Terminalia catappa (Talisay) Leaves for Preliminary Surface Water Treatment: An Eco-Friendly Approachs

There has been considerable interest in the development and usage of plant based natural coagulants. The use of plant-based materials as water treatment agents has long history, particularly the wood charcoal as an excellent adsorbent. Natural polyelectrolyte of plant origin has been used for many centuries indeveloping countries for purification of turbid water. For home water treatment, the plant-based materials have been used in the forms of powder and paste, 90% of which consists of substances other than the polyelectrolytes. Even under such conditions, few plant seeds make effective coagulants. Several plant-based materials were identified as a natural coagulant such as Moringa (Malunggay), Strychnos (Clearing nut tree) and Cactus.

Recently, tannin-based coagulants have been utilized in coagulation/ flocculation process for water purification. Tannins are high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic compounds. Tannins are widely distributed in the plant kingdom obtained from natural materials.