How to Use Moringa to Flocculate Municipal Sludge

Moringa oleifera is a widely cultivated multipurpose tree grown in tropical and subtropical climates around the world. Every part of the tree can be eaten or used for some purpose. The seeds, which grow in pods, are no exception and can be used for water treatment. Moringa powder acts as a flocculant or flocculation aid, meaning the moringa helps smaller particles combine to form larger particles that can settle into sedimentation or sludge that can be removed or trapped during a filtering process. Low-technology seed processing is used for household or small community wastewater treatment, but large-scale operations call for higher-technology seed processing.

Things You'll Need

• Moringa seeds
• Mortar and pestle or large-scale crushing device
• Multiple containers (small-scale) or treatment pool
• Cold press/enzymes/solvent (for high-technology seed processing)
• Bio-flocculant filtration device (for high-technology seed processing)
• Wastewater
• Sand filter
• Nonchlorine disinfectant

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Instructions

Small-Scale Water Treatment (Household/Community)

• 1

  Harvest and dry the moringa pods and remove the seeds.

• 2

  Shell and crush the seeds using a mortar and pestle or other device. If the operation is small scale, the seeds are simply ground into a fine powder and then used to treat the water.

• 3

  Add approximately 2 grams of seed powder to 20 liters of water. Stir the water for five minutes.

• 4

  Let the water sit for 24 hours and then decant it into another container.

Large-Scale Water Treatment

• 5

  Harvest and dry the moringa pods and remove the seeds.

• 6

  If the seed processing is high-tech, moringa oil is typically extracted from the seed using any of a variety of processes like enzyme assisted, cold press or solvent.

• 7

  If the seed processing is high-tech, extract bio-flocculants from the seeds using ultrafiltration, crossflow microfiltration or ion-exchange processes.

• 8

  Package the powder either as a liquid or a solid. If it is packaged as a solid, the moringa powder or powder cake should undergo a freeze drying or centrifuge and drying process.

• 9

  With medium-sized treatment operations, add the moringa powder to the wastewater. The wastewater is typically agitated during the coagulation-flocculation process and is then filtered slowly through sand. The sludge that is unable to pass through the sand can be used as biocompost while the clean, filtered water can be stored and distributed.

  In large-scale operations dose the wastewater before undergoing a rapid mixing for coagulation followed by a slow mixing for flocculation. Sedimentation followed by rapid sand filtration generates sludge that can be converted to bio-compost. After the rapid sand filtration, the water is disinfected and then stored or distributed.