and contamination. The samples are
incubated at 4 ̊ C to prevent them from undergoing any further biodegradation due to
microbial activities.

2.Banana pith

The banana pith has to be purchased from the local market. 500g of banana pith is oven dried
at 100 ̊C for 24 hours. The dried pith is grinded to get a fine powder. The powder is then
sieved through 0.4mm sieve.

3. Alum

Alum is collected and the required amount of alum was then weighed and stored accordingly.

The study conducted was to compare the performance of alum and banana pith as a
coagulant. The parameters studied were turbidity, total solids and chemical oxygen demand.
The jar test experiments were performed on varying values of pH and dosage of coagulant.
The coagulation experiments using alum and banana pith indicated that coagulation process
effectively removed turbidity water from water using 80mg/L. The optimum pH for turbidity
removal was found to be 10 and 7, respectively for alum and banana pith resulting in
maximum turbidity removal. The highest turbidity removal efficiency was within 97 – 98%
and 97- 99% respectively for alum and banana pith. Generally results showed that the
performance of alum and banana pith was almost same. Also both of them were able to meet
the effluent discharge standards. But, alum has got various disadvantages such as reduced
disinfection efficiency due to the presence of residual aluminium, large sludge volume, health
effects etc. whereas banana pith is safe, toxic free and more efficient. Therefore, banana pith
can be used as an efficient coagulant in the pre-treatment stage of waste water treatment.