Study of Moringa oleifera (Drumstick) seed as natural Absorbent and Antimicrobial agent for River water treatment

The high cost of treated water makes most people in the rural communities to resort to readily available water sources which are normally of low quality exposing them to waterborne diseases. The present study was carried out to confirm the effectiveness of seed powder extracted from mature-dried Moringa oleifera seeds which are commonly available in most rural communities. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the antimicrobial activity and efficiency of a natural absorbent from Moringa oleifera seeds in treating river water. During this study, surface water samples were collected for treatment by Moringa seeds in powdered form, resulting in an effective natural clarification agent for highly turbid and untreated pathogenic water. Various doses of Moringa seed powder viz. 50, 100 and 150 mg/l were taken and checked for the efficiency dose on raw water. After treatment of seed powder with water samples were analyzed for different parameter like pH, Turbidity, TDS, TS, Hardness, Chlorides, Alkalinity, Acidity, MPN and SPC. All parameters were reduced with increasing dose of 50, 100 and 150 mg/l seed powder respectively (except alkalinity and pH). Application of this low cost Moringa oleifera seeds is recommended for eco-friendly, nontoxic, simplified water treatment where rural and peri-urban people living in extreme poverty.