A PRELIMINARY DOSE AND TIME DEPENDENT STUDY ON TRAPA NATANS DRIED FRUIT POWDER EXTRACT AS COAGULANT- FLOCCULENT FOR TURBID WATER TREATMENT

摘要

Lab scale experiments were conducted to investigate the efficiency of powder extract isolated from the fruits of Trapa natans (also known as Singoda, Singada) as flocculent for the treatment of turbid water samples containing synthetic turbidity of kaolin. Jar test experiments at optimum pH and time were carried out for 10,25, 50, 75 and 100 (NTU) levels of turbidity in the flocculent dose range, of 0.1 mg, 0.2 mg, 0.4 mg, 0.8 mg, 1.2 mg, 1.6 mg and 2.0 mg/L. The flocculation efficiency of Trapa natans fruit dried powder at different turbidity levels and the effects of flocculent dose on percent removal of turbidity are reported. At all the experimental turbidity levels, the increased flocculent dose increased the percentage of turbidity removal upto a certain level, beyond which further increase in dosage showed a decreasing trend in the removal. The optimum dose of the flocculent in the present study was found to be 0.8 mg/L. Trapa natans dried powder has higher efficiency in removing high turbidity in comparison with low turbidity. Highest turbidity removal (88%) was obtained with very high i.e., 100 NTU initial turbidity. The dried powder of Trapa natans fruit is an ecofriendly and low cost anionic polysaccharide capable of reducing suspended particles helps in lowering turbidity of water/wastewater through flocculation process.