The Effectiveness of Moringa oleifera Seed extract as a BioCoagulant for Mine Waste Water Treatment

Mine wastewater usually requires treatment before it is discharged into the environment. Over the years, thevolume and quality of wastewater generated and discharged into the environment by mining and minerals’industries have remained critical issues due to the status of environmental standards and stringent dischargeregulations. Coagulants used in mine wastewater treatment are often expensive and pose health risk to humansand the environment at large. Therefore, the use of natural substitutes which have low or no harmful effects intreating mine wastewater is considered an effective step towards protecting the environment. The effect ofMoringa oleifera (MO) seed extracts as bio-coagulant in mine wastewater treatment was explored. The studywas carried out using a conventional jar test apparatus with moringa oleifera seed extracts as coagulant atdifferent stock concentrations (5, 10, 15 and 20 %). In each treatment (T1, T2, T3 and T4), 1000 mL of minewastewater sampled from a large scale mine was contacted with 5-50 mL of MO for corresponding ten beakers.The results showed that addition of the bio-coagulant generally led to a significant decrease in the turbidity aswell as the metal ions (Fe, Cu, Pb, Cd, Co, Mn, Zn, Ni and Cr) concentrations. Moreover, there was an increasein the pH of the wastewater. However, the bio-coagulant had two opposing effects on TDS and EC, which wasstock concentration dependent. Overall, all the residual values for parameters measured were within (WHO)acceptable limit. These results suggest that moringa oleifera seed, a natural coagulant, is a viable substitute tosynthetic and inorganic coagulants in mine wastewater treatment.