Turbidity reduction of abattoir wastewater by the coagulation-flocculation process using papaya seed extract

Abattoir wastewater (ABW) is a major environmental pollutant in Nigeria and from its characteristics, if discharged directly to the environment, constitute a hazard to human life and aquatic life. The utilization of a locally available waste, papaya seed, as a source of bio-coagulant for the treatment of abattoir wastewater was examined in this research. To identify the optimum concentration for the extraction process, experiments were carried out utilizing 0.2, 0.6, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 M of NaCl, 1 g/L dose of the coagulant and natural pH of the Abattoir effluent. FTIR (Fourier Transformed Infrared) analysis was employed to determine the functional groups available in the extracted bio-coagulant. To establish the optimal coagulation conditions, the effects of process variables such as coagulant dosage (1 – 5 g/L), settling time (0 – 60 min), pH (2 – 10), and temperature (298 – 318K) were examined. Reduction efficiency of 91.38% was achieved at an optimum condition of 3 g/L, pH of 8, temperature of 318K and set