Water Quality Improvement Using Selected Plant Biomasses

Abstract

The continuing increase in global population has increased the demand for freshwater supply. One important factor affecting freshwater availability is associated with socioeconomic development, and another factor is the general lack of sanitation and waste treatment facilities in high-population areas of developing countries. The major water quality issues are removal of heavy metals, increased amounts of salts concentration, high turbidity, hardness, water-borne pathogens and noxious and toxic pollutants. Human health is still at substantial risk due to poor quality of drinking water. Treating polluted water mainly available for drinking is a costly process. Using locally available natural coagulants are suitable, easier, and environment friendly options for water treatment.This research was carried out to determine the effectiveness of plant biomassescommonly available which are to treat polluted water. Heavy metals, turbidity, hardness and conductivity were determined.Moringaoleiferashows more than 50 % of metal removal and the highest percentage removal was achieved for Arsenic (As5+) and Iron (Fe3±) 83.49% and 85.86% respectively. Banana peel and corn do not show very high percentages of heavy metal removal. Their heavy metal removal percentages were low as less than 10%.For the turbidity experiment, the percentage absorption of turbidity of StrychnospotatorumandMoringaoleifera were 86.31% and 72.52% respectively. Absorption percentage of hardness high in Moringaoleifera (82.34%), and in Strychnospotatorum(50.80 %). Absorption efficiency is increasing with the increasing dosage of biomass. Highest conductivity absorption (40.22 %) was achieved in Strychnospotatorum. And Zea mays (Corn) also removing 25.56% of conductivity.Moringaoleiferaseeds and Strychnospotatorum can be used to treat the polluted water.