Purification of Water using Local Plants: An Effective Innovation Method for Water Treatment

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of locally available plants and Aluminium sulphate (Alum) in the treatment of borehole water and well water within Kontagora, Niger State. Analysis of the physicochemical parameters such as temperature, conductivity, turbidity, colour pH, TDS, TSS, BOD, DO, Chloride, Sulphate, Hardness, Alkalinity and Acidity were carried out. Heavy metals such as Cu, Fe and Pd were also analysed before and after purification of two water samples with two different coagulants of plants origin (Moringa Oleifera and Hibiscus seed). The electrometric, gravimetric, and titrimetric methods were used for the analysis of physicochemical parameters while, the concentrations of heavy metals were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The conductivity and TDS values for both raw water samples ranges from 28.8 us/cm to 30.6 us/cm and 4.00 mg/l to 7.00 mg/l respectively.  The hardness, alkalinity and acidity ranges from 28.0 mg/l to 32.0 m/l, 30.0 mg/l to 38.0 mg/l and 26.0 mg/l to 62.0 mg/l respectively. The  BOD, DO, chloride, sulphate, TSS and colour ranges from 40 mg/l to 4.2 mg/l, 4.0 mg/l to 4.5 mg/l, 72 mg/l  to 107.0 mg/l, 27.92 mg/l to 32.46 mg/l, 22 mg/l to 35 mg/l and 30 mg/l to 45 mg/l respectively. The pH ranges from 6.9 to 6.6 respectively. The turbidity ranges from 0.96 to 6.50 respectively. The value of copper in raw Well water sample was 0.3 mg/l, copper was not detected in borehole raw water sample, and iron content ranges from 0.85 mg/l to 0.05 mg/l, which showed that iron content in raw water is higher than the recommended value by WHO, 0.3 mg/l, while lead in raw well water sample was 0.02 mg/l, was not detected in borehole raw water sample. Hence, the findings showed that natural coagulants plants were capable, effective, faster and easier than synthetic coagulants (e.g Alum) in water treatment, thus, creating an alternative means for water purification.