Investigation on the removal of contaminants from washing machine discharge using Strychnos potatorum (clearing nut) – A potential purifying agent

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to develop eco-friendly purifying agents from natural materials, Strychnos potatorum (SP) – a coagulant. The seeds of SP were used for wastewater treatment (washing machine effluent). Physico-chemical parameters like turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), pH, calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and phosphate (PO43−) were tested and the data obtained were compared with BIS standards. In the current work, physical and chemical parameters have been examined to determine the quality of water for washing machine discharge, before and after treatment (coagulation) using SP seeds. The testing procedure was carried out using a Jar test of coagulant mass 1000 mg/L with rapid mixing at 150 rpm for 5 min, slow mixing at 30 rpm for 25 min and a settling period of 1 h. Coagulation results were reported for the use of SP seeds, where the effectiveness of removing turbidity and PO43− was determined to be 81.54 and 41.45%. The presence of various functional groups in SP seed was assessed by fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Qualitative identification of phytochemical constituents of seed extract for this species was also carried out. The experimental findings strongly highlighted the ability of SP seeds to remove turbidity and PO43− from wastewater.

Keywords

• Wastewater treatment
• Strychnos potatorum
• Water quality analysis
• Turbidity removal