In Colombia there is a large gap between urban and rural areas in terms of the coverage of water and sanitation infrastructure. In 2018 there was a water supply system coverage of 87.6% in urban areas and 35% in rural areas. Some studies report that in 2017, 53.6% of the rural population did not have access to drinking water, given that these areas of the country are spread out in zones where conventional treatment systems are not adequate.
This study focuses on the color and turbidity removal performance of two natural coagulants at a given turbidity level; 40 – 50 NTU. The first of which, Moringa Oleifera, is widely known for its properties as a coagulant, and the other is Yausa (Abutilon Insigne Planch), a native plant species of Colombia that is used in an artisanal process of sugar extraction from sugar cane. Both natural coagulants were evaluated using a jar test procedure. Results showed that M. Oleifera and Yausa removed 90% and 93.6% turbidity respectively. For color removal, efficiencies of 95% and 85.3% were obtained respectively for M. Oleifera and Yausa.. Usage of natural coagulants (i.e M.Oleifera or Yausa) as opposed to chemical ones (i.e., alum), can be considered as an alternative for water treatment, especially in rural areas where the economic situation and access to chemical coagulants is difficult, and where the use of native species such as Yausa for industrial process is practiced.
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