Natural Coagulants—An Alternative for Conventional Chemical Coagulants for Potable Water Purification

On the Earth, water is an important natural resource necessary for the survival of all forms of living organisms. Currently, potable water is highly polluted by industries, sewage disposal from municipalities, etc. The removal of pollutants from the water is mandatory before its supply to the public. The present study was carried out to check the quality of drinking water samples from different areas such as Puliyamarathadi, Sangaramoorthy Patti, Muthalakam Patti, Varatharajan Puram, Kullapuram, Cement Road, Palrangapuram, Pottal Patti, Karisal Kulam, and Villaouram located around sugar-cum-distillery industry in Madurai district. The obtained results were compared with Bureau of Indian Standards for drinking water norms. All the values were within the BIS limit except chloride, hardness, and TDS in samples from five areas. The contaminated water samples were treated with natural coagulant Strychnos potatorum L. seed powder and Phyllanthus emblica wood powder. After the treatment, Chloride, Hardness, and TDS in the treated samples were found within the permissible limit. The presence of antioxidant, phytochemical compounds, polyelectrolyte, and coagulating protein of seed may be responsible for the reduction of chloride, hardness, and TDS from the potable water samples.