DISEÑO DE UNA PLANTA DE POTABILIZACIÓN PARA COMUNIDADES RURALES UTILIZANDO EL COMPUESTO COAGULANTE DE LA SEMILLA DE MORINGA OLEIFERA

Abstract

Access to quality drinking water is a global problem that persists in developing countries because of the absence or low efficacy of facilities and infrastructures as well as the lack of chemical products for the proper treatment. This increasing problem is exacerbated in rural areas and forces the population to consume water directly from rivers and lakes without previous treatment which increases epidemic risk. For that reason, more efficient, less expensive and decentralized new strategies to improve the physic-chemical and microbiological quality of drinking water intended for human consumption are needed. It has been shown that Moringa oleifera seeds have important coagulant properties thanks to a cationic protein which reduces microbiological content and suspended matter from water to levels similar to conventional coagulants. In this work, a design of a drinking water treatment plant based on the use of the coagulant compound of Moringa oleifera seed is proposed. For the design, experimental data about the performance of Moringa oleifera coagulant obtained at the laboratory and pilot plant scale test using synthetic water and real water will be used. Designed facility will supply a population of 1000 inhabitants. Keywords: drinking water treatment plant; Moringa oleifera; developing countries; coagulation