Evaluation of Annona diversifolia Seed Extract as A Natural Coagulant for Water Treatment

Abstract

The ever-present environmental crises are current research hotspots. Nature-based solutions have been shown to have multiple co-benefits toward solving these crises. Plant-based coagulants are known to be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach for coagulation and flocculation processes for drinking-water treatment. In this study, a natural coagulant was extracted from Annona diversifolia seed, and its effectiveness was investigated for turbidity reduction using jar test in kaolin suspension, river water, and evaluation of factors for sludge dewatering. The characterisation studies of Annona diversifolia seed extract were carried out using techniques including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential analyser, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Response surface methodology (RSM) was also performed for the optimisation study. The results from FTIR showed that Annona diversifolia seed extract contains carboxyl and hydroxyl functional groups. The charge density was found to be negative. A web-like structure surface morphology was observed from TEM. The optimum treatment settings were found to be at pH 3 and a dosage of 25 mg/L for water treatment, and 50 mg/L for sludge dewatering, which were comparable to the metal–salts coagulants. Annona diversifolia seed extract has been shown to be a good natural coagulant. Further research can be conducted to modify and enhance its performance.

Continuous-Flow Grafting of LENFLOC™ Coagulant for Water Treatment toward Circular Economy

“…In general, the aforementioned benefits of natural coagulants agree with the concept of the circular economy of water, where "take-use-reuse" are literarily observed, and sustainable development is the niche [6][7][8][9]40]. Therefore, the role of plant-based coagulants as part of natural solutions toward achieving the circularity of water cannot be overemphasised [15,40]. Although natural coagulants have been associated with some disadvantages, the ability to modify their physicochemical properties (enhancing their coagulation and flocculation efficiency, and biological stability), and the potential of upscaling their production from batch to continuous flow process make them revolutionary in the water sector.…”

“…Furthermore, clean water free from traces of chemicals will be produced. This contributes towards solving the long-term problem of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's (associated with alum) and the suspicion of carcinogens for polymer (Acrylamide monomer) used as a coagulant [15,38,39].…”