Natural coagulants (Moringa oleifera and Benincasa hispida) based removal of microplastics

The presence of small-sized (<5 mm) plastic particles, called microplastics (MPs), in the environment, including aquatic bodies, air, soil, and bodies of living beings, is a cause of significant concern to the entire world. These MPs can contaminate drinking water sources, move up the food chain,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Priya Agarwal, Satya Prakash, Gaurav Saini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-06-01
Series:Cleaner Water
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950263224000085
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850061153249525760
author Priya Agarwal
Satya Prakash
Gaurav Saini
author_facet Priya Agarwal
Satya Prakash
Gaurav Saini
author_sort Priya Agarwal
collection DOAJ
description The presence of small-sized (<5 mm) plastic particles, called microplastics (MPs), in the environment, including aquatic bodies, air, soil, and bodies of living beings, is a cause of significant concern to the entire world. These MPs can contaminate drinking water sources, move up the food chain, and release toxic substances that could pose a threat to human health. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop methods for removing MPs from the environment to protect present and future generations. The coagulation-flocculation sedimentation (CFS) process (using synthetic chemicals) has emerged as a fundamental method for treating MPs in water because of its economy, high efficiency, and ease of use. However, the xenobiotic nature of such compounds, coupled with their adverse health effects, calls for the development of sustainable solutions. This is the first study to report the effectiveness of plant-based natural coagulants in removing MPs from water and their comparison against synthetic coagulants. Two natural coagulants, Benincasa hispida (BH) and Moringa oleifera (MO), were investigated and have shown comparable MP removal efficiencies to commonly used synthetic coagulant: alum. The CFS approach resulted in 83.73 ± 1.41% (100 mg L–1 dosage) and 86.99 ± 1.41% (150 mg L–1 dosage) MP removal efficiencies for BH and MO, respectively, while alum resulted in 86.58 ± 1.22% removal (50 mg L–1 dosage). Further, FTIR analysis has revealed that these MPs are composed of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and SEM imaging has shown their shapes as spherical, rod-like and irregular. The results of the present study show that plant-based natural materials can be used for MP removal, thus yielding a sustainable and cost-effective process.
format Article
id doaj-art-ecd93b8636f24b9e9233fb580b2ffd72
institution DOAJ
issn 2950-2632
language English
publishDate 2024-06-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Cleaner Water
spelling doaj-art-ecd93b8636f24b9e9233fb580b2ffd722025-08-20T02:50:20ZengElsevierCleaner Water2950-26322024-06-01110001010.1016/j.clwat.2024.100010Natural coagulants (Moringa oleifera and Benincasa hispida) based removal of microplasticsPriya Agarwal0Satya Prakash1Gaurav Saini2Department of Civil Engineering, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaDepartment of Civil Engineering, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaDepartment of Civil Engineering, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Delhi, India; Corresponding author.The presence of small-sized (<5 mm) plastic particles, called microplastics (MPs), in the environment, including aquatic bodies, air, soil, and bodies of living beings, is a cause of significant concern to the entire world. These MPs can contaminate drinking water sources, move up the food chain, and release toxic substances that could pose a threat to human health. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop methods for removing MPs from the environment to protect present and future generations. The coagulation-flocculation sedimentation (CFS) process (using synthetic chemicals) has emerged as a fundamental method for treating MPs in water because of its economy, high efficiency, and ease of use. However, the xenobiotic nature of such compounds, coupled with their adverse health effects, calls for the development of sustainable solutions. This is the first study to report the effectiveness of plant-based natural coagulants in removing MPs from water and their comparison against synthetic coagulants. Two natural coagulants, Benincasa hispida (BH) and Moringa oleifera (MO), were investigated and have shown comparable MP removal efficiencies to commonly used synthetic coagulant: alum. The CFS approach resulted in 83.73 ± 1.41% (100 mg L–1 dosage) and 86.99 ± 1.41% (150 mg L–1 dosage) MP removal efficiencies for BH and MO, respectively, while alum resulted in 86.58 ± 1.22% removal (50 mg L–1 dosage). Further, FTIR analysis has revealed that these MPs are composed of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and SEM imaging has shown their shapes as spherical, rod-like and irregular. The results of the present study show that plant-based natural materials can be used for MP removal, thus yielding a sustainable and cost-effective process.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950263224000085Treatmentsustainable methodcost-effectivenessremoval efficiencyplant-based
spellingShingle Priya Agarwal
Satya Prakash
Gaurav Saini
Natural coagulants (Moringa oleifera and Benincasa hispida) based removal of microplastics
Cleaner Water
Treatment
sustainable method
cost-effectiveness
removal efficiency
plant-based
title Natural coagulants (Moringa oleifera and Benincasa hispida) based removal of microplastics
title_full Natural coagulants (Moringa oleifera and Benincasa hispida) based removal of microplastics
title_fullStr Natural coagulants (Moringa oleifera and Benincasa hispida) based removal of microplastics
title_full_unstemmed Natural coagulants (Moringa oleifera and Benincasa hispida) based removal of microplastics
title_short Natural coagulants (Moringa oleifera and Benincasa hispida) based removal of microplastics
title_sort natural coagulants moringa oleifera and benincasa hispida based removal of microplastics
topic Treatment
sustainable method
cost-effectiveness
removal efficiency
plant-based
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950263224000085
work_keys_str_mv AT priyaagarwal naturalcoagulantsmoringaoleiferaandbenincasahispidabasedremovalofmicroplastics
AT satyaprakash naturalcoagulantsmoringaoleiferaandbenincasahispidabasedremovalofmicroplastics
AT gauravsaini naturalcoagulantsmoringaoleiferaandbenincasahispidabasedremovalofmicroplastics