Simultaneous Mitigation of Wastewater Pollutants Utilizing Greener Process

Abstract

The utilization of Moringa Oleifera (MO) seed extract and blue-green algae allows us to develop an environmentally friendly (green) to purify wastewater and reduce its environmental risks. The primary aim of this study is to use the MO seeds and blue-green algae as a natural greener adsorbent to mitigate chemical and microbial pollutants from wastewater. Accordingly, water quality from the El-Rahawy drain was examined before and after the treatment using MO seed and MO & algae. MO seed displayed high removal efficacy in lessening and preventing inorganic and organic pollutants in El-Rahawy drain samples. Water turbidity was removed up to 80-92% from a concentration of 11-23 NTU and dissolved oxygen (DO) was improved by 58% from 0.1-4 mg/L. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) were increased after the addition of the MO seed extract, whereas mixing the MO and algae reduced the increase done by the seed extract. Nevertheless, there was no significant alteration in pH, conductivity, salinity, and total dissolved solids after the treatment. Copper, barium, and iron were eliminated entirely, whereas aluminum, cobalt, lead, manganese, and coliforms were successfully removed by up to 90%. Adding algae to MO seeds generally enhances the efficiency of pollutant removal. In general, adding 0.3 g of algae to 70 ml of MO seed cake was adequate to eliminate impurities from the wastewater samples. Regeneration was also attempted for several cycles in order to return the sorbent to its original state by 0.05 M HNO3. The preliminary laboratory outcomes affirm the great potential of MO seed & algae for wastewater pre-treatment applications. Other research must be investigated on the residue of MO seed powder to appraise its suitability as an alternative protein source for animal husbandry.